OH SERENA
This weekend took me back to Serena Creek Falls. I’ve been to these waterfalls before but … it’s been awhile, and I wanted to come back here again. I also wanted to scout out the area for an upcoming trip in a few weeks. How much snow was up there? I was not sure. Would I need snowshoes? No clue. Where was I going to park for this upcoming weekend trip? I had an idea but again, I was not sure. So Serena Creek Falls seemed like a good place to go while I did these scouting things as well.
I arrived at the trailhead. There was at least 2 feet of snow on the ground here. That is not a lot, really. I thought there would be quite a bit more than this. It was very hard packed. I determined that I would not need my snowshoes on the hike, and so I left them in the car as I hiked down the road on the hard packed snow.
When I reached the point where I needed to get off the road and head towards to the creek, I began to wonder if it was a mistake leaving my snowshoes. In the trees, the snow was softer. There were some potentially big holes. I did not want to break my ankle on this hike! I figured it could be quite dangerous down near the creek with big holes and rocky and very steep terrain. Even with snowshoes, it could be a problem.
I did not posthole even once as I hiked down towards the creek (well, maybe once). There were many tracks back on the road, as this is a popular area for skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, but there were no tracks going to the falls. No doubt I am the first person to visit the waterfalls this year. When I got to the top of the waterfall, which is where I would need to descend the very steep hill, I found no snow at all! With no snow, it was actually very easy getting down to the bottom of both waterfalls. I did not need my snowshoes after all.
At the Lower Falls (pictured here), I knew I would have to get in the creek and over towards the middle of the creek to take photos. There was a good strong flow in the creek, and of course it was icy cold, but I was able to get to the middle. I could not get all the way over to the other side, however, so I took my photos standing in the middle. My toes froze off, but I think it was worth it. Lower Serena Creek Falls is a beauty.