Salt Spring Photos

Salt Spring Photographer John Cameron

You are here: Home / Archives for Places

Nature Rebounds

Wildfire Walk

Last August we saw news and videos of a raging wildfire near Rock Creek and the nearby Kettle River Provincial Park. Twelve months later, near the end of our Kootenay trip, we stopped for a couple of wonderful days at the Park and saw first hand the burned Ponderosa Pines. (The lower campsite was open and seemingly untouched).

As we walked though the area above the campsite, it was fascinating—to me at least, how fast the forest floor plants had rebounded in just one growing season. On this walk, we watched a man catch and release a lovely Rainbow Trout. We saw pheasant, quail and many smaller birds. This was strange given the black and somewhat eerie scene.

Strange too as the two blackened pines in the foreground of the photo are along the river’s edge. Yet when we turned ninety degrees toward the river we saw this tranquil scene:

The View Behind

Davis Creek Campground on Kootenay Lake

Sunrise from the Campsite

Sunrise from the campsite at Davis Creek Campground on Kootenay Lake

Having lucked into campsite #25, we  stayed two nights at this provincial campground in Kootenay Lake Provincial Park just north of Kaslo BC. The weather was perfect and the view magnificent. This site is at the far end of the campground and came complete with the sound of Davis Creek racing  down over the smooth stones and into the lake.

Bonus Images:

Large, lakefront campsite on NW shore of the lake

Large, lakefront campsite on NW shore of the lake

Shoreline walk beyond Davis Creek Campground

Shoreline walk beyond Davis Creek Campground

Moonrise from the Campsite

Moonrise from the Campsite

Evening view from the camper's 'bedroom' window

Evening view from ‘bedroom’ window

Idaho Peak

Trail to Idaho Peak

South West View from Idaho Peak

After a challenging (steep, very narrow, twisty, rough) 12.5 kilometer drive from Sandon there are two breathtaking trails to the top of Idaho Peak. The photo above is approximately one-quarter of the 360º view at the top (from the former forestry lookout). Each part of the 360º view is equally stunning.

If you look closely you can see a trail on the lower right side of the image. This is the final part of the trail along the ridge to the summit. Look even closer (at the bright green patch in the center of the image) and you might see the trail cut across and disappear into the trees.

Bonus:
Here’s the trail we took to the top (the foreground of this image is that green patch at the centre of the top photo). And yes the ground was frozen on September 24th; there’s some snow around and the path is very narrow in spots. One slip and you’d be down with the black bears and the grizzly that were seen below—one half hour earlier.

The lookout at the peak is that little box on the top right of the image. We saw two hang gliders around this time during our hike. And ten minutes later, met a man heading back down to his truck; his buddies—the hang gliders—needed no further assistance as they would be landing back home in New Denver. (from the peak, you can see all of New Denver and Silverton)

Hike to Idaho Peak
Bonus 2:
Here’s a last look more or less westward taken during the final part of hike to the peak. We had calm winds, mostly blue sky with just enough clouds to keep things interesting. A great number of photos were taken that afternoon, we hope you enjoy these three and perhaps visit Sandon and Idaho Peak one day.

West View from Idaho Peak

Sandon-Salt Spring Connection

Hal Wright, Sandon

Hal Wright in Sandon: A Salt Spring Island Connection

Way back in the mid-1980s I worked with Hal’s parents in the Gulf Islands School District. I remember him driving the grade seven class from Fernwood School up to Mount Washington aboard his real bus (not school bus). It was a great trip and one in which Hal didn’t just drive the bus but kept involved with the kids.

I remember all kinds of sliding devices in use at night once the lifts had closed. Not one to be left out of the fun, Hal hurried back to the bus and returned with a big aluminum shovel…and proceeded to race the kids down the hill aboard his shovel.

While heading from New Denver to Kaslo, we stopped in at Sandon, where Hal operates the Sandon Hydroelectric Station. This is the oldest continuously operating hydro-electric plant in western Canada (since 1897). Sandon is now a ‘ghost town’ but Hal and area residents seem to have great plans for restoring the town and the great many collected items (somehow Hal’s acquired and moved a 1908 CPR Locomotive (261 000 pounds) and many Vancouver electric buses).

We missed Hal the day we visited Sandon as he was on the road to Idaho. What we didn’t miss though was a crazy mountain road leading to an exhilarating great hike to Idaho Peak. Lots more on that tomorrow.

Photos by John Cameron

Photographs of Salt Spring Island and areas reachable by ferry and road (and sometimes off-road).

Browse the Photo Blog:

The latest seven posts all on one page

Recent Salt Spring Photos:

View Everything:

Find photos by month or category