On the rocks

 All along the Campbell River, from the estuary to the lake, about 8 km along the river (6 km as the crow flies) there is a maze of trails, through the hills on both sides of the river. I've walked or hiked along about half of them. This week, I was introduced to a new section of the river, inland from Elk Falls.

From the first stop on our trail, a viewing platform over the falls, we looked back towards the suspension bridge, where I usually end my walk.

The forest grows on a thin layer of soil on top of a mass of solid rock.

From there, it's a few steps down to the river racing through its rocky bed towards the falls.

The water rises at times to cover all this rock.

The upper end of this stretch of river. More bare rock.

And a few metres above this, the water flows sedately towards the gap.

The rocks here are mostly bare, alternately scoured by the water and baked in the sunlight, but small plants manage to find cracks deep enough to hold a root or two. There are even a few flowers.

One lonely harebell, grass, crunchy moss and lichens.

Rock walls on three sides make a sheltered haven.

I'm still sorting photos. Trees along the trail next, methinks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A lo largo del rio Campbell, desde el estuario hasta el lago Campbell, son unos 8 km siguiendo el rio (pero 6 en linea recta), y hay un laberinto de senderos en ambos lados del rio, y en los cerros que lindan con el cañon. Hasta ahora, he caminado más o menos la mitad de ellos. Esta semana, unos amigos me mostraron otra parte del rio, empezando con las cataratas Elk, donde está la puente que  casi siempre ha sido donde daba vuelta para regresar al estacionamiento. Esta vez, desde las cataratas, nos fuimos siguiento el rio hacia el lago.

Fotos:

1. La primera parada fue en una plataforma justo arriba de la catarata, bien abajo de la puente. Se ve como el bosque crece en una capa delgada de tierra encima de una masa grande de pura roca.
2. Desde allí son unos cuanto pasos a las rocas donde se cuela en agua en camino a la caída. El agua a veces sube a lavar toda esta roca.
3. Un poco más arriba, todavía en estas rocas, el agua entra desde un canal estrecho.
4. Y unos metros más atrás, el rio parece tranquilo.
5. Aunque las rocas están alternativamente pulidas por el agua y tostadas con el sol, algunas plantitas logran encontrar grietas donde pueden adherir una raiz. Aquí una campanula con una sola flor acompaña musgos tostados.
6. Y donde tres paredes de roca hacen un albergue, unas flores azules llegaron a formar semilla.

Sigo revisando mis fotos. En seguida, algunos de los árboles de este bosque, creo.

Elk Falls hike

Sooner or later, every Campbell River resident ends up at Elk Falls and the suspension bridge. It took me over a year, but I finally made it.

From the new parking lot at the project interpretive centre, the trail leads down, down, down, and down again, (the ravine is deep) to the bridge, hanging high above the falls.

View from a lower spot on the trail. Still above the falls. Note viewpoint at right.

View from the viewpoint. (Photo from my old pocket Sony, now defunct.)

I wanted a view from the side, so I went on down, down, down. (Hard on the knees)

The suspension bridge from slightly above.

And down some more, on a switchback trail along the side of the canyon, through dark green, old-growth forest.

"Old Mossback"

Just about level with the falls now. The river drops 75 feet into Trout Pool below.

View from another turn in the trail. Note viewpoint at the left. I didn't stop there, though.

And down some more. I wanted to reach the rocks at the top of the falls; I had seen them from the suspension bridge, and there were people on them. I knew the trail would get me there sooner or later. If my knees held out.

Made it! The river flows along, then falls into a hole.

Looking upstream.

Campbell River leaves Lower Campbell Lake, drops over Ladore Falls (22 feet) to Irene Pool, then pours down the ravine and over Bear Falls, Moose Falls, Deer Falls. Elk Falls is the final drop before Trout Pool. From Irene to Trout, in about 5 miles, the river falls 320 feet. From here, it still continues downhill, but not very steeply, until it opens into the flat Campbell River mouth.

The worst about a long hike downhill is that you have to scramble back up again. I took a wrong turn and climbed to the top of the ravine where there was no access to the parking lot, grumbled my way back down, and plodded back up. I caught up to some tourists from Italy on the way, got talking all along the rest of the trail, and completely forgot my sore calves.

I'm tougher than I thought.