BOU AVENUE
Harrison Lake
On 11 April 2001, Kelly Wood and I hiked up the
Campbell Lake trail near the town of Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. Although
views were limited, we still found the hike through the forest to be quite
appealing. I startled a garter snake near the trailhead, and later
on, a woodpecker entertained us with its percussive tapping. Instead
of hiking all the way to the lake (not worth it, according to Kathy &
Craig Copeland in their book, Don't Waste Your Time in the BC Coast
Mountains), we ended our hike at a so-called helipad overlooking fabulous
Harrison Lake. I could hardly believe that this boulder-strewn, postage
stamp-sized clearing surrounded by tall trees could serve as a helipad.
A pilot would have to be either desperate or crazy to try to land here.
After a pleasant lunch among the boulders, we headed back down the trail.
Nearing our car, we were fortunate to see a magnificent heron fly by and
land on a high tree perch. This really was the icing on the cake
as I had never seen one in the wild before.
A wild bleeding heart
View of Harrison Lake from the "Helipad"
This is the Cheam Range as viewed
from the Campbell Lake trail. Cheam Peak is at right.
