Lower Cataract Creek

Sat. 2 March:  Lower Cataract Creek

Lower Cataract Creek is separated from the rest of the world by the Highwood River.  For most of the summer, the river crossing is too dangerous for hikers.  At this time of year, the crossing might be easier, but one can expect deep snow in the trees once safely across.  Today I found the ice had melted in the river and the water was running freely.  I forded the river right at the point where it is joined by Cataract Creek, using my trusty double dry-sack technique.

I plodded through the snow following the iced-up Cataract Creek upstream to the Lower Falls. While not spectacular, these short drops in the streambed make for a pleasing sight, especially when bordered by ice and snow, beneath the steep canyon walls.

Discovering a good trail up the valley, I soon had to put on my snow shoes.  Nobody had been up here since the last snowfall, and there weren’t a lot of animal prints either.  This is a narrow valley, with the lower ridge of Mt. Burke to my left and the long ridgeline and cliffs of Mt. Mann to my right.  After a couple of kilometres I turned up to the right above a tiny valley.  Here the trees thinned out and the snow gave way to open grassy slopes.  It was a simple job to clamber up to the top of the ridge.  The first bare, rounded summit was totally snow-free, although among the trees the snow had piled up.  The warm Chinook wind was strong, so I took shelter behind a low rock for a break. 

Ahead of me the forested ridge line rose upwards to the summit of Mt.Mann.  It looked too much for me today.  I could imagine the difficulty of slogging up through the trees in deep snow drifts.  So instead, after admiring the all-round views I dropped down through the trees to the valley floor, on a nicely graded trail choked by snow.  Dominating the view from the ridge, just to the left of Mt. Mann, was the snowy summit of Holy Cross Mountain.  There were also interesting views northeast across to the Bull Creek Hills, a favorite hiking area of mine, and up the Cataract Creek valley towards Hells Ridge.

Now with the sunlight shining down into the creek, I had a good view of the deep pools of water and ice.  There would be some nice bathing pools on a hot summer’s day.  Soon I was back at the river and another simple crossing.  I chatted briefly with two sets of hikers:  one guy was heading across the river to the lower falls.  The other guy was looking for some creeks to explore so I gave him some ideas. 

As I drove out of Longview into a dissipating mist, the temperatures quickly dropped from plus 11 C to zero.  A different weather pattern was approaching the City, and it would bring a heavy snowfall the next day. 

For anyone who wants to head out into the hills and off the beaten track, they could do worse than fording the Highwood and exploring Lower Cataract Creek – with snowshoes and MICROspikes of course.

Statistics:

Total Distance: 3.5 km (hike) + 3.0 km (‘shoe)

= 6.5 km

Height Gain:        755 ft.

Max. Elev.:       5,545 ft.

Time on Trail:    3 hrs. 34 mins.

Start hike:             8.21 am

Top:                   10.29 am

Ret. to car:         11.55 am

Start Temp:        +7 deg.C

Finish Temp:     +9 deg.C

Weather:           Chinook winds, sunny