A full week had passed since the after-sunset hike with Faith and Cory at Montreal Falls. During that time a few more colors had begun to poke out, random trees turning brilliant colors, though most everything was still summer-green. Katie and I decided it was enough to warrant a quick hike out to a familiar location before a movie date. After work we grabbed the dog and headed out through the sprinkling mist to Tamarack and Hungarain Falls.
Now, this was the fourth time I'd be heading to these falls this year. I had already gotten all of the decent pictures I was going to get here (Dover Creek does not have much flow for most of the year). However, both Katie and I liked this area and I wanted to explore the trails south of the main falls. When we pulled up to the lower parking area, a new spot for us to start at, I left my camera behind and decided to just enjoy today's hike.
This parking area was wide and could accomodate several vehicles off the road, a pleasant change from the upper trailhead that only had shoulder parking. The trail was short to the creek, a straight jog in, and soon we stood at the start of a giant trestle. This was pretty cool. I headed out onto the trestle, hoping for a good view of Torch Lake below, but the thick foliage combined with the lower elevation here blocked most of it.
I rejoined Katie and we headed upstream, following the deep creek gorge to the lower falls. The hill climbed up steadily, maybe a hundred or so feet to gain before reaching the lower falls. Our trail was wide and easy to follow, only a few sudden grades to clambor over.
On the way we passed a massive stone structure reaching out into the green gorge. This must have been one of the older trestles across, one that wasn't renovated into an ATV trail. The size of the foundation was impressive. Handing Logan's leash over to Katie I crawled out on the crumbling brick, peering over the edge, fascinated by the remains of this train trestle. Now I wish I had brought the camera, if only for a picture of this.
The rest of the walk to the lower falls had little to note, just more wet green dripping around us. There had been a lazy all-day rain today, which had been enough to dampen the giant sandstone wall of the lower falls. There was barely a trickle flowing down it. Between the small watershed and the upper dam I had yet to see this waterfall, as tall as it is, have more than a trickle flowing down it.
We decided to turn around at this point. We had scouted out an alternative starting point for Hungarian Falls, found a old and new trestle, and seen a waterfall. Plus, we were a bit damp from the drizzle. Logan eagerly led us back to the car, excited to return home for dinner, as I internally decided not to visit this area again until the spring melt.
Comments (0)