Exploring A Remote Waterfall - Kinuseo Falls

Chetwynd, BC 52 degrees, blue sky and rain showers later)

"I believe it is in our nature to explore,

to reach out into the unknown.

The only true failure

would be not to explore at all"

Ernest Shakleton

Sometimes the best adventures are the ones off the beaten path. This was one of those. We were staying in Chetwynd BC and were there for a few days during the Chainsaw Festival. Barry and Jann had told us about this beautiful remote waterfall and we all decided it was worth the effort to go see it. From Chetwynd it's an hour and a half to a pretty town with a pretty name called Tumbler Ridge. We stopped at the Visitor Center for advice and were quickly back on the road. From here there is an additional 11 miles on paved road and another 30 miles on gravel to get to the Monkman Provincial Park where this beautiful waterfall is located. For a short time we even had a blue sky and the long drive was worth it.

There is a short walk out to where the waterfall drops off and a nice overlook. It's a powerful one to see and higher than Niagara Falls. The roar of the rushing water is intense. A rainbow was even seen halfway down. 

It certainly was a great spot for a group shot.

L to R (Me, John, Becky, Bob, Patsy, Bob, Jann, Barry)

Our dear friends Bob and Patsy have now joined our group. They are from West Virginia and John and I have volunteered with them several times at J.N. Ding Darling in Sanibel Florida and Grand Teton Association in Jackson Wyoming. We are so glad they are joining us.

As you trace back to the parking lot there is another trail which is a more rugged. It worth the effort, however, to see the full waterfall and wildflowers. Jann helped me identify the wildflowers.

The first documentation of the falls was written in 1906, however, First Nation settlements have been found here dating back over 10,000 years ago. 

There are other waterfalls and trails to explore along the way from Tumbler Ridge, however, we did not have enough time to see much more.  

It was a great day to explore made more special by sharing it with our friends. 

Caution Men At Work - Fun Time at Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Competition

Chetwynd, BC 54 degrees, rain on and off, occasional blue skies)

Grand Prize Winner - Lady Gaga

On the second weekend of June each year in Chetwynd BC a festival takes place involving strong men, chainsaws and red cedar. Twelve carvers from all over the world arrive to participate in the Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Competition. To give you can idea of their talent this piece of red cedar went from this...

to this in an hour and a half

We really had a good time!  The main event is the four day chainsaw carving.  Each man is given a large piece of a red cedar tree and has four days to complete their piece. There were carvers from all over including Ireland, Australia, Lithuania, Japan, United States, and Canada. It started at 8 am each morning and went to 6 pm each evening. On the last day it ended at noon with one additional completion called a Quick Carve. We stopped by each day checking out the action and seeing their progress. 

Carving from a previous completion seen at the Visitor Center

Each carving belongs to the town upon completion and there are over 180 carvings displayed all over. The visitor center has a map of their location, artist and the year each one was completed.

Here is some of the action during the event and the final entry.

This carver below is from Indiana and he dedicated this  piece memory of his step father. It included some of his favorite hobbies.

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This carver below is a local artist and celebrity who has a TV show on chainsaw carving

He won the People"s Choice Award for his Poseidon creation

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This one was made in pieces and not assembled until the final moments

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Won the Carvers Award - selected by the participants. The detail in this piece is amazing

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John voted for this piece

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This was a very dramatic piece based on a passage in Revelations. Artist is from Pennsyvania

One the last day after the main event was completed, each of the artists were given a small piece of a log to carve in an hour and a half. Each of the creations were auctioned off and the artist got to keep the proceeds. It was amazing to watch how quickly each piece developed right before our eyes. The pieces went from $300-$2000. 

This one has a bear coming through the log. It was really adorable

Framed Blue Heron

 During the action each artist was driven by everyone in the crowd showing off their peice.

Here are a few seen around town

Star Wars

I love this one

Scuba Diver

Jann and her new friends

Lord of the Rings

Barry and Jann told us about this event they attended on a previous trip to Alaska.  We decided to plan our itinerary around it. It was so much fun and definitely worth the stop. I hope you enjoyed it too.