Backyard Tour, Nature's Walk Through Time

I am most excited to share this particular backyard tour. Oneof the things I enjoy most about day hiking around my area is the opportunityto learn the history of the many lakes and parks we visit. So when I got thechance to revisit this particular locale, I had my camera ready!

The Pacific West Coast became famous during the 1900’s forits timber. Logging was booming (pardon the pun) back then, with camps springingup throughout the area. Huge trees – not only in height, but also in girth, werebeing harvested with abandon to supply the demand for building materials.

I’m always fascinated by old industrial pictures. It isamazing to see where we came from compared to where we are now. As much as Ienjoy cell phones, movies and modern transportation, there is something to besaid for the early 1900’s. I think I could have been quite happy back then...butI digress...

This time out, we chose Mike Lake to explore. The InclineTrail was used in the 1920’s as the shortcut to haul old growth logs down tothe lake. They used a cable system and the braking power of a stationaryengine, or steam donkey to skid the trees down the mountain,and then the logs were loaded onto rail cars to ship them to the coast.

The huge supporting base of the steam donkey is still inevidence at the base of the Incline Trail.

You will need to look closely at these next photographs to make out the composition. What appears to be a jumble of logs is actually the base of a steam donkey that was built to haul the huge, old growth trees down the mountain. We walked past this site twice, and despite reading the sign which told where to spot the remains of the steam donkey, we missed it both times. It wasn't until I recognized the loops of wire cable that I began to see a pattern emerge.

Once I spotted the cable, I could see the huge bolts that connected the logs. Even with this 'industrial' evidence, it still took a few moments before I could discern the actual platform of the long ago steam donkey.

The remains of this once proud Douglas Fir graces the side of the trail leading to Mike Lake. Although huge in size, it is dwarfed by the body of its long ago neighbours in the following picture.

If you look closely, you can see a horizontal cut in the stump. A board was inserted into the cut which allowed the logger to stand on it and cut down the tree.

In this photograph, you can see how the loggers used 'spring boards' to cut down these huge trees. Many of the remaining stumps still bear evidence of their ingenuity.

I found these next pictures to be very deceptive with regards to the actual landscape. I was trying to show how steep the Incline Trail actually is, and how far up the mountain it goes. The first picture of the trail shows what is still ahead of us, and the following photograph shows some of what we had already hiked.

I'm not sure how much further it was to the top. We figured we had already climbed approximately half a mile when these pictures were taken. We had to turn around at this point, as the trail was getting too steep for Logan - the very large dog who accompanies us on our walks.

In the 1920's, Mike Lake was the home for some 600 loggers, engineers and their equipment. This picture shows the layout of their camp, aptly named Camp #2 of the Abernethy and Lougheed Logging Company. The depletion of the old growth trees and several large forest fires were the reasons this particular camp closed down operations.

Aside from the base of the steam donkey, the only remnants of this community are an odd boot or rusted tin can. All other traces have been erased by the relentless growth of the rain forest.

Believe it or not, almost one hundred years ago this tranquil lake was once the site of bustling activity. Now, the only activity it sees are the avid hikers and trout fishermen who enjoy its shores.

I'm looking forward to visiting this spot again - it's hard to describe the feeling of walking in the footsteps of our grandfathers and imagining what the forest must have looked like to them.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of my backyard tours as much as I am enjoying sharing them.