Chedoke Gorge

We’ve had some really spectacular weather here the past few days. Sunny, but not too hot.

After a refreshing pause at the shop, I went wandering around, and ended up at the Chedoke Gorge. I had been here earlier in the year with my nephew, but given that everything had been covered in snow and ice, we hadn’t ventured very far in. But the weird thing is that I have never even ventured that far in. In all my time living here, I hadn’t really explored it either. No good reason why really. I decided to rectify that. Didn’t really have the gear I would’ve wanted with me, but whatever.

Enjoyed it so much that I went again a few days later, this time with my nephew and his dad in tow. Enjoyed that even more. This had been a stomping ground for he and his brother when they were youngsters, but he hadn’t been back in many years.

The pictures here are from the two hikes.

Looking towards the Lower Chedoke Falls.

Looking back the way we had come.

This gives a sense of the size of some of the boulders. I wanted to take Anand here not only because I think its really beautiful, but also because I knew he would love the adventure of clambering all over them and leaping from rock to rock, over crevasses. We had to lift and pull and boost him in places, but he did just fine. We took the time to show him some techniques and try to explain a little of the strategy involved in moving through terrain like this.

Looking back at the route taken to get here.

Chedoke Lower Falls.

Classified as a Curtain Cascade Waterfall, its height is 6 meters (20') and the width of its crest is 11 meters (36').

An amazing jumble of mammoth boulders and tree trunks at the top.

Looking back down the Gorge.

A bit further up, looking back.

Moving up the gorge.

A few dozen meters before reaching Upper Chedoke Falls is Denlow Falls, which is classified as a Horsetail Ribbon Cascade. It has a height of 19 metres (62') and the width varies from 2 metres to 9 metres as it cascades down.

And then Upper Chedoke Falls comes into view. Classified as a Ribbon Waterfall. It is 18 metres (60') in height and 9 metres (30') in crest width.

I’d love to think that this area is accessed only by respectful nature lovers, bird watchers, hikers, rock climbers and the like, but sadly the relative inaccessibility of the area seems to attract a lot of shit bags out to get wasted. Someone felt it necessary to spray paint some of the rocks and there is a fire pit strewn with garbage. An even sadder reality about the area is the smell. It was faint, but still... What was once a free flowing creek was buried underground to serve as a drain, as the pipes at the top of the two falls indicates. While a regular drain coursing through a large urban area would gather enough filth, the smell seems to indicate a lot worse. And as an acquaintance who has investigated much of the underground architecture in this city proves, there are a lot of illegal sewer hookups in the pipe.

Humans really are vile creatures.

My little buddy.

My two buddies.

The boy summed it up pretty well. “This must have been like paradise once. But gross people have kind of messed it up.”

We told him that we could come back some time with garbage bags and gloves and my EMR pack frame and clean up some of the mess left by inconsiderate low lifes. 

There is a very steep trail to climb out of the gorge and I suspect is the way most of the scroats get in.

The view from the top of the gorge.

The view out the way we had come.

I think if I hadn’t said anything, many people might think this is a really remote, unspoiled area. In actuality it’s maybe a 5 minute drive, (if that), or a ½ hour walk, (if that), from the core of one of the most major cities in Canada. While it may not be the pristine wonderland it must have been 300 years ago, it’s still an incredible area. A rugged ravine, lined with steep tree lined cliffs, maybe a half kilometer long, littered with mammoth boulders, water coursing through it, graced with the sights and sounds of waterfalls. It’s definitely a challenging hike, but for those fit enough, it’s well worth the effort.

And for me the best part was hearing the lad say, “That was way more fun than video games.” 

I really want to instill a love of nature and adventure in him and there are many more fascinating areas around here I want to take him to.