I went on a hike to Lindeman Lake up Chilliwack Valley (Nov 5/09). It was a windy day and fairly mild at this time of year. The clouds were high and the mountain tops were visible so the rain hasn't come yet although it was predicted to start sometime this morning. At least it was dry as I hiked up the steep trail. I could tell I wasn't in quite as good shape as before because I am slowing down my hiking for the year. Despite that, I made good time and hiked nonstop to the lake outlet and went off trail to a rockslide area. A small creek has formed here so I spent time photographing the boulders. The wind came in gusts blowing the trees about making for blurred photos so I concentrated on static objects and distant shots of the forested landscape. Since I was using a polarizing filter and maximum depth of field, that meant slower shutter speeds. I hiked half way around the lake and found a good spot at the shoreline to photograph MacDonald Peak. The water level is still lower than normal exposing rocks along the shoreline. This is the only time I can get a good shot of the mountain peak in the gap between the forested valley. Other times of the year, the water level is high and the rocky shoreline is under water. The rain started coming down so I used my umbrella.I found a nice sheltered spot in the wood under a tree with a flat rock to sit on and eat lunch. A curious squirrel appeared but kept its distance. After lunch, I decided to head back down the trail but not without photographing around the rockslide again. Even with an umbrella, a few small drops of water got on the lens because of the wind.
Heading down the trail, a couple of dogs appeared then the owners. Two men; one younger and the other older wondered how far to go. I talked to them for a while and in the meantime the smaller dog got restless and wanted to get moving. I continued down the trail and didn't encounter anyone else. I stopped by the blowdown area and photographed the creek. The tangle of fallen trees and debris choked up the creek since the severe windstorm of 2006. The creek with its nice waterfall gone; it will never look the same again.
I stopped by Post Creek to photograph the multicolored leaves on the ground. The rain was really coming down as I made my way back to my car. There were still people fishing along the Chilliwack River when I drove out of the valley.
