Monday, March 14, 2016

The Saddest Area in Alberta: Ghost Lake

This past weekend I decided to have a hike in Ghost Lake area but it turned to a waste of time and gasoline, unfortunately. I woke at my usual time 05:30 and headed west. After buying a coffee and gasoline I got into Highway 22 and then 1A and finally 40. There was no problem until I tried to find the trail-head for Devil's Head, my final destination. It was very early so there was nobody on the road but then further up in north on the gravel part of Highway 40 and near a branch road, that I can't remember the name, I saw a guy warming himself beside fire! A small tent was seen near him. I turned back and asked him whether he knew where the trail-head was. He had not heard of Devil's Head but he had a good map book. I realized that I had to get on Wiparous Creek Road which goes parallel to Waiparou Creek and head west as far as I can and then walk or hike south but there was no way to actually find the trail, if it existed!
I did that and it turned out that Wiparous Creek Road is a narrow gravel road where lots of crazy nature-destroyers of hunter type camp! After going up for a little bit I guess I reached the end of the road. There was a circle like area with lots of empty shells on the ground. A guy with a big truck in camouflage suit was walking and his kids was there too. I didn't find the situation very pleasing because there are poachers and armed and there's no one around. They can kill you and leave you in the woods and no one ever would know anything but my guess is if I had parked at the circle-like area or parking lot, I would have been able to walk up a nearby hill and figure out how I can get myself close to Devil's Head but I didn't feel good and also I was not sure whether I would see my car, when I came back! I turned back quickly and down the road where, for the first time I saw Devil's Head for the first time, I parked and walked down a trial-like path with no motorized vehicles sign. The path actually runs parallel to Waiparous Creek and the road itself. After just a few minutes the noises started and I also started to see all sorts of garbage all around the area. The sound I don't know whether it was coming from A. T. V.s or chain saws but it was pretty load. And then I began to saw cut tree and parked pickup trucks and motor-homes with smoke coming up from around them.  The irritating noise continued and there were more and more 4x4s and trucks. That was when I decided to go back after only half an hour walking!
I took the same path and then came to the road and simply walked down. The car was still parked there when I reached at about 09:25 or so. I had not walked for even 1 hour! What a waste! I headed back because I wanted to get away from all those insanity: disturbing noise, broken stuff thrown around as garbage, cut trees and irresponsible and selfish human-like creatures! On my way back to home while I was still on Highway 40 I saw as many as maybe 50 trucks and 4x4s heading to that area. Many of them had snowmobiles and A. T. V.s in the back. Many were being carried by the other trucks! But there was one thing common within all of them: They were all going there to destroy the nature and I wonder why there's no one to stop them. A very bad, disappointing and wasteful trip was ended. I hope I can make a better decision and have nice hikes in near future.
(Photo: To the best of my knowledge Devil's Head should be the one on the left. This is not a very good shot of course)

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