Cadomin Kid

12 juillet 2017 16:21 Published by Laisser vos pensées

I would like to start this post by acknowledging the incredible firefighters, first responders, and the other folks working hard on the BC forest fires right now. Your hard work is incredibly appreciated, thank you. For those that have been affected or evacuated, you are in mine and many others thoughts right now. I hope things start looking up for you, and please know that Canadians care deeply about you.


The Hinton area holds a special place within my heart. It’s where my parents went to high school, where I was born, where my dad worked till I was in grade 2, and where my grandparents continue to live today. Close to Jasper National Park, Hinton is an outdoor enthusiasts’ dream. I have no better memories than when my Oma and Papa would take me and my sister into the Miette Hot Springs for a day in the mountains. Even without driving the 40 minutes into Jasper, Hinton has numerous hot spots for various activities, such as a great bike park, various hiking trails, and the Nordic Centre for cross country skiing. This forestry community has a lasting legacy, and if you have the opportunity to get your hands on a copy of “Learning from the Forest” by Robert Bott, Peter Murphy, and Robert Udell, I highly recommend it. It’s a great read that talks about the development in the area, and the history of forestry.

Since there’s already 2 green dream bloggers in this area, I’ll hold back voicing my complete love for this town, and lead you 40 minutes south, to a hamlet called Cadomin. As promised in my last blog, I wanted to talk about my recent trip here. Once a busy area for miners working for Canadian Dominion Mining, this hamlet is now a “ghost town”, with about 40 permanent residents. Tech Coal still runs operations today, along with Cadomin Quarry, and those who aren’t working these two locations usually commute into Hinton. If in the future I find myself working in the Hinton area, Cadomin would be the first place I looked for accommodation. The Forestry Trunk road leads you to Cadomin, with views of 50 year old regeneration stands. So, even the drive there is spectacular. Within the hamlet, my grandparents have a cabin, where they spend a large portion of their time. I try to make it out on Christmas vacation or during the summer if I can. Last weekend, my dad had some work to do around the cabin, and so I decided to tag along.

Buttercups have become a huge issue within the area. As a noxious weed, they seem to be taking over. 5 year old Gillian thought they looked beautiful in my hand picked bouquet for my Oma, but now they seem to be more of a headache for everyone. Residents are expected to help out with the control of the buttercups, and so my father was working on the removal from my grandparent’s lot. However, with the fishing rod in hand I was determined to pull him away from the buttercup removal and head out to Mary Gregg Lake for an hour or two. I’ve included a video of some short clips I took of the fishing spot. Although I got skunked, you could see the fish jumping, so apparently I need to work on my technique. A short hike in takes you to a wonderfully nestled lake. If you have a quad, you could pull a boat in as well. It’s a well respected, breath-taking fishing spot for the locals and if you have the opportunity to check it out I highly recommend it.

Next to Cadomin is Whitehorse Wildland Provincial Park. From the main Cadomin Road heading west, the campground here is a great host to those with horses and trailers, while those willing to make a hike in to the park can have a great river side spot. A couple of summers ago, I hiked a trail leading from this park into the Miette Hot Springs parking lot. Called the Fiddle River Trail, it’s about 40 kilometres, and took 2 days. Jasper National Park doesn’t maintain this trail, so I suggest bringing a GPS along, but it’s well worth it. This trail is also the place I had my first face to face grizzly encounter. Thankfully, we both went running off in separate directions, but it definitely was a moment I’ll never forget.

Overall, Cadomin is a dream. With great berry picking, opportunities to catch some wildlife (the bighorn sheep are everywhere here!), and much more. I’ll forever be looking for opportunities to head out there.

Thanks for reading blog #3!

Next week I’ll be going over the processes within the sawmill, so stay tuned!

Cheers,
Gillian

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