Chapter 28

If you have been scrolling around trying to find Chapter 1-27 on this website, I should tell you now; they don’t exist. The title is merely my attempt to be witty.  The entire idea of completely up-rooting my entire life and moving to Vancouver Island began on my 28th birthday. Seems a little more fitting now doesn’t it?

The one that started it all

The attached photo, of the falls is the one that started it all. I might even say it’s my favourite photo I’ve taken to date. (Definitely my favourite selfie I’ve ever taken.) It was captured at Goldstream Provincial Park, on June 11th 2020, about an hour later than I would’ve liked. The day was pretty casual; started by sleeping in later than I wanted too, and along with that my typical indecisiveness on what to do for the day.  I ended up using a quick google search (something like “cool things around me”) to find this hidden gem of a fall. With only a photo, and rough idea as to where to go, I set out with Google Maps as my guide. The drive was shorter than I expected and after I found a parking spot near the trail head I set off into the park.  A few steps down the trail I found a scenic break in the tree’s that the mist was framing perfectly. It wasn’t until I went to unpack my tripod that I realized it was sitting in my room, firmly attached to my other backpack… I had two choices. Pack up, pack out, and get the tripod, or attempt to shoot the entire day handheld, in challenging light, with grey skies and slight rain looming over head. Being that I really had nothing else to do for the entire day, and the drive was a short 20 minutes, I opted to go grab the tripod and make the journey back.

Round two. Camera, Check. Tripod, Check. Tim Hortons coffee, Check. Back to the parking lot, back through the tree’s, and into the break. I had missed the scene I was originally hoping to capture, so I instead set off to find the waterfalls, and the trestles that Google had told me all about.  After about 45 minutes of skirting the parks sidelines, I finally came to the conclusion that the “tunnel” I was supposed to walk under, was in fact the one that at a glance, looks like it isn’t for people to walk through, but rather a river to drain out of. Pro tip - go through it, its exactly where you want to get too.

The weather had opened up a little, and the sun was out in force. I made the decision to head up the mountain instead of through the valley, and find the top and rail trestle first. Take the waterfall as my reward for climbing up and back down towards the end of my adventure. The first time I had a hint of the falls was from the top; which from along the trail, is fairly underwhelming. I passed it off as just every other waterfall and continued straight up the winding path. Another wrong turn, (and about 15 minutes of pinging my GPS through the AllTrails app) lead me way out through more of a meadowy setting on the westside of Goldstream Park. Pretty, but not what I was after. After finding the original trail, and heading up another steep embankment, I finally found the railroad tracks, the trestle, and the view I was searching for. While not an entirely breathtaking view, (photo attached) it did make for a good place to play with some interesting angles of the bridge, and capture one of my “foot shots” that Instagram seems to love so much.  The 800m climb to the trestle, combined with a lack of preparing on my end, and a 300 foot unguarded straight drop to the river below, provided for an exhilarating walk across the trestle to the other side. Tired, sweaty, and almost over heating, I figured it was time to treat myself to the waterfall I had come here for originally. A trail on the far side of the trestle was able to take me almost straight down, and once there I made the short trek up the creek bed to the waterfall. 

It sits nestled in a corner, towards the back of a small pond, and a stream that trails off into the rocks you walked up. The lush greenery and vivd colours is something I will always appreciate. I dunked my hat, set up my tripod, and began getting to work on some images. A few people passed in and out in the hour or so I spent in the shade cooling off with my camera in hand; but for the most part I had this quiet little area to myself. It wasn’t until I drove home and began editing that I was able to truly appreciate the photo I had captured. I’m not sure why it spoke to me; and I can’t really explain why it made it so obvious that I had to leave the Okanagan and move to the Island. But in my head it screamed adventure, opportunity, and excitement.