HIGH WATER

A work assignment took me to Vancouver last week. It was a job I had done before, but last time my visit had been in the summer. On that trip, I was treated with 4 days of warm, sunny skies. Unfortunately, I had pulled a calf muscle a couple of weeks earlier, and I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the trip. Hiking and running were out of the question, and even walking around town was difficult. This time, I vowed to take full advantage of the opportunity. There was only one snag. Late April is nothing like summer in Vancouver. It heralds the end of the rainy season, and the higher elevations are still buried under snow. As a result, I had a tough time deciding where to go.

Originally I thought about taking a ferry out to Vancouver Island (oddly, Vancouver isn’t on Vancouver Island). Victoria is though, and I’ve always heard that it’s a place worth seeing. The Island also features one of the wildest stretches of rainforest coastline in the world. A hike on the Pacific coast would be great, even if the weather wasn’t.

I didn’t have to do much research to discover that the coast wasn’t an option. Since it takes almost a full day to get from Vancouver to Charlotte, I had to fly home Saturday night, or, at the latest, early Sunday morning. I had to work a full five days first, which meant that I would have only Friday evening and most of Saturday at my disposal. Getting to the Pacific Coast on Vancouver Island requires about a 30 minute drive, followed by a 2-hour ferry ride, and at least another 3 hour drive. Victoria isn’t much closer. If I tried to go there, I’d be spending all of my time getting there and back again.

I decided to look for something closer to the city. There are several Provincial Parks north and east of Vancouver, and after a bit of research, I found one that sounded appealing. Golden Ears Provincial Park is an hour’s drive from the city, and it features some intriguing hiking options. The most rigorous hikes involve climbs to the higher peaks, including one all-day grind to the summit on one of the Park’s namesake peaks. Those trails were still snowed in, but there are a number of others in the park at lower elevations. I decided to try one, or possibly several, of those on my free day in British Columbia.

My hike was nearly derailed before Saturday rolled around. My trip started pleasantly enough, with a sunny Monday highlighted by a run through Burnaby’s Central Park. Central Park may just be a small retreat hidden within a bustling metropolis, but it was a great place to run. There are shady paths running everywhere, under some impressive trees. I never thought I’d say this, but there actually may have been too many trails there. It was almost a maze, but I managed not to get lost.

It started raining on Tuesday, and continued through most of the week. Usually it was just a bit of a drizzle, but it was starting to get tedious by Thursday. That’s when I came down with a head cold. I felt pretty lousy, and by Friday, I wasn’t really looking forward to hiking. My flight wasn’t until 6pm on Saturday though, and I didn’t really have anything better to do. Friday night I invested 10 Canadian Dollars in a bottle of Nyquil so that I might actually get some sleep.

I felt a bit better the next morning, even though I got up at 6am. By some miracle, the rain finally ended, the clouds parted, and the sun reappeared. To the north and east, mountains I hadn’t seen since Monday emerged from the murk. I left the hotel before 7, and managed to find my way through the vast suburbs of Vancouver to the park. I accomplished this despite vague directions on the park’s website. If you’re interested in visiting the park, take highway 7 east to the town of Maple Ridge. From there, turn left on 232^nd street, and follow the blue signs leading to the park. There is no entry fee into the park, but parking costs three dollars. The main parking areas have machines that dispense parking passes, and they accept cash, coins, and credit cards.

I continued all the way through the park, until the road turned to dirt. From there, I followed a short side road up to the West Canyon Trailhead. My plan was to do two short hikes originating from this trailhead. The first would follow the West Canyon Trail to the Lower Falls. On my return, I’d do another short hike on the Viewpoint Trail. That path promised a view of Alouette Lake and another waterfall.

While I was gathering my gear, I met a returning hiker. He had just completed the Viewpoint Trail, and mentioned that there is no longer much of a view there. Apparently trees have grown up and obscured the overlook in the years since the trail was named. I’m sure it’s still a nice walk, but I did begin to have second thoughts about hiking up there.

At 8:15 I headed up the trail, which follows an old logging road on a relatively even contour above Gold Creek. Before long, I encountered a stream that ran across, and for some distance, down the trail. I picked my way carefully through, as I really didn’t want to pack wet boots into my suitcase that afternoon. If only I had known what I was getting into!

There was no shortage of water, and much of it seemed to be on the trail. I guess I should’ve expected that, between all of the rain and the melting snow at the higher elevations. At least all that moisture made the surroundings attractive. Dozens of streams cascaded down the hillside, under stout trees draped in moss. The park is almost entirely second-growth forest, as the area was logged before the park was created. However, in the moist climate of the Pacific Northwest, forests recover quickly. The woods didn’t compare to those that I’ve seen on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, but they were still pleasant.

After some easy walking and a lot of puddle-jumping, I reached Evans Creek, which was a raging torrent. Fortunately the trail crosses it on a sturdy bridge. It’s a good thing, or my hike would’ve ended there. There’s no way I would’ve attempted to ford Evans Creek under those circumstances.

I followed the trail / streambed onward, and reached the signed junction with the side trail down to the Lower Falls at 9:15. Initially, this path was better than the main trail. That ended when a steep part of the route merged with another raging stream. Somehow I made it through there without dunking my boots, but it took a lot of effort. A few minutes later I reached the bank of Gold Creek. I couldn’t believe I was looking at a creek! Anywhere else, this body of water would be considered a river. Gold Creek looked like Evans Creek, multiplied by ten. I came out just downstream from the Lower Falls, where the creek drops about 30 feet. That is an inadequate description of this waterfall though. The creek is quite wide, and the waterfall is one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen. Frequently, bursts of spray from the base of the falls would project higher than the top of the falls. The roar was incredible. It would’ve been impossible to have a conversation with someone there, even if they were right next to you.

My vantage of the falls was a good one, so I took a break there. Across the creek, I noticed the official viewpoint at the end of the Lower Falls Trail. That viewpoint is very close to the base of the falls, and the platform was being drenched with spray. From my relatively dry perspective, it seemed that I had chosen the better trail to view the falls from.

After my break, I explored downstream briefly. I found some Skunk Cabbage blooming in a wet area, and spotted a 4” long Banana Slug. Unfortunately, that Banana Slug was my only wildlife sighting of the day.

I returned to the main trail at 10:30, and decided to continue on. Why I decided this I’ll never know. The next part of the route was a steady slog uphill through a stream. Then the trail became obscure in an area with a lot of deadfall. I eventually found the path, marked with ribbons, switchbacking higher up on the hillside. This climb brought me to the Gold Creek Overlook, which provided a fine view up the valley to snow-covered peaks in the distance. The higher mountains were still obscured by clouds, but I could see most of the lower peaks.

At this point, I had a decision to make. If I turned around, I’d still have time to hike the Viewpoint Trail before heading to the airport. If I continued, I’d have to save the Viewpoint Trail for another day. The camping area at Alder Flats was another kilometer or so ahead, and it seemed like a logical destination. I decided to press on.

After a short distance, I passed another nice view before heading back into the woods. The trail grew more rugged, as it rounded a hillside into a tributary valley. This section was highlighted by an eroded slope that would’ve been hazardous, if the park hadn’t installed a safety rope and a ladder. I hesitated briefly there, but the hike was too intriguing to give up on. From there, the path was occasionally hard to follow, but ribbons or markers usually led the way. Before long, I reached the first patches of lingering snow. Initially I was excited, but the snow proved to be a nuisance. It was fairly deep in places, but soft and rotten. It took great care to keep from plunging through. At least it was better than walking in a creek!

A series of bridges led across another significant stream and into Alder Flats. There are several campsites here, but nobody was around. I continued upstream, in hopes of finding a clearing from which to view the surrounding peaks. After a few minutes, I spotted a rocky island in the middle of the stream. I was able to rock hop out to it, and from there, I could see the towering, snow-covered pinnacles above. Just beyond the creek, several small but elegant waterfalls tumbled down a cliff face. It was a nice spot, but unfortunately, there were just enough trees to prevent a good photo. I noticed a large clearing on the far side of the creek that promised a better vantage point, but fording the creek would’ve been unpleasant. Instead, I had a short snack break there before heading back.

I started back at noon, and kept up a brisk pace. I passed three groups on the way, which made the trail seem almost crowded after having total solitude all morning. I returned to the car just before 2pm, which left me with plenty of time to get back to the airport.

I’m already looking forward to my next visit to Vancouver. It’s one of the nicest cities I’ve visited in my travels, and it’s surrounded by outstanding recreational opportunities. Hopefully next time I’ll have more free time, and I’ll be able to make it out to the coast.

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