Leon Turnbull Photography

I tried this hike last year but got cliffed out. I thought I was fully prepared to tackle it again this year. I had a better route. I had all the gear I needed. So I thought. But I was not prepared enough.

I was planning to start at Union Valley again, thinking the north road would still be snowed in, however I checked the satellite on Friday and that road looked clear. I was surprised because this road always has lingering snow and with the big snow pack this year, surely it would still be snowed in. This was good news. The hike would be a lot shorter and easier from the north side.

However, I did not anticipate all the brush. It was horrendous. Since the King Fire it has grown up tremendously. My planned route was impossible. My backup plan would take me to a high vantage point overlooking the waterfall. This was very brushy as well and it was a difficult battle to get through it. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. I was within two steps of it and did not see it. You do not expect to see a snake in the brush (and indeed, it is almost impossible to see something like that in the brush). Thankfully, it saw me first and started rattling up a storm and moved away from me. Whew. As I continued down the ridge and into a rocky area I came across another rattlesnake, which again, I did not see. And again, the snake saw me first and started rattling.

I came to the spot where I anticipated having a good clear view of the waterfall. I could not see the waterfall. I had to keep heading downwards in search of a view. I had to go a long way down, much more than I wanted to. And more than I should have. I was out of water. This was my big mistake. I had now descended 1000 ft. and my water bottle was less than half full. I finally did find a viewpoint, however. I could have gotten closer but it would have been too risky. I had dropped my backpack higher up the mountain and my water was too low. I did not know if I could have gotten all the way down to the creek (to get water). If I had water and my backpack, I would have gone further down, hoping to find a campsite at creek level. Next time I will be more prepared. As it was, I had already gone too far. You may think what I did was stupid and your opinion would be a valid one but at no point was my life in danger. I was just not expecting to have to descend so far down the mountain to get a view of the falls.

But I found my viewpoint. Now I had to wait 3 full hours for the sun. I found a semi-comfortable spot in the shade on the side of the mountain and waited. And waited. And waited. I could not nap. I could not eat (I did not want to get thirsty). I could not drink (I had to conserve my water for the hike out). Finally, I had waited long enough and I took some photos of the waterfall.

Silver Creek Falls is 48 ft. high. The creek is dam controlled and they were currently letting out a lot of water from Union Valley. It was flowing over 600 cfs. It was a monster waterfall.

It was time to hike back up the mountain. I was not looking forward to it. I rationed my water. I bonked. When I finally got back up to the road I was completely out of water, but it was a short hike from there to my camp and it was downhill. Even this part was hard because I was so tired. I stopped at a snow patch and got some water from the snow to quench my lips. When I got to camp I was completely spent. It took 30 full minutes before I could even move. I drank water (now plentifully available from the creek), and I puked it up along with some of my lunch. It took a while but I slowly recovered, drank some more, and ate some dinner.

I slept like a baby. It was probably the best sleep I have ever had in my tent, I am guessing because I was so darn tired. I reluctantly rolled out of bed at 6AM. I decided to go on another hike and try to get down to Davis Creek Falls. I could see it the previous day but it was too far away. I really wanted to make it down to this falls but it was just too incredibly brushy. I could not even get anywhere close to it. I retreated. On the bright side, I saw my first bear of the year. It did not even run away or seem bothered when it saw me, so I was able to get it on camera. It must have been used to seeing people but this is a very infrequently visited area. From my camp it was an easy hike back to the car and I was finished by 11AM. It was a very difficult but fantastic trip in Eldorado National Forest.

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