Late summer lake

K&S Railgrade to Payne Bluff

K&S Railgrade to Payne Bluff
Distance: 7.41 km (4.60 mi).
Route type: One way (vehicle drop?)
Suitable for: Walking, running, biking
Elevation change: 66 metres up, 306 metres down

Technical difficulty rating:  
Navigational difficulty rating:  

I did this as a quick ride they other night as a thunderstorm was getting ready to break. I didn't quite beat the weather, but I beat dusk and by the time the rain came I was hot and ready for a bit of a soaking. It took me just over half an hour, not counting the times I stopped to take photos and explore. There were a bunch of logs down across the descending part of the trail, which interrupted the wild fun of the descent, but probably helped preserve my focus.

I started at the trailhead in Sandon. The first couple of kilometres are fast, flat, smooth double-track. You can actually drive this section with an AWD vehicle if you don't mind your vehicle being brushed by twigs, as there's a small parking area at the end, but it's so smooth, shady and lovely that I don't see the point.

After the little parking area with the outhouse, the trail narrows to single-track. This is where the fun begins. After 500 metres you come to an old mine. The ore-cart tracks are still in place. The hut that shelters the mine opening is right next to the trail, and you can peer in and maybe see some of the broken bits of core drill sample that have been left there.

After the mine, the trail becomes a bit rougher. It scrambles over slopes of mine tailings, jumps over roots, dodges rocks and dips precipitously down and then up again out of creek-bed valleys. It passes by the Payne Concentrator site (more tailings) another mine site (this one with a little interpretive sign).

The view opens up in places, so that you can look down on Carpenter Creek and eventually on Three Forks, where Kane Creek, Seaton Creek and Carpenter Creek all join to head towards Slocan Lake. I kept my eyes peeled for the fork in the trail. The right fork leads to Payne Bluff, a nice short side trip that leads to the location of the famous photo of workers building the narrow-gauge railway, seemingly almost hanging off the side of a cliff face, was taken.

But as the lightning flashed I declined the side-trip and headed down to Three Forks. A few of the switchbacks were too tight for me on my bike and I confess I hopped off. I'm sure more hard-core mountain-bikers could have skidded and hopped their rear tires around them, but I wasn't taking any risks riding alone.

By riding or running the gravel highway to Sandon it would be possible to make this route into a loop, but it sure was nice to have someone willing to drop me at the top. The one-way route could also be walked or run in reverse from Three Forks towards Sandon, but it's not really great to bike that way: much of the first kilometer has an uphill grade of 17% or so.

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Sun rays

Evening over the Valhallas.

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Molly Hughes Trail

Molly Hughes Trail
Distance: 2.75 km (1.71 mi).
Route type: Out-and-back
Suitable for: Walking
Elevation change: 55 metres up, 55 metres down

Technical difficulty rating:  
Navigational difficulty rating:  

The Molly Hughes trail is a short walk with lovely views of Slocan Lake and terrific pebbly beaches at both ends. It's a great little walk  particularly in the shoulder seasons, because being so close to the lake it tends to remain clear of snow for a much longer portion of the year than other trails. But at the peak of summer, it's lovely to combine this walk with a dip in the lake.

The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot for the Bigelow Bay Park. Taking main street one block lakewards from the highway brings you to Kildare St., where you turn right (north). Follow Kildare four blocks to its apparent end, and then continue on when it becomes a meandering semi-paved laneway curving right and into the woods. You'll find a small parking area a hundred metres further on.

The Bigelow Bay swimming area popular with locals is directly below the parking area. I much prefer a quick run or walk along the trail as a prelude to a swim, so today I jogged out to get some photos. The trail is well-used and easy to follow, but it is narrow, a bit rocky, and sometimes slopes towards the downhill side, so it's not a great trail for strollers or bikes or people who are a bit unsteady on their feet.

A mostly-level kilometre brings you to above the old Molly Hughes mine workings and the old cabin which overlooks them. The porch is a little rickety, and the drop-off below fairly impressive, so I stayed back from the edge. It has absolutely spectacular views of the lake.

After that the trail meanders gradually down towards the beach. It's a little more overgrown here. After another three or four hundred metres there is easy beach access. There is some private property above the beach, but there's public right-of-way on the beach itself. It's usually deserted. For a person who prefers to swim or catch some sun in solitude, this is the perfect place.

The view from the beach looking south is pretty nice too. The beach is full of smooth round stones in a variety of greys, whites, reds and coppery greens. I added a couple of pocketfuls of stones to my dry river bed at home thanks to this beach today.

After a brief stop on the beach, I headed back. By the time I got back to Bigelow Bay Park I was ready for a swim with the kids. (I took the rocks out of my pockets first.)

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Sunset

Moose

Near the summit to the east of town there's an uncharacteristically wet, marshy area. Beavers and moose call it home. Neither are common in our area, but they love this little area.

Upper Galena Trail

Upper Galena Trail
Distance: 7.14 km (4.44 mi).
Route type: Linear
Suitable for: Walking, mountain-biking (hardtail), running, children
Elevation change: 125 metres up, 328 metres down

Technical difficulty rating:  
Navigational difficulty rating:  

The Upper Galena Trail is an amazing run, hike or bike ride. It's short (7 km), mostly smooth, it runs gradually downhill and is suitable for families with children. Trailheads are easily accessible by standard vehicles. The trail is mostly shaded, which makes it a good choice for a hot day. There are some moderately exposed slopes. Children who are still "wobblers" on bikes might do well to walk their bikes through a couple of these sections. The trail follows the bed of the old, long-abandoned narrow gauge Kaslo & Slocan (K&S) railway between the currently non-existent community of Three Forks and the village of New Denver. There are two outhouses along the route (see map). Creek water is considered drinkable by locals and water bottles can be refilled near the cable car.

The upper trailhead [waypoint] is at the junction of Highway 31A and the road to Sandon. There is a small parking area at the side of the road. The trail begins just below the parking area and immediately crosses to the north side ofCarpenter Creek by way of a bridge. The first half kilometre on the far side of the bridge is rolling and can be a little muddy in spring. A moderate downhill switchback through a dark grove of cedars brings you to the edge of Carpenter Creek, which the trail follows towards New Denver.

At the 2.5 kilometre mark sits Alamo. Back at the turn of the 20th century Alamo was a tiny settlement where ore cars were loaded onto the K&S railway. The ruins of Alamo are visible above the trail and can be [carefully] explored. Above Alamo runs another trail, the Old Sandon Road, and the two are connected by a short steep trail which winds around the Alamo ruins.

Immediately past Alamo, a short steep descent goes down to the creek where the cable car awaits. Two or three children, or one or two adults will fit in the car. There is a set of hooks which can be used to secure a bike to the outside of the car. The ride across in the little swaying car is always a highlight of this trail.

After a short grunt up from the creek, the trail continues its gradual downhill towards New Denver. After a short bit of boardwalk at kilometre 5 the trail opens up slightly and an old concrete retaining wall can be seen supporting the left (south) side of the trail. The drop-off here is precipitous, but a careful look over the edge allows one to see the remnants of the old hydroelectric dam at the narrowest part of the river. This dam generated power for the village of New Denver until the 1950s.

A hundred metres further on the trail dips into a creek valley to cross a tiny bridge. Here there is the option to make a steep descent to connect to the lower loop of the Carpenter Creek Trail, the wagon road which once facilitated maintenance of the power dam. The Galena Trail itself continues along the K&S railbed, meandering high above the creek on the north side. Through most of the last couple of kilometres it is smooth and easy. There are occasional glimpses of the New Denver Glacier, and of the creek snaking along the valley below.

An exposed scree slope signals the final half kilometre of the route. There is a small viewpoint just off the trail here. The last section of the trail tucks in beside the highway maintenance yard. There is a parking area [waypoint] at the end of the trail, which is a great place to arrange a pick-up, or to drop a vehicle prior to a hike. Alternatively following roads downhill from the end of the trail brings one to the main intersection in New Denver in about 12 minutes of walking.

June rainfall record

Average June rainfall: 67 mm

Previous record June rainfall: 117.7 mm

June 2012 rainfall: 227.7 mm

Normally the access ramp to the dock slopes precipitously down. The lake is very high. The sump pump beneath the hospital floor is pumping hundreds of gallons a minute back out into the lake.

High Water

The bridge over the karenegare ("dry" river bed) at the Kohan Garden.

Community greenhouse construction

Bears and cherries

Off and paddling

The second team through CheckPoint 6 heads out on the lake for a 23 km paddle after spending the past 26 hours trekking and mountain-biking through the mountains from the north.

Raid the North Transition Area

Bikes are left in the transition area by teams who have taken up the first paddling leg of the race. GPS navigation is not allowed so traditional compass and topo map navigation skills are required.

Raid the North

An array of 39 canoes awaits the arrival of teams participating in Raid the North Extreme, a 6-day, 500 km adventure race.