Hogg's Falls

Inspired by Linda, of Linda's Lens, who posted about her hike into Wahclella Falls in Oregon, I decided it was time to get out and visit some of our waterfalls regardless of the cold.  After all, it had warmed up to only -14°C, with a windchill of only -25°C or so!

Mind you, we've had a great deal more snow than they've had in Oregon this year, and with the bitter cold, it has all stayed with us.  This was therefore a snowshoe walk, albeit a short one down the stream to the falls.

Hogg's Falls is on a tributary of the Beaver River known as the Boyne, and at this point is flowing through a fairly deep ravine, with a particularly steep slope on the western side.  In spite of recent bitter cold temperatures, a central portion of the stream is open because the water is tumbling downhill of shallow rapids fairly quickly.

Just above the falls you come to a remnant of the old hydro dam; two cement slabs, one now leaning heavily, are all that remain of William Hogg's efforts to generate hydro here a century or so ago.

Just above the falls the boulders in the stream, and a fallen tree were decorated with white (like everything else in the vicinity).  Getting close enough for photographs in the winter has to be balanced with staying safe.  With snowy slopes, and ice shelves out over the water that can crack, you need to stay carefully on dry land!

And then I got to the falls, flowing as strongly as ever.  It's a straight drop of about 6 metres over the rock of the Niagara Escarpment, down into a deeper gorge below.

 I successfully shot a few photos before my fingers froze entirely, and I'll have some winter shots to compare to other seasons.

The stream plunges on down the ravine, following the valley for two or three more miles before joining the Beaver River, which flows over the nearby Eugenia Falls.  Together they flow all the way to Georgian Bay.

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