Ford Creek Oct 19

Armed with knowledge from a friendly local, the three of us set off to explore an obscure West Coast canyon I have been intrigued about since I came across a chance reference to it several months back. Ford Creek is one of those places that you would expect little of by looking at a topo map or aerial photo. The short hike to the subtle canyon cuts through thorny blackberries and gorse and passes a wrecked car before arriving at a stream cutting through orange sandstone. Wow. For such a short 30m deep slot canyon, it really has quite a lot to offer in terms of beauty. The Island Sandstone, which the creek cuts through, is sculpting into some amazing and complex scallops, potholes and meanders. The white, frothy stream provides a beautiful contrast to the creamy orange sandstone and the odd sulfurous algae-stained springs emanating from the walls. Cascading waterfalls drop into the canyon from many locations. A punctuated light rain actually gave the best of both worlds- the rocks took on a lovely sheen, but still remained grippy and easy to travel on. A plethora of old gold mining shrapnel (and in one place two wrecked cars) detract from the beauty slightly, but are very interesting nonetheless. Mining relicts included rail tracks, gears, ore cart wheels and old cables. The creek had waist deep pools in places for which a wetsuit was appreciated, but for the most part was a pleasant ankle to calf depth. The canyon was well-suited for photography, which made it easy to spend a couple hours in.