Tuesday 19 July 2016

Eagle Valley Trail--Be Really Careful


    I found hiking the 10 km (6 mile) Eagle Valley Trail a real ordeal.  It was grueling and dangerous.  The most hazardous section is shown in the photo above, but unfortunately the picture does not accurately portray either the danger or the scale.  You can see the very narrow trail on the left.   It is not much more than a foot (30cm) wide and has a loose, light-graveled base.  
    Below it is very steeply angled slope, which offers no barriers to the roaring and rushing white water, 15-20 feet (4-6 meters) below.  If one were to slip or trip, there is nothing that would keep you from plunging into the turbulent water, where you would quickly be swept downstream, battered by boulders in the river.  After I passed this section I kept my fingers crossed that the others in our party would get through it safely too.
    The other dicy bit of the trail were the sections that traverse across the several avalanche chutes.  There is no danger of snow avalanches this time of year, but the slide areas are heavily vegetated with tall brush and plants, often taller than the hiker.  The hazard comes from not being able to see where you are stepping, and the base of the trail is an inconsistent conglomeration of angled small boulders  and cobble of different sizes.  I also wondered about the chances of unexpectedly coming upon a grizzly bear because of the lack of visibility and the roar of the river.
    The vegetation was so thick, that in places it was often difficult to discern exactly where the trail went until you were immediately on top of it.  To give you an example, below is a photo looking directly at the trail.


Take a look at my paintings:  www.davidmarchant.ca


No comments:

Post a Comment