Wednesday, February 25, 2015

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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18 comments:

  1. Fantastic photos ! Papa and I love going to Tews and Websters falls near Hamilton . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  2. Congratulations on getting out to brave the cold! I don't remember ever feeling so daunted by cold as I do this winter. Gorgeous waterfall! You sure do live in a beautiful part of the world.

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  3. Beautiful winter photos!

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  4. Glad I could inspire you! :) Lovely falls, made even better with the snow and ice. You might be admiring all our green in Oregon, but I'm admiring all that lovely snow you have!

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  5. What a beautiful winter wonderland.

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  6. I envy you going out in the cold. Your photos of the the falls made it all worth while.

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  7. You take me back to hikes in the snow, when I lived in colder climates or went to the mountains. I'm not seeing the snow here so it's nice to see yours.

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  8. I thoroughly enjoyed your pics..... Awesome place to be....

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  9. Beautiful falls! I love the icy sides but I too wouldn't have lasted long in cold that intense. Thanks for the great pictures. :-)

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  10. i love to photograph water, ice and snow. frozen water is the best. i am surprised the falls are not frozen, i have heard a good bit of niagara falls is frozen, i would love to see that!!

    there are a few oceans in south jersey that are frozen, down by cape may. i would love to see it, i have never heard of the ocean freezing before. i thought salt water did not freeze, but i guess it's been cold enough. this is the coldest winter i ever remember!!

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  11. Love, love, love the pictures of the waterfalls. They are so mesmerizing!

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  12. Pretty falls! We had snow again last night, I hope it's our last.

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  13. I think it's beautiful, we don't get snow where we are cos it's too warm in winter.

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  14. Gorgeous shots! It is all the way up to -9˚C here today!

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  15. Oh I admire you getting out to enjoy this beautiful winter scenery. I do have snow shoes, but I am not very good with them and the camera won't function when it is as cold as it has been. Record cold... Thank you for linking into Nature Notes..Michelle

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  16. You live in such a beautiful part of the wirld. Have looked at a few of your posts now and your photos and the scenery are just breathtaking

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  17. Quite a nice falls hidden there in the woods.

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