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 Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:35 PM
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I had looked at several options for this weekend, Rainbow Mountain is near the top of my list to complete this year, but it did not work out for weather and partners. Dean emailed me a selection of places he would like to go to, and we settled on Paleface. This area is new to me, mountain or creek or anything near interested me.
On my drive in, weather looked crappy, cloudy, some showers and drizzle.
We met in the Cottonwood Mall Parking Lot at 7:30 am this morning, and headed out in Dean's truck. The Vedder Road, the paved Chilliwack River Valley Highway, and finally the slow unmaintained road along Chilliwack Lake..
Conditions looked great along the lake..    
We parked right on the open lot near the Paleface Creek Bridge on the main road.
By the time we were geared ready to go it was just a little after 9 am. Weather was mostly clear and sunny with some cloud.  
No sooner had we walked 10 minutes up the road, then low cloud started moving in over the lake.   ..
We had expected some alder bushwhacking, little did we know...
There is this bridge one has to be careful of crossing.... we both had our moments; only every 2nd or 3rd small log is nailed down to the supporting beams underneath. The rest are just nestled loosely in place, being slick with rain and spray. this could spell disaster.
This valley is full of small creeks and waterfalls hidden under the alder and on the side.. Here is one of them in the old burn area
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One in particular requires caution, as the fast flow wanted to pull me off my feet.
 .. so much for dry feet. My boots filled with water.
The mosquitoes were bad, and they got worse ... a few dozen mosquitoe bites and I finally borrowed some repellant from Dean, as much as I hate to use it. The mosquitoes cousins, blackfly horribus joined in to triple the fun or misery. Forgot to spray the bare spot in the hat...man was that itchy.
Alder knee high, face high, and overtop of us... we got slapped in the face, whipped in the arms, and the little buggers tried to trip us by tangling our feet...
mile after mile... with some bare stretches of road to offer us hope. What a tease.
 
About 12:30 we decide on a lunch break, we had been gaining and loosing some partial views with increasing cloud, and passing fog. Just enough for us to view the devasted tress crushed, broken, and bent below us..    ..
We walked over to view the area after filling up on a sandwich. Neither of us had our camaeras with us, when we saw this lean-looking bear run fast across the area of snow slide and snow filling up the creek bed. We wondered what he was so scared of.
After lunch, we continued up to the end of the road and then it started to rain. Put on rain jacket; then it started to hail... put on rain pants.. Then it really poured, We declared turn around point then and headed back. (1:30 pm) We heard rock falling and bouncing along down the slide, the bear knew the bare facts of being caught out in rock slides, he certainly did not stick around... Then the long way back in heavy rain, alder wading, branch sloshing in face, and getting mouthfuls of branch and water. Willow and Alder don't actually taste that bad.
It was about 4:05 p.m. rain came to a halt,,, and as soon as we returned to the truck, the sun came out and shone upon us. 4:10 p.m. There even was considerable clearing over the lake. We quickly got off most of our wet clothing, and put on dry stuff.
Stats: 21 km round trip including about 15 km of alder slogging, 7 hours including 1/2 hour lunch, we got in about 925 meters elevation gain (low 667 m; high piont 1593 m)
Here is a topog map( red ine shows our route)..Google GPS Images as posted, showing our location and route. Topog map shows our route in red, the small lake just below and right was our target. another 40 minutes or less we could have made it, but a thunderstorm is something you don't want to be out in.
   
Many thanks to Dean for this adventure, and his driving in, especially on that rough road alog the lake.
Someone said a bad day out in the bush is better than a good day in the office.
There is truth in that; despite what one encounters... LOL..
K |
Edited by - KARVITK on 07/15/2012 10:37 PM
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Van, BC
Canada
2780 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:44 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by KARVITK
There is this bridge one has to be careful of crossing.... we both had our moments; only every 2nd or 3rd small log is nailed down to the supporting beams underneath. The rest are just nestled loosely in place, being slick with rain and spray. this could spell disaster.
Woh! That looks... not safe!
-Ryan
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Surrey, B.C.
Canada
198 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:51 PM
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| Very interesting place Karl. Thanks again for the invite. I am down with a flu. |
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Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5368 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 11:25 PM
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Hey Karl,
How was the Alder up to mark 582 -583?
Curious... |
Edited by - exscape on 07/15/2012 11:27 PM |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1602 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by KARVITK
That's a scary looking bridge with the creek roaring underneath.
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
719 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 08:16 AM
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| Great report, Karl, very descriptive with just the right amount of humour! I enjoyed reading of your and Dean's soggy trek through the bug-infested alder jungle. I'm glad it was you and not me, but I agree - reluctantly - with your concluding comments. |
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Canada
1084 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 09:08 AM
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| If I can find the old email, there is a good private trip report someone sent me from their journey to Mount Daly. By the looks of it, you guys did all the grunt work to get to the base of the mountain. The only relief from the bugs of Paleface Creek, is up on the ridgelines I think. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 09:26 AM
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| You guys are tough. I would have turned around in 20mins and waited in the truck. Still feels to be rather of excitement of the bridge and Alderbug fest! |
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Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3994 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 10:23 AM
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 No bridge across North Paleface Creek back when EAK, Alhike and I had to wade across that creek 4 years back.
You guys were pretty near the Thompson-Daly pass at the end of the road. A really nice area when the sun is out .
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:26 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Steventy
quote:
Originally posted by KARVITK
That's a scary looking bridge with the creek roaring underneath.
Ryan and Steve:
Rightly so, with the slippery barkless logs not nailed down and sliding cross ways, took me by surprise. ON the way back, put on my microspikes and carefully stepped over and on only the nailed down small cross-logs.
K |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:28 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by simonc
No bridge across North Paleface Creek back when EAK, Alhike and I had to wade across that creek 4 years back.
You guys were pretty near the Thompson-Daly pass at the end of the road. A really nice area when the sun is out.
Thanks Simon for locating our spot, you must have had a great time then including that exciting crossing... Imagine the alder must have been much less of a hindrance then 4 years less growth.
Water flow yesterday was too strong at that spot with the higher water to cross.
I think we only had a short stretch to go that lake, and probably would have been a walk on snow as there was some snowbanks right near the top of the road.
K |
Edited by - KARVITK on 07/16/2012 12:32 PM |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:29 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by greyowl
Great report, Karl, very descriptive with just the right amount of humour! I enjoyed reading of your and Dean's soggy trek through the bug-infested alder jungle. I'm glad it was you and not me, but I agree - reluctantly - with your concluding comments.
Thank you Hedda for your comments; large sections were just like a jungle and a lot more was like swimming through the stuff.
K |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:31 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by exscape
Hey Karl,
How was the Alder up to mark 582 -583?
Curious...
Alder was not really much of an issue to the 582. but serious from there to 583..
Aside from a few open stretches, the nicest piece of road to walk was the last 1/2 km of switchback, and the first stretch from the truck was ok as well.
K |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 12:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Elkaholic
If I can find the old email, there is a good private trip report someone sent me from their journey to Mount Daly. By the looks of it, you guys did all the grunt work to get to the base of the mountain. The only relief from the bugs of Paleface Creek, is up on the ridgelines I think.
Tim, would really appreciate a look at the private trip report. I thinking of trying a direct hike and climb up from the Depot Creek Side. .. Perhaps early this summer.
K |
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1355 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 6:30 PM
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Thanks for the great report, Karl. Very interesting area indeed. |
Edited by - nortonchum on 07/17/2012 6:30 PM |
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Campbell River, BC
Canada
754 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 6:38 PM
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| Nice reports...brings back some memories when I hiked up Paleface Mountains years ago. At that time there was less bush to contend with. |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 9:31 PM
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Nikolai you are welcome.
Thank you both for your kind compliments Nikolai and Solo.
Must have been a lot easier to go that way years ago. Alder have grown a lot, especially visible along the Chilliwack Lake Road.
K |
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Calgary, Alberta
318 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2012 : 9:54 PM
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Would that qualify as a sufferfest Karl?  |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13440 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2012 : 5:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mtnview
Would that qualify as a sufferfest Karl?
You are almost right; the mosquitoes were the worst part with 2 dozen plus bites;
K |
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Alder & Bug Fest -Paleface Drainage Jul.15.12
