Things To Do In Ocean Falls
We tried to get outdoors as often as the weather would permit. Hiking was the big thing for us because there were no shortages of mountains to climb and places to explore, if you were not afraid of bears. In the above photo, we have climbed half way up Sawmill Mountain and looking back was a spectacular view of the mill and the town. The terrain was very steep. My theory was that because there was more garbage for the bears to eat on the town side of the valley, we would be fairly safe up here. It was rare to ever meet another human on the trail. 
Our favourite hike was to Lost Lake. It was on the lake side of the dam and the trail was about 45 minutes to a small lake under a looming cliff on Caromarion Mountain. There was a huge boulder a short leap from shore on which to sun one's self and lay back and watch the eagles soaring on the thermal updrafts. The trail was well maintained and at one time a lot of effort had gone into building it. There were numerous waterfalls and streams along the way. The water was so very pure and we always drank from the streams that were clear and refreshing. 
Here we are at the top of Sawmill Mountain and just over the saddle back. The little shack in the background is the 'ski lodge'. There were actually a few pairs of skis in there. At one time, there had been a big beautiful lodge on these slopes. I have seen pictures of it and it was a log post and beam construction which could house many skiers. The rumour has it that one night there was an orange glow in the sky above Sawmill Mountain. Hikers, the next day, found nothing but ashes and because a Norwegian freighter was in dock taking on a load of paper, it was suspected that some of the crew had gone up there to party at night and started the fire. Nobody ever got to the bottom of it. At the time that this photo was taken, I did not know of the lodge or I would have searched for its remains
A little incident like this can create quite a stir in an isolated town. It drew quite a crowd of onlookers the day that it happened. The main town square was built on a dock and the timbers, being very old and decayed, just could not take the strain of a big piece of equipment like this crane. It was stuck there for a very long time because normally, something like this would be lifted out with a crane, but....... yes, you get it. You can see the beginnings of a block and tackle assembly being erected above the machine. They hoisted it high enough to rebuild the structure underneath it and then gently lowered it and drove it away. 
There was no shortage of spectacular rivers and waterfalls. Could it have something to do with the average rainfall? This one was just beyond Martin Valley and a ways down a logging road. A pleasant level walk on a nice afternoon.
We tried to get outdoors as often as the weather would permit. Hiking was the big thing for us because there were no shortages of mountains to climb and places to explore, if you were not afraid of bears. In the above photo, we have climbed half way up Sawmill Mountain and looking back was a spectacular view of the mill and the town. The terrain was very steep. My theory was that because there was more garbage for the bears to eat on the town side of the valley, we would be fairly safe up here. It was rare to ever meet another human on the trail. 
Our favourite hike was to Lost Lake. It was on the lake side of the dam and the trail was about 45 minutes to a small lake under a looming cliff on Caromarion Mountain. There was a huge boulder a short leap from shore on which to sun one's self and lay back and watch the eagles soaring on the thermal updrafts. The trail was well maintained and at one time a lot of effort had gone into building it. There were numerous waterfalls and streams along the way. The water was so very pure and we always drank from the streams that were clear and refreshing. 
Here we are at the top of Sawmill Mountain and just over the saddle back. The little shack in the background is the 'ski lodge'. There were actually a few pairs of skis in there. At one time, there had been a big beautiful lodge on these slopes. I have seen pictures of it and it was a log post and beam construction which could house many skiers. The rumour has it that one night there was an orange glow in the sky above Sawmill Mountain. Hikers, the next day, found nothing but ashes and because a Norwegian freighter was in dock taking on a load of paper, it was suspected that some of the crew had gone up there to party at night and started the fire. Nobody ever got to the bottom of it. At the time that this photo was taken, I did not know of the lodge or I would have searched for its remains
A little incident like this can create quite a stir in an isolated town. It drew quite a crowd of onlookers the day that it happened. The main town square was built on a dock and the timbers, being very old and decayed, just could not take the strain of a big piece of equipment like this crane. It was stuck there for a very long time because normally, something like this would be lifted out with a crane, but....... yes, you get it. You can see the beginnings of a block and tackle assembly being erected above the machine. They hoisted it high enough to rebuild the structure underneath it and then gently lowered it and drove it away. 
There was no shortage of spectacular rivers and waterfalls. Could it have something to do with the average rainfall? This one was just beyond Martin Valley and a ways down a logging road. A pleasant level walk on a nice afternoon. 
2 comments:
Beautiful scenery for sure, thanks for sharing the pics!
Thank you for the pictures and the memories of Ocean Falls. I lived on there for 3 years and even though I was just a child they are some of my fondest memories. Seems we've had similar travel, I was born in Lanigan Sask, and now reside in Victoria. I enjoy your blog, thanks again.
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