2012/07 Western Canada trip - Wells Gray |
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Monday July 23rd
We had thunderstorms overnight followed by heavy rain, a good time to be leaving. Mount Robson was invisible, as were the rest of the mountains as we turned at Tete Jaune Cache and took Highway 5 south past Valemount. The road runs through the lush and scenic valley of the North Thompson River, but it was just too wet to enjoy it.
We shopped in the little town of Clearwater and headed west into Wells Gray park. The park is famous for its convoluted volcanic scenery and for its waterfalls, so, as soon as we’d set up camp, we headed for the biggest, Helmcken Falls on the Murtle River. These falls are over 400 feet high and jet out in a great arc, but are often obscured by their own spray. Like so much of the scenery on this trip, the scale is hard to 
comprehend; you need to see the size of the Murtle River upstream to understand the size of that arc, nearly three times the height of Niagara.
A short way upstream is Dawson Falls, a great step in the same river. After watching the dangerous antics of people trying to see the falls and take pictures I’m tempted to go back there with a pole saw and remove some branches.
The next falls was at Third Canyon on the entry road, a much smaller affair but quite pretty. Finally we came to Spahats Creek Falls. The waterfall is a 200 foot, thin pencil of white against the colourful volcanic canyon. It was carved by glaciers and then by the runoff as the 
icefields melted. Today the falls look incapable of that vast sculpture.
We’d found a reference to a new trail to Moul Falls and went looking for the trail head. We eventually found it, but postponed the hike until the next morning.
Tuesday July 24th
Next morning, it was damp and cool, but good enough for our hike to Moul Falls. The trail was easier than expected, but disappointing as the last 
section to the foot of the falls was closed so all we could do was look down from the top. We could have used a pole saw there too! There were some odd little plants along the trail, including these indian pipes, coral root orchids, and nodding onions.