Toward Grey Creek Pass : Kimberley to Redding Creek

Today almost felt like the Trans Canada Trail had three distinct parts.  First, we walked through Kimberley Nature Park.  Next, we followed the paved road to Saint Mary's Lake.  Finally, we started our trek over the Gray Creek Pass through the Purcell Mountains.  Looking back on this morning, it feels like I'm remembering events from several days, or perhaps a lifetime ago.

It all began in the best of ways.  After a great night of sleep in an extremely comfy, warm, dry, bed we made our way downstairs for a breakfast of coffee, cereal, yogourt, fresh fruit, and a muffin.  At the next table a group of search and rescue volunteers were getting ready for a long day of training, and they joked that they'd be happy to come and rescue us later if we needed it.  A generous offer, but one we hope we won't need to accept.  Thus fortified by a good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast, we set out into a clear, sunny morning that was already beginning to warm up at 8:00 am.

A short walk through the streets of Kimberley brought us to a trailhead at the edge of the Kimberley Nature Park.  This 840 hectare green space is the largest municipal park in British Columbia, and offers more than 50 km of trails that link forested hillsides, providing panoramic views, and walks through pockets of old-growth cedar, along rugged talus slopes, and past numerous ponds and streams.  It is managed by the non-profit Kimberley Nature Park Society which has a mandate of conservation, education, and recreation.

When we arrived at the trailhead, three pickup trucks were parked at the gate, and the drivers stopped to chat. It turned out that they were doing maintenance in the park, and they had lots of helpful advice about the trails through it, and changes that were being made to the Trans Canada Trail's route in it, which we were very grateful they shared.  We always enjoy meeting some of the generous individuals who help make the trails we walk possible, and it turned out one of the volunteers also had a father who worked for Cominco.

As we set off down the gravel footpath, under a very tall canopy of mature conifers and cedars, we almost immediately spotted a group of mule deer.  They were peacefully grazing among the shrubs, and they stopped to watch as we passed, standing posed like statues in the early morning sun.

The first 8 km of our walk were through the Nature Park, mostly following Army Road, which alternated between a narrow, winding gravel road, a grassy track, and an earth footpath.  It took us along forested slopes under a canopy of huge, tall, mature trees and along a babbling and laughing creek.  The sunshine filtered down through the needles and leaves high above us, making the shadows dance on the mossy forest floor.

For the first part of the morning we climbed steadily, making our way through a very impressive network of trails.  The forks were well marked, as was the Trans Canada Trail, and periodically we would come to trailheads with detailed maps.  It was a wonderful trail system, and clearly well loved and used by the locals.

We were also very impressed to see that each trailhead we came to had information on a different aspect of the park. One typed info sheet explained how soil is formed, what it is made of, and what types are present within the park.  Another provided information on the American Badger, a species we have yet to meet in person, but would very much like to.

Eventually we began to descend through a logged area on a rather steep gravel path.  As we followed the switch backs through the more open landscape we enjoyed some very beautiful mountain views out through the trees.

Around 10:30 am we arrived at Saint Mary Lake Rd, and the Kimberley Riverside Campground.  The campground store was open, so we ducked inside for an ice cream, even through it was still morning. We enjoyed it on the covered porch, sitting next to a sign dated yesterday that warned of a bear in the vicinity.

After our short break we headed out onto the winding, paved road, heading towards Saint Mary Lake.  On one side of the road the Saint Mary River meandered along in a mostly forested valley, and on the other the treed slopes of Bootleg Mountain rose straight upwards towards the blue sky.

There was a lot of traffic on the road as we made our way along.  Today was a Saturday, and a steady stream of cars with mountain bikes attached to the roofs, pick up trucks with ATVs and dirt bikes in the back, and hunters heading into the woods passed us by.  Despite this, it was a pleasant enough walk along a forested road bordered with small homes and cottages and many, many, many Private Property Signs.

We stepped off the paved road and took a short break at the entrance to the Bootleg Mountain Recreation Site.  As we sat on the grassy verge near the entrance to it, we spotted three Bald Eagles soaring in lazy circles in the clear blue sky. They circled above the road from a while, seeming to keep us company as we continued along.

Eventually we came to the turnoff for Saint Mary Lake.  We weren't planning to stop, and given that the road seemed to go steeply downhill and the recreation site seemed to be very busy we continued past it.  A couple minutes later the trees opened up and we could see the large, blue lake stretched out beside us.  The steep forested slopes of mountains rose up on all sides of the long, narrow waterbody, which continued down the valley and out of sight. 

A warm breeze was blowing, ruffling the surface of the lake and creating tiny waves along the rocky shore.  Across the waters we could see RVs parked along the shore, people on SUPs out on the lake, and others walking along the shore or going for a swim.  It seemed to be very full, making us glad we hadn't been planning to stop there for the night.  Despite the evident popularity of this recreational area, we still saw signs of wildlife.  Specifically, one of the largest sets of black bear paw prints I've ever seen, freshly left in the dust of the road.  We followed the bear's footprints for quite some time, keeping a careful lookout for their owner, but never meeting him or her.

After we passed the lake the pavement was eventually replaced with gravel, and there was less traffic on the road.  Most of the vehicles that passed for the remainder of the afternoon were ATVs, dirt bikes, and pickup trucks.  Shortly after the pavement disappeared we came to a sign indicating that we were entering the Gray Creek Pass. 

The Gray Creek Pass is a seasonal gravel road that climbs to 2080 m, apparently making it the highest dirt road pass in Canada. The narrow, winding road is used by logging and mining vehicles, there is no cell service along it, and there can be snow at the summit year-around.  When approached from Kimberley, there is a 1130 m gain in elevation over 47 km to reach the summit, and a 1530 m drop in elevation over 17 km to reach Gray Creek on the other side.  The road has grades of 14 - 20%, and vehicle drivers are warned that excessive use brakes on the steep terrain can lead to brake failure.  This is the route the Trans Canada Trail follows to cross the Purcell Mountain Range.

For the next 12 km or so we followed an undulating gravel road around the base of Bootleg Mountain.  It's craggy and forested slopes rose very steeply up beside us, topped with rocky, bare, red cliffs.  At times, the road was following along right at the base of the mountain where large rock slides and avalanches had occurred. At one point we looked up to see the sharp, jagged, black rocks of the slide piled up far above our heads, while on the other side a stand of huge cedars rose up above a carpet of delicate, feathery, lush green ferns.  The contrast was amazing.

One of the more unexpected things about today was the number of Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes we found on the gravel road.  Over 15 km or so we spotted 10 of them! Several had been run over, but the majority were slithering onto the road to warm themselves in the hot afternoon sun.  We spent quite a lot of time shooing them back onto the road edges so they wouldn't get crushed.

Around 3:30 pm we passed Meachern, which seemed to consist of a single cattle ranch.  Although we didn't spot any cows, it felt somehow unexpected to see lush green fields dotted with golden hay bales in the middle of the craggy, rough, forested mountain landscape.  On the rocky mountain tops and bowls beyond we could see snow!

About an hour later, the rolling road descended back down towards the river, and we began to hear and see it through the trees beside us. We were getting a little tired by this point, so the river was a welcome sight.  We had been hoping to stop on the forestry road around km 39, where there was rumoured to be an unorganized campsite near the bridge over the river.  When we arrived it was to find three campsites in an open grassy area on the banks of the wide, shallow, clear, fast-flowing river.  There was one truck with an ATV trailer parked at the site, but there was no one else around.

Just as we approached the campsite we spotted a beautiful, chestnut coloured horse trotting along the gravel road.  It came towards us before shying away, whiny-ing agitatedly.  We couldn't tell is it was shoed or wild.  It disappeared down the road, only to return a while later, still whinnying.  We couldn't help feeling we'd met the horse with no name. 

The unofficial campsite was at a beautiful spot on the river surrounded by forested mountains, at the base of a long, concrete bridge.  We found it a little exposed, so instead of pitching the tent right away, we decided to get water from the river and cook dinner, and see how things went.  As we made our meal, two guys arrived on dirt bikes and proceeded to load them back into their trailer. They were very nice and came over for a chat, advising us that although the bridge over Baribeau Creek is closed for repairs, they think we can make it across on foot if need be.  That sounded reassuring!

As we ate, there was a constant stream of dirt bikes, ATVs, and pickup trucks going across the bridge.  Sean walked over it and found a much more secluded campsite tucked away under the cedar trees on the far side of the river.  It had clearly been used before, but there was no direct vehicle access, and it felt kind of tucked away.  We decided to pitch the tent there, and this proved to be a very good decision.  As we set up, two dirt bike drivers roared across the bridge and proceeded to do donuts in the campsite we had just left.  Then they tore along the opposite riverbank.

We are camped on the side of a road that is officially closed for the season due to the closure of the bridge over Baribeau Creek.  Even so, as darkness falls there is a steady stream of traffic going back and forth across the bridge beside us.  We've given up trying to figure out how gravel roads that go nowhere can be so busy.

Apart from the traffic, for a while all was peaceful, with just us, the sounds of the river, the call of a Great Horned Owl, and the odd pinging of the metal bridge beside us. However, our world soon took a turn into the bizarre. 

Around 8:00 pm all was quiet in the river valley.  Around 8:30 pm the darkness was dispelled as a search light swept across the valley, pausing to light up our tent for several minutes before continuing along the opposite bank of the river.  A large pickup truck fully outfitted with a bank of high power spotlights on top had pulled up and the occupants were looking for a place to set up camp along the river. Using their rotating search lights, they soon found the campsite across the river where we had dinner.  Around 9:15 pm the young couple began setting up a marquis tent, which they equipped with a walk-in kitchen, complete with a picnic table, chairs, a barbeque, 20 liter water jugs, and more food and condiments than we typically have in our fridge at home. To facilitate setting all of this up in the dark, they have raised not one, but two spot lights on poles.  The entire valley is now lit up like a construction zone, or the parking lot of a Walmart.  At 9:45 pm they brought out a chainsaw and cut down a 50 ft tall pine tree.  At 9:40 pm they began attacking the newly felled tree with an axe, presumably to create firewood?  As I write this, lying in a tent that is bright as daylight, I can only imagine what our industrious neighbours will think up to do next.   As the night went on they would periodically scan the river and valley with their spotlights - lighting our camping site up again and again and again.

While I don’t begrudge anyone coming out into nature, I am frequently stunned at how much we as people colonize “wild spaces” to enjoy the great outdoors. 

See you on the trail!

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