After all the comments and speculation, I’m pleased to post this update from Tracksetter Jeff himself:
Ribbon Falls
“The new Ribbon trail above Link has been completed to the top of Dipper Canyon, lots of washed out sections, 2km of brand new trail, 2 new bridges have all been completed. For those who want to try and hike to Ribbon Falls there is still about 1km of trail yet to be constructed, 600m of that brand new trail from the falls campground back towards Ribbon parking lot in a completely new area. While this trail can be hiked(accessed) via Terrace, Kovach and Link it is still not recommended until the trail is completed. The lower section of Ribbon below Link junction is a washed out mess with lots of tree debris and missing sections of trail. Travel is possible but not recommended.”
The Dipper in Dipper Canyon
I had no idea the landscape feature was called Dipper Canyon, but it sure makes sense. The last time I hiked to Ribbon Falls, I saw a dipper in the creek. They’re well camouflaged, and it was just lucky that we spotted the movement in the fast flowing water. I’m a great admirer of dippers, and am fascinated by them. I’ve even seen them in the middle of winter. I dug up these photos which were taken in 2011 and had to study them long and hard in order to find the dipper.
Click on photo for a larger image. The dipper is right in the middle of the red circle
The little bird moved slightly in the second photo and that’s probably why I was able to find it. It’s a little easier to make out the shape of a bird in this one.
The official name is American Dipper and it will dive headfirst into the water, even fly straight into the water, and fly underwater while foraging. They may also walk on the bottom of the stream to find prey before surfacing, and can fly out of the water as well.
Wedge Connector and Evan-Thomas
Wedge connector
Jeff has also informed us that “Wedge Connector has been reconnected to Evan-Thomas fire road. The trail will be a double wide from Wedge Pond to the Evan Thomas Creek, then a few sections of single track on the Evan Thomas Fire Road with one hill. If it is skied in a loop from Wedge Pond there shouldn’t be much of a problem with the one narrow hill leading into the Evan Thomas Creek.
The bridge at the end of the Wedge connector. This would mark the start of the Evan-Thomas fire road. The bridge was washed away in the floods.
The new trail which continues up to the Evan Thomas Fire Road is very scenic with a second bridge (being constructed now) passing over some small waterfalls and pools.”
In the pre-flood photo at the right, you can see the final 50 metres of the Wedge connector as it ends at the Evan-Thomas bridge.
