Scouting a Trail to Mt. Caro Marion

April 2nd (Thursday) 

In the early afternoon we headed out for a hike.  We had decided that since it seemed that we were going to be around Ocean Falls for more time than we had originally planned, we would like to climb some of the mountains.  Mt. Caro Marion is the one that towers up over 4,000 feet, directly over Martin Valley; it is bare rock on top, and from pictures that we have seen, it provides a spectacular view.  When we came into Cousins Inlet for the first time in our sailboat back in December, we remarked that if we were here in the summer we would climb that mountain. Well here we are, it’s not quite summer and there is still too much snow on the top to hike up all the way, but it’s a perfect time to start the trail.  We decided that rather than just hiking up and back, we would like to clear and mark a trail for others to enjoy.  

Mt. Caro Marion has been climbed many times over the years.  When Ocean Falls was a booming town of 5,000 people it was a popular hike, and in more recent years some of the more fit members of the community made the journey.  However, it seems that it has now been several years since anyone has done the hike.  

From what we have been told, there is no one currently here who has actually done the hike, and there is also no obvious place that the trail begins.  We have heard several conflicting opinions as to the route that the trail used to take, and we are getting our information from people who have not done the hike.  The one man who everyone can agree would know the most is Dorothy’s brother, but unfortunately he is not back home in Martin Valley because of the travel restrictions regarding the COVID-19 virus.  

Today, as we headed out, our objective was to scout out the best route for the beginning of the trail, and to hopefully get an upper vantage point for picking out or finding the upper route.  To start with we followed a wide and well-cleared path that we were told was cleared several years ago in a failed attempt to clear a path to the top.  One person told us that the cleared path followed the correct route, but another person told us that the people who had started the trail had missed the actual trail and had headed out on a different route; either way it was already cleared and a good starting point for us.

As we headed up, the trail eventually narrowed, and then disappeared completely.  We continued on upwards, following the natural contours of the land, which was dominated by many runoff gullies.  

We had an idea of an area that we were guessing might be the best route up, around the area of the cliffs, and we headed in that general direction.  Suddenly, we saw an orange ribbon, and then a little further on there was another one.  As we crossed a large washed-out gully, the crossing point was well marked with four ribbons, and as we continued up we saw old ribbons of four different colours.  There were some very tattered, old pink ribbons, the occasional weathered white and blue ribbon, some faded orange ribbons, and some newer, but very brittle with age, green ribbons.  We were encouraged that we potentially had stumbled upon the trail at around 1,000 feet in elevation.  Where it started we still weren’t sure, but it sure seemed like we had found the trail. 

Coming up through the trees along this trail we suddenly found ourselves at the base of a massive cliff that was about 300 feet high.

 The trail seemed to follow up the base of one side of the cliff, while a waterfall tumbled down through a large crack in the other side.  

The whole cliff face was covered in icicles, and the waterfall fell into a slush-filled pool at the bottom.  It was very impressive and super neat that we were there on a cold enough day to see all of the icicles, many of which were a couple of feet long. 

 While at this spectacular viewpoint Jason found a perfect ice cube on the ground, it could have been made in an icemaker, and at the time we were confused as to why it was there.  Later we understood as we watched ice crashing down the cliff face. 

Unfortunately, the trail clearly led upward right along the base of the cliff and over a rubble field.  We did not feel like this was a safe route, so we headed back down until we could make our way over to the ridge on the other side of the gully.  

At first, when we clambered up onto the ridge, we found that it was only a point of raised land and that it sloped off steeply on either side, leaving us only a narrow ridge of land to follow upwards.  

Quickly, however the land got wider as the gullies on either side separated, and we felt much safer making our way up on top of the ridge rather than at the bottom of an ice-covered cliff.  As we climbed, time and time again we heard, and then saw large areas of ice give way and crash downward over the area of the marked trail.  When we do re-make the trail we will be making it on the ridge so as to try to keep people in a safe area.  That being said, a viewpoint turn-off up to the waterfall will be in order.

When we reached the point where the trail that followed the base of the cliff up the gully, and our ridge met, we were reassured that our trail alteration would be successful.  At this point we set a marker on our GPS at about 1,300 feet, and headed back down, happy that we had found the old trail.  

When we got back down to where we had first seen the orange ribbon we started down a different route from the one we had come up on.  At first we were seeing the odd tattered remains of a ribbon here and there, but soon it seemed that we were on our own again. 

As the route got worse we cut back towards the creek and ended up making our way down and around the creek bed.  This was the same creek that we had hiked up several weeks ago, and we were back to seeing some orange ribbons.  

It was hard to say if these ribbons were for the trail, or for logging, but even if they were for the original route, it did not necessarily seem to be the best route.  One would be unable to hike it at high water, and many of the rocks were loose, making it a more dangerous ankle-twisting route.  

We have not fully decided which path we will use for our trail, following straight up the creek we could make our path just off to the side, which is the most direct route up, but it is not the nicest, so we have to decide which is best.  Either way we came down happy that we had found what seemed to be the connection to the upper part of the trail, and we are eager to see what lies beyond.  

While we were up in the forest, well away from any trail markers, we came across an old stump.  It was large, but compared to others from its time it was about average, nonetheless when one sees the size of these old stumps up close it is always amazing, and we remarked on it.  Then, as we looked a little longer at the moss-covered and decomposing top of it, we noticed a large 7.5 foot saw blade lying on the top.  Its rusty and pitted surface blended in so well with the top of the stump that we had almost missed it. 

It was super neat to see, the teeth on it were massive, and although they did not feel particularly sharp, when we tested it on a small fallen log it was actually impressive how well it still cut.  I am sure that when it was new and well maintained it must have cut incredibly quickly.  With a spot for a handle on either end, it most likely would have been used by two loggers, one on either side of the tree, probably part way up on springboards.  It felt like we had found a piece of history. 

It is amazing to picture the differences between now and when that saw blade was last used and left behind.  What would the forest have been like, filled with trees that size?  Had they flooded Link Lake yet, or did people still go to the hot springs on the weekend?  The hot springs were drowned when they flooded the lake.  What was the town like?  Were the roads still made of wood, or had they switched to concrete?  It would be interesting to know.