Hiking up a Frozen Creek in the Waiparous
March 10, 2021
On a sunny and quite warm late winter day, Heinz Unger led a fearless group of 10, plus a gentle and curious dog, on a hike up a portion of the frozen over Waiparous Creek. He recounts:
While some stretches were blank ice and folks appreciated their cleats, other stretches were still covered by deep snow. And due to the recent warmer weather there were a few tricky spots when crossing the main channel had to be done rather carefully to make sure the ice bridge was still holding up. At one point the group had to scramble through the forested steep bank because the ice bridge had melted away. It was great to hike through cool shady stretches and then be out in the sun again, looking up the steep rocky and / or wooded banks on each side. Once off the creek we clambered up the steep Spring Trail, right along a bubbling spring flowing all year round. The return portion of the hike was made on a trail maintained by the Ghost Waiparous Trail Association in the “Back 40”, a recreational lease on Provincial Public Land, held jointly by the Village of Waiparous and the MD of Bighorn. The adventure was concluded with cookies and hot chocolate or mulled apple juice on Heinz & Marilyn’s meadow in nearby Benchlands.