Oct 6th and 7th Peach Cliff loop and Abandoned Rail Brewery

We needed to find a walk for a bit of exercise……there were few interesting looking ones but a bit of a drive to get there so we opted for something a little closer and plumped for Peach Cliff Trail.

The trailhead is just above Okanagan Falls which is at the other end of Skaha Lake from where we are. Its always a beautiful drive around here……

We have been quite fascinated by the range of different varieties of pine cones we see…from little ones with barbs on them to HUGE ones from the Ponderosa Pines…….begging to be used for ……..something…….if anyone has a great idea then message me…cos these things are amazing……

(Ponderosa Pines.. https://www.coniferousforest.com/ponderosa-pine.htm#:~:text=Ponderosa%20pine%20is%20a%20species%20of%20lean%20and,resilient%20timber%20as%20well%20as%20for%20recreational%20use. )

Peach Cliff has signs on the routes asking peeps to stay on the trails…and not make new trails…….its an area that has lots….and lots of these little cacti……and a bit like the fungi……you don’t really see them ’til you are almost on them….(which can be hazardous if you are the guy that likes to lie down to get close up pictures….!!!!)

I dropped my sunglasses halfway up the hill…..and got the extra bit of exercise trucking back down to fetch them……it always amazes me how much steeper the hills seem on the way down…..

We had some views of the higher scorched areas from this trail…..and the swathes of reddish brown from the flame retardants they drop during the wildfire management. At first it was hard to tell if we were seeing the iron ore in the rocks….but when you look at the burn patterns it becomes more obvious……its hard to get pictures with the phone camera because of the scale of the hills and the forests

At the highest elevation of this hike we had some impressive views of Skaha Lake..not the most challenging hike we have done…but a lovely walk on a lovely day…..

We were rewarded on the way home with an encounter with some mountain sheep grazing by the roadside.

Overall a very satisfying hike……might well be an interesting one in snowy weather (if we get any…!!😁)

The 7th…we took a trip back up to Abandoned Rail brewing to meet with Peter (head brewer ) and get the tour……..waiting now for him to open…hopefully in the next few weeks…

The next post is our first encounter with the Ashnola River valley…….

Gallery of extra pix.