Snowfall : Osprey Lake to just short of Princeton

When we looked out the windows of our cozy, warm, little home at the Trailside Cabin Rentals it was still dark outside, but we were in for a surprise - the first snow of the season (for us)!  Fluffy white flakes were lazily drifting down outside the window, and collecting on the ground in a thin layer of white.  It certainly felt like the season was changing!

When we headed back to the pathway we passed under a tall wooden archway with 'Trans Canada Trail' written on it and both the Canadian and BC flags on top.  It reminded us a lot of crossing the border between New Brunswick and Quebec at the end of our first season on the trail, also during one of the first snows of the season.

The trail bed was covered in interesting patterns created by ATV tracks, deer, and smaller animals. Unlike some snowy landscapes, which are almost black and white, we found ourselves surrounded by colour.  Yellow aspen leaves still clung to branches and shone through the thin layer of white, and golden-brown pine needles were also visible beneath our feet.  Down below us the golden grasses contrasted with the dark conifers through the falling flakes.

Although the pathway of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail began to very gently descend as we left Osprey Lake, the Hayes Creek Valley fell much quicker, leaving us high up on the northern slope of a steep and narrow valley.  The views we glimpsed through the trees were of wetlands and ranches, and it was easy to imagine a very peaceful and quite life lived in this beautiful place.

By 8:30 am the snow was already beginning to melt.  The gentle sound of water droplets hitting the crunchy leaf litter filled the silent valley around us.  Slowly, small, fleeting patches of sunlight began to flit across the trail before being hidden again by clouds.  Soon we crossed a road with a sign pointing up the side of the mountain to the Jellico B&B.  Despite its name, it was still a few kilometres more before we found ourselves walking along the rail bed above the community of Jellicoe.

Jellicoe Station was formerly called Usk Station, but it was renamed after the British Admiral who distinguished himself at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.  At one point there was a siding at the station, which was still evident in a slight widening of the trail bed.

As we walked along the trail, still high above the valley floor, we caught glimpses of homes and ranches down below in the small community.  The trail was quite soft and sandy in this section, and we noticed several signs stating that the trail bed was maintained by people on ATVs.  We know nothing of the situation, but it seemed to suggest an ongoing dispute between ATV riders and other trail users in this stretch.  While sadly this isn't an unusual occurrence along the Trans Canada Trail, it was nice to see that the local ATV community was active in caring for the trail.  Certainly the wonderful rest area we stopped at yesterday was provided courtesy of several ATV groups.  For their efforts in keeping this section in great shape we would heartily thank them and point to them as an example of how ATVers can be brought into the national trail system as active contributors as well as demonstrating what a positive trail ethic from a range of users can be!

A little way past Jellicoe we found ourselves curving around the mountainside on an enormously tall culvert.  Large drops on both sides of the trail led down to a steep gorge.  A large, curved wooden trestle once took the CPR trains across Siwash Creek, but it was later filled in.   Down below the half moon of fill nestled the Pine Valley Resort and Horse Centre, and we could see lots of horse prints and droppings along the trail.  Too bad none of the horses were out and about.

We continued curving around the edge of the mountain, and soon ventured between a deep rock cut.  Large stone walls rose up on both sides of us.  Shortly after that we found ourselves walking across a curving wooden trestle over another deep gorge.  There was water flowing in the tiny creek far down below us, but it seemed very small compared to the depth of the gorge and the height of the trestle.

As we continued on into the afternoon, the landscape around us became more silty.  Large dunes rose up on either side of us, and it was clear ATV drivers enjoyed riding up and down them.  The trail was sandy as well, and in some places it felt like we were walking on a beach.  It must have been glacial till, but it made us wonder how we had transitioned so quickly from the hard rocky slopes covered in spruce and fir, to sand dunes covered in tall pines.

A bit after noon we reached another highlight - the Erris Tunnel.  This 91 m long tunnel was excavated through loose rock, requiring wooden timbers to be used as bracing.  With the braces still in place when the last CPR train went through, it became the last timber lined tunnel to be used on the CPR system.  Although it was a short tunnel, it was a bit unnerving to walk through.  The wooden supports were splitting and bent, being bolted together in the middle by metal braces, and the sides were definitely bowed inwards.  It was easy to see why someone had built a gravel trail to bypass the little tunnel.

After the tunnel through the hillside we began to descend into a completely different and extremely beautiful landscape.  We were passing into the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains we could see the landscape rising up ahead of us, their jagged peaks already shrouded in a layer of snow.

Grasslands form in the rain shadows of high mountain ranges, where it is too dry for trees to grow.  These unique places support a surprising diversity of plants and animals.  Some species, such as the bluebunch wheatgrass, pallid bat, and short-horned lizard are at the very northern edge of their range.  Others don't occur anywhere else in Canada.  Like BC's old growth forests, these grasslands are endangered, as are many species that rely on them, including the badger, western rattlesnake, and Burrowing Owl.

As we crossed the beautiful, rolling grassland we came to a large, octagonal gazebo that had been built over the base of the old water tower at Jura Station.  We were a little dismayed to see that someone had knocked down about a dozen swallow nests from under the eaves. However, we did discover a pretty cool sign inside.  Apparently the torch was brought through the Jura Stock Ranch during the Trans Canada Trail Relay in 2000.  It was carried by Brenda Crimmon and her granddaughter Melissa Bowman, who took it through on horseback!  Across the country we've met people who remember or participated in this relay, and it is always nice to find new evidence of it.

The Jura Ranch was very beautiful, with its rolling hills of blond grasses, and the backdrop of snow covered mountains beyond.  We made slow progress, stopping frequently to admire the 'almost desert' landscape that was so different from the forested slopes we left behind only a few moments earlier.

As we wove our way down the valley, we passed a large flock of woolly white sheep grazing peacefully in their dry meadow. They were being shepparded by a huge white dog who took its job very seriously, and conscientiously escorted us the entire length of the field, barking fiercely all the way.  Sheep are a rather unusual sight along the Trans Canada Trail, and we quite enjoyed seeing them and hearing their slightly comical sounding voices in the still, warm, evening air.

The trail skirted around a large grassy dune and suddenly we came to the Separation Lakes.  To our delight, the small waterbody closest to the trail was filled with waterfowl and shorebirds! Although we had very little daylight remaining, we couldn't help but stop to admire the birds.  Over 169 species of birds have been reported at these lakes on eBird, and we can attest that they are indeed a lovely spot to visit!

Among the birding highlights we could see were Barrow's Goldeneyes, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, numerous Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Killdeer, and a flock Wilson's Snipe.  We really enjoyed watching the snipe dig in the soft brown mud at the edge of the pond with their ridiculously long looking bills.

In the final approach to Princeton we descended into the Allison Creek valley on the railway version of a slalom course.  Large switch backs zigzagged across and down the grassland mountainside, dropping 287 m in the 17 km before Princeton.  At a 1.7 % grade it really didn't feel like we needed switch backs, and since we were racing the onset of dusk it felt a little silly to be weaving back and forth for some 4-6 km.

As we made our way along the last few switchbacks the light began to fade to the point where it was difficult to see.  With only a few kilometres left to reach Princeton, we decided to call it a night.  Thankfully, down here in the valley it much warmer and drier than it was up in the mountains.  It feels like it might even be a frost-free night.

Tomorrow we have a pretty big decision to make.  The trail between Princeton and Hope has been declared closed by local trail groups with little information detailing the situation being listed by the Trans Canada Trail.  This closure which encompasses 156 km of the TCT is the result of the catastrophic floods that ravaged this area last November.  The forecast calls for not one but two atmospheric rivers in the coming week, which could bring additional flooding to the region once again, and many communities have yet to even begin repairing the damage from last year, or shoring up their defences.  The question that now consumes us is 'What's next?'

See you on the trail!

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