This day most of us met up at the Co-op near Signal Hill. Myself, Carp, Jungle Jon and Madmazda introduced ourselves to the latest addition to the bunch, Big Bird. We chatted for a while then headed on our way to meet up with White Mule west of Cochrane. Shortly after leaving the Co-op, Big Bird was experiencing troubles with his overdrive switch and as a result he pulled off the road and decided to bail on the day which was disappointing but understandable.
After meeting up with White Mule, we carried on out to the Forestry Trunk Road and travelled north towards the Waiparous Valley turnoff. Before we headed into Waiparous Valley, Carp suggested we detour to the Waiparous Lookout for a photographic opportunity and a look up the valley. The vantage was amazing so we hammed it up a bit for the camera…
I took a few shots of the mountains while I was at it. The first shot is of Devil’s Head. The trail we were to explore follow from the bottom left of the photo and joined up with the river where the snow begins at the lowest point in the photo. The trail then follow the river left then right (the zigzag line of snow) then up the valley to the right of the photo…
I am not sure what the name of this mountain is but it is pretty dramatic! The end of the trail is off of the right side of the photo up against the cliff face above the trees…
We left the viewpoint and headed to the trail to begin our adventure. Once we got going, we discovered the road was still very much snow-covered as anticipated but it was also very sloppy in places making for some interesting driving. At one point, Carp took a sudden left turn and found himself firmly stuck in the thick crusty snow. A gentle pull from behind by Madmazda and he was extricated and we were back on our way…
At an area called Four Corners, we circled the wagons, built a fire and cooked hotdogs for lunch…
After lunch, everyone was in agreement that we should continue toward the end of the trail so we put the fire out and headed on our way. We arrived at the river crossing where we had turned around last year. This time the crossing was trickier than it looked. The most obvious crossing point had a huge ice shelf that was tempting to try but I knew it was unlikely any of us would manage it. I took note of it for the return trip and attempted a crossing that looked easier but wasn’t due to the van breaking through the ice in an area with large rocks. A couple of tries and I was through. The others got across at a different spot without incident.
Further along the trail, after a few more river crossings, we were faced with a steep hill that was both muddy and icy. I was leading so the other waited at the bottom of the hill while I made the first of many attempts to reach the top. After several failed attempts, Carp chained up and took the lead up the hill. He made it to the top with relative ease. I gave it another go and nearly made the crest but the wheels spun again and I ground to a halt. From here, Carp backed down to me and we hooked up a tow strap and after a couple more attempts to move forward we both got to the top of the hill…
Madmazda followed in his now trademark “blaze of glory” style, making it to the top unassisted…
Meanwhile, White Mule decided not to follow and opted for a front row seat for the hillside shenanigans. Yup, that’s him watching us through his binoculars…
We carried on in search of the end of the trail and negotiated another tricky hill section that descended back down to river level. Here, Madmazda climbed the last hump before the end of the trail. The ice on the river is actually blue-green in colour. The lower, less steep portion of the descent is in the background to the right…
Just beyond this point, we arrived at the end of the trail...
It is here that Waiparous Falls would spill onto the river floor but this day the falls were still frozen and snow covered. The canyon in which the falls travel was still a dramatic sight…
We climbed a short way into the canyon for a quick look and paused to admire the beauty…
After our short stay, we headed back up the trail to collect White Mule then continued the return trip to the river crossing with the huge ice shelf. I knew I couldn’t climb it but I did want to drive down it. After much contemplation and close inspection I went for it. I knew the drop was going to be big but didn’t think I would stand the van on the lower bull bar! Holy cow! In the moment, I didn’t think to take a picture (or any video) of the point where the front end was on the ground but here’s a couple just after I rolled out a bit further…
The others took a slightly tamer crossing and after that bit of fun we continued down the trail and back through the rough sections where snow and ice were mixed with deep ruts and puddles…
Finally, we stopped at the beginning of the trail for a few hill climbs which I shot on video instead of pics then we parted ways and headed back to Calgary. On the way I had the opportunity to finish the trip with and evening shot that I feel will be one of my favourites for years to come…
If any of the others have pictures or video to share I would love to see them. Please feel free to add them to this thread or email them to me. Send me a PM and I will sent my email address.
Thanks for reading my ramblings!
Cheers!
Ian
My photos were on the phone and don't compare. It was another stellar day. Thanks to everyone in attendence! The trip was great and safe as usuall. I will look forward to going in warmer weather next!
Good Ship