The Leprechaun Trail

Oct. 13, 2012, I am in the interior of British Columbia staying in a ski hut at a place called Grizzly Den with my 2 older brothers. The day before yesterday we drove the Hungry Creek forestry road to the trail head and then hiked the 6.5 km into the hut. Yesterday was a snow day but by today the snow had stopped falling and much of the snow on the ground was already melting.

From the ski hut there is a day hike I have wanted to do on past visits to this place and today would be my chance to check out the trail. The trail is called the Leprechaun Trail. We started our hike at about 8:30 AM by walking back down the Grizzly Den trail to the Leprechaun trail junction.

Just by a wet meadow on the Grizzly Den trail a Rough Legged hawk silently swooped by and perched in a near by evergreen tree. As the three of us were observing the hawk a Merlin swooped in, dove at the Rough Legged hawk and drove it from its perch. As the larger Rough Legged Hawk retreated the smaller and much more maneuverable Merlin gave chase and they soon disappeared from view down the slope and across the meadow. In moments both birds reappeared from the direction they had gone, the Merlin still tenaciously pursuing the larger, less maneuverable Rough Legged. They swooped back past us and disappeared up the trail into the woods. As we proceeded on our way down the trail we speculated about what would provoke an attack on the larger by a smaller bird but we were not able to come to any solid conclusions. The best we could come up with was the Merlin was defending its territory.
 Several hundred metres down the trail we flushed a grouse off the trail and into a tree. We know there are three species of grouse in this area the Ruff grouse, Blue grouse and the Spruce grouse. I am reasonably sure this was a Blue Grouse. 
The Leprechaun trail is a steady hike up through evergreen woods. Much of yesterday' s snow was gone as there was no snow below about 5000 feet. As we hiked up the trail and we got back into some snow. Hiking in fresh snow facilitates the chance to observe what has and is happening in the woods and who or what resides there. As we moved along the trail we observed tracks of squirrel, marten, grouse and weasel. I noticed a burrow with tracks in and out. Maybe a Martin. Is this where it lives or was it just checking it out as part of it's hunt for food?

The Leprechaun ridge and the peak were windy but afforded us a grand view. The descent of the peak is steep and rugged but it isn't far down to Pat's Pass. We had some lunch in the shelter of trees then hiked up to Pat's Peak and another great view.

By mid afternoon we were back at the hut with good memories of a very satisfying hike.

The total hike was 7.21 km over about 5 hours.

Total ascent 2055 feet.

Maximum elevation 6169 feet.

 For more information about where the Grizzly Den and Raven Lake trails are and how to get there go to: http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Raven-Lake-near-Prince-George-BC-2741

Rattlers and Rivers

On September 21, 2012 I drove to Writing On Stone Provincial Park to camp out with my Grandson. That evening we attended a park program about the night sky. During the program the audience received the requisite cautions about potential encounters with the Prairie Rattle Snake. This is the time of year when rattlers are on the move back to their hibernaculum. Also because of the cooler evenings snakes are attracted to warm areas, like pavement or rocks, in the morning so they can warm themselves up. As it turns out the Parks Person doing the presentation was proven absolutely right the following day. 

On September 22, 2012, while my grandson was reading his book, I went for a bicycle ride.I started out at about 9:30 AM I rode from our campsite up to the Park view point. I parked my bicycle at the trail to the view point and walked the short way up to the view point. What a great time of year it was to visit the park and see river valley in fall colors. I lingered there awhile and as I proceeded back along the gravel path I saw a very small rattle snake just in front of me. This snake would have been hatched this summer so it was rather small but I am told even small Rattlers have venom and should be treated with respect. When I first spied the snake it was relaxed and basking in the warm morning sun but as I rummaged through my pack and fiddled with my camera I clearly disturbed it and it coiled. I only tarried there long enough to snap a few photos and then I carefully stepped around the snake, watching closely for any others that might be near by, and left it to further enjoy basking in the sun.

No trip to Writing On Stone is complete unless you scramble around in the Hoodoos some, so that afternoon Levi and I spend about 3 hours exploring the Hoodoos. Levi even tried to catch a bush. For some humor in the hoodoos check out this link:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ggzgDx28ZI&feature=share

Before leaving I tied my canoe on top of my van so I could paddle across the Milk River. I wanted to be sure I could take a walk on the south side of the river. Once I was at the park I discovered there was barely enough water in the river to float a canoe. On September 23, 2012, I waded across the river and then put on my hiking boots and did a 3.84 km walk in the back-country hiking area. I started around 8 AM and I followed a Track File, I had loaded on my GPS, of a hike I did in May 2007.  I observed a few Mule Deer in the river and as I walked a small canyon I observed a Rock Wren. This back-country hiking area is a quiet and little used part of the park, a great lace to reflect and take in more of the park's fall grandeur. I returned to our campsite at around 9:30 AM.

Fall colors in the Milk River Valley, from the south side looking north.

 My total distance recorded for the Writing On Stone camp out is 11.6 km, by bicycle and walking.