Trout Creek Canyon Trail
The middle of July was hot, so a
friend and I made a date to walk this trail early on a week day morning. Gone
was the trail I remembered for the early 50’s. (kind of dates me doesn’t it.
We drove out towards Trout Creek and
turned up the hill towards the Summerland Research Station. Almost immediately
a small road takes off to the right and into a small parking lot. Here a narrow
zigzag opening in the fence led us to the trails. I was so narrow that I was
glad I did not have my big pack.
The first thing I noted was an
elderberry bush near the parking lot. Striking out, we followed an old road on
top of the creek bank. Every so often a small path would break off and head
toward the hill side, which I kept scanning for the trail I remembered.
Eventually the trail petered out as the canyon wall closed in. It had been an
easy walk through fields of baby’s breath plants and by nearly barren Saskatoon
bushes and Oregon grape.
Heading back we took an old road up
to the Research Station fence, stopped for a bite to eat where I took these
pictures. We also noted some signs of an
industrial operation from many years ago, which appeared to possibly be a
cement plant of some sort. There was also a wooden bench sitting amongst the
babys breath. This was crafted together with wooden dowels instead of nail.
Walking at a leisurely pace and
talking we spent an enjoyable hour and a half, but a fast walk could possibly
cover this in a half hour.
Loved this post, Bob! Brings back so many memories of long ago summers when we went several times a season to the Experimental Farm as we called it back then, for picnics and hikes and family reunions ... and to check out the cow with the window in its belly!
ReplyDeleteElderberry and Oregon grape ... my grandmothers used to make jelly out of those every year ... but never used the Saskatoon berries! I wonder why? Maybe because they'd come from the prairies where the Saskatoons had huge seeds ...
Hmmm... maybe I should try making those old-time jellies!