A random act of Pondness

I came acoss this pond today (Oct 20th), deep in the far reachers of Cougar Canyon.

I didnt notice it untl I was right there, it was in a depression about 20 feet deep, surrounded by rock wall on 3 sides, and falled trees and shrub on the other… I was up on the rock.

I thought it would make a cool photo If I tosses a rock in, and sure enough, it did.

My hike’s main ambition was to find the rout of the old Cougar Canyon-Rim trail, which supposedly traverses the rim of the canyon from Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, all the way to the end of the canyon near Oyama.

What I found was a loose network of old faded flags and a million different game trails. I think I stayed on rout though, replacing the flagging with new bright pink flags as I went - making my next visit much easier.

This place is so effing beautiful. There is just so much to see. And it is so lush… and, well apparently
it is an ecological reserve as the sign states. good news for a change. I’ve got to say, the only thing that bums me out is the no camping rule. The no hunting thing makes me happy. And the no fishing… well, did you look at that pond!?

I hiked far up the hill under the eyesore that are the hydro lines, up to a massive rock face which overlooks the center of the canyon. It is over the opposite side of the lake, so the noises of civilization are completely gone. The silence is so fantastic, it really is beautiful to be out in the woods with nothing but the wind and the birds and your own thoughts to listen to. These types of places allow a tremendous amount of thought to pour through my poor little underused mind.

“Why havent I come out here more often”; “Why the fuck am I working at starbucks”; “why do people whine and complaine so much about trivial crap when there such beauty to behold, look!”; “How am I going to handle leaving this place and going back to the cold dead world of civilizaiton”.

My thoughts go wild, and I always wish I had a voice recorder.

While hiking up through the lower, damper regions of the canyon, I noticed that there were tons of these little mushrooms everywhere. Fall really is a neat time for photographers and nature buffs, there is so much to see that so many people would just pass right over for want of moving to fast.

I did not tase one.

Alas, it was time to return, as the sun was indeed going down, and it had been hours since I had any food (That mushroom sounds good about now) .

On the way back, as I took a break at a spot on the north side, above the lake, with a fantastic view of Vernon, Coldstream, and the west point of Kal Park. We really do live in paradise. Really. It is no small wonder people are flocking (sadly) to our little piece of Shangri’la. As I sat and gazed I wondererd… why in there so much sadness in a place so geologically beautiful and perfect.

All in the eye of the beholder I suppose. And I myself have been given a rough go by this wonderful place. Indeed, once one enters the concreted confines of downtown, it may not be quite as pretty. But as for the surrounding country, paradise. And not many people have yet to discover my cougar canyon.
I shall return.

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Post posting edit: I Just found this on the website for the Cougar Canyon Ecological Reserve:

Special Restrictions:

Cougar Canyon Ecological Reserve is restricted to scientific and educational purposes related to reserve management only. There is no public route to access this ecological reserve. The only route is through private land. Permission from the landowner is required.

Meh, oh well. The earth belong to all beings right??

But I also found this:

Restrictions:
Ecological reserves are not created for outdoor recreation. Most ecological reserves, however, are open to the public for non-destructive pursuits like hiking, nature observation and photography.

They take my interests to heart.

~ by Karsten on October 21, 2006.