Rainbow in the Notch

Today it was partly cloudy, but with extended periods of sun inbetween. Late in the day there was a shower over Goat Island backlit by the setting sun.

The rainbow started right in The Notch, a deep cleft in Goat Island's hillside. Wayne wrote about hiking part way up this very steep creek bed in Chapter 6 of Up the Winter Trail.

Excerpt from Up the Winter Trail by Wayne J. Lutz

 
The stream is still narrow but now rushing. I see a triple falls above me, and it seems there’s no way to go higher. So I veer off to the side, finding a boulder with a log wedged above it. I try to use the rock and log to climb up the cliff and out of the ravine.

My first attempt sends me back down to safer footing in the bed of the creek. Then, I find another route that leads up the opposite side. By kicking my boots into loamy outcroppings in the cliff, I use toeholds and tree limbs to heft myself up and out of the canyon.

I emerge from the Notch into an area covered with prickly blackberry vines – “nature’s barb wire,” as John calls it. The vines grab at my pant legs and boots, and I try to kick them away. This is hopeless, so I use my walking stick and gloves to tear the vines away. Some I drag along with me.

I walk along the top of several logs that criss-cross over the vines, leading to a huge, smooth boulder. It’s a perfect place to rest. I spread my whole body on the granite surface, lying down flat on my back. Sunlight filters through the trees as I relax in this placid spot.

Up the Winter Trail is available in print and ebook formats from Amazon and other online booksellers. Print versions are also available in Powell River at Coles bookstore. -- Margy