beegee
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Posts: 28
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Post by beegee on Oct 6, 2008 12:34:19 GMT -5
Hi everyone ----- I think I've solved exactly where Cougar Lake is.... ------- At the meeting yesterday at Harrison Lake, John Green turned up to meet and to greet everyone, I later got him on one side to ask him about the Cougar Lake he mentions in his book. Reiterating that this is the one with supposed giant Salamanders in it, he told me without hesitation that the lake is now called "GREENDROP LAKE" he said that he had visited the lake years ago and seen nothing. but this isolated lake could hold the fabled Salamander, to get to it you have to go past Lindeman and continue on a trail up to Greendrop, it looks very isolated, and I think it would be worth a visit ---- apparently the fishing is good for Rainbow and Speckled Trout. If anyone decides to take the trip, or if any of our members have actually been there, I would like to hear from them. I'm thinking a trail camera at the beach end may bring results, c'mon all the Crypto people lets have input please......... Afterthought --- John Green is such a wealth of information....
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Post by Gerry on Oct 6, 2008 13:43:04 GMT -5
Oddly enough BeeGee..I just happen to now have Greendrop Lake on my GPS It is the one over the mountain east of Silver Lake! Not sure about access roads yet..or trails. Would require more digging!
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Post by Gerry on Oct 6, 2008 15:04:26 GMT -5
Hiking Distance for Lindeman Lake: 3.4 km return (3 hours)
Hiking Distance for Greendrop Lake: 10.4 km return (6 hours)
Best Conditions: June to October
Difficulty: Moderate
Description: Lindeman Lake is one of the most popular Chilliwack-area hikes. Greendrop Lake is a longer haul, so you'll see fewer hikers on the 2 hour leg to Greendrop.
Directions: Drive 40.5 km from Vedder Crossing along Chilliwack Lake road. Just before you get to the Chilliwack Lake turnoff, you'll see a sign for Post Creek and Lindeman/Greendrop Hikes. Park on the roadside and walk 200m to the trail on the right, following the creek. After a few minutes of hiking you'll be surrounded by old-growth trees and beautiful views of Post Creek. These views alone make the whole hike worthwhile. Ten minutes into the hike the trail gets steep. Before you know it the trail levels off and you'll be at Lindeman Lake. Continue on to the far end of Lindeman Lake for some better views of the lake and surrounding peaks. Those looking for a longer hike can continue on past Lindeman to Greendrop lake.
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vilnoori
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Post by vilnoori on Oct 6, 2008 18:29:34 GMT -5
The Chilliwack Lake Park info web site states that several rock slides over the trail have made the hike to Greendrop Lake quite difficult and warn that appropriate shoes are required.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2008 2:37:34 GMT -5
Hiking Distance for Lindeman Lake: 3.4 km return (3 hours) Hiking Distance for Greendrop Lake: 10.4 km return (6 hours) Best Conditions: June to October Difficulty: Moderate Description: Lindeman Lake is one of the most popular Chilliwack-area hikes. Greendrop Lake is a longer haul, so you'll see fewer hikers on the 2 hour leg to Greendrop. Directions: Drive 40.5 km from Vedder Crossing along Chilliwack Lake road. Just before you get to the Chilliwack Lake turnoff, you'll see a sign for Post Creek and Lindeman/Greendrop Hikes. Park on the roadside and walk 200m to the trail on the right, following the creek. After a few minutes of hiking you'll be surrounded by old-growth trees and beautiful views of Post Creek. These views alone make the whole hike worthwhile. Ten minutes into the hike the trail gets steep. Before you know it the trail levels off and you'll be at Lindeman Lake. Continue on to the far end of Lindeman Lake for some better views of the lake and surrounding peaks. Those looking for a longer hike can continue on past Lindeman to Greendrop lake. dang, that would be some trip |
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Post by princeton12 on Jan 30, 2009 14:56:25 GMT -5
Here's a couple of quick things:
I have heard about a secluded hot springs in the harrison or pitt lake area, almost unknown by most.
I was given directions last year and it seemed too complicated for my weak little brain at the time. I think I remember who told me, so when I see him I'll ask him about the exact location. On the other hand, I have another acquaintance who makes it a lifestyle to frequent remote hot springs and he hadn't heard about it, but he did mention particular ones in B.C. that had their own mini-climate and ecosystems....
As for the giant black salamander / alligator, I'm planning a trip to some of the deep lakes in the chilliwack area in late spring after the thaw with traps, lights, cameras, etc. If nothing else, I hope to finally see the elusive Pacific Giant Salamander, which I've wanted to see since I was a kid. I suspect I may find them in and around the streams that may enter into Greendrop lake....
As for the likely existence of really big ones, I've seen very large and scary looking larvae of northwesten salamanders that never or rarely come to the surface and long-toed salamanders are notorious for surviving in almost freezing temperatures. In fact, this past year they seemed to mate too early for the survival of young, as there were very few larvae in most of the locations I inspected in the interior, though I had trapped adults at some of those same locations early in the spring.
I will note however that in the higher elevations, there was a much better survival rate, leading me to conclude that the populations that were used to colder temperatures were less affected.
This would seem to bode well for any cold-water dwelling salamanders "lurking" in the lakes.
As to them as yet being undiscovered:
As a rule, the general population would never notice a salamander in the water, no matter how big, especially if it was dark-colored. I have a favorite spot, well-visited by fishermen where large newts live year-round in a deep lake, and I've never heard anyone mention them, though they occasionally surface and swim back into the depths. We sometimes catch them for fun with a worm on a fishing line, and I will attempt the same trick for these mythical ones.
To see a really huge tiger salamander is a bit unsettling at first, especially when it's walking along a paved road on a hot summer night, where no salamander seemingly has a right to. These guys get really big, and the first impression they give is certainly "lizard". It isn't hard to imagine that there may be scattered populations outside of their known okanagan-similkameen range. They are, like most salamanders, only very rarely seen...
I have to wonder what I would do if I actually encountered some 5 foot monster amphibian: maybe do some quasi-alligator wrestling. At least then we'd have bite marks to measure......
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vilnoori
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Posts: 547
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Post by vilnoori on Jan 30, 2009 17:32:53 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, princeton12. I've noticed on Google Earth that hot springs in the mountains will be betrayed by localized cloud/fog in a valley. I'm assuming it is the West shore of Harrison Lake? That is a great area for searching for BF too, but carefully as the roads are not always cooperative. Now there is snow on the ground it must be treacherous.
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Post by princeton12 on Mar 1, 2009 11:16:21 GMT -5
I've been checking into this as much as possible and the root of this seems to be a report from the early 1900s where (sorry, I don't have the exact details in front of me) it was stated that the "alligators" live in "Alligator Lake" and wild humans at Cougar (apparently Greendrop) Lake I'm sure you're familiar with this, but it says they saw the "black alligators" in a mud lake, twice the size of lizards. The only common lizard in the area is coincidentally the alligator lizard that gets to be on avearge around six, maybe eight inches long including tail and has a very slight overall appearance. It is not aquatic. However, the Pacific Giant Salamander IS aquatic and with a length of a foot and a very stout appearance would certainly be "twice the size of lizards".
Nevertheless, I'm still going up there when the snow clears, as even this more pedestrian giant salamander is a rare sight, filing the discovery of a GIANT salamander....and who can resist wild human reports either?
By the way, this of course would have no bearing whatsoever on those 4 foot salamanders that keep popping up but first things first....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2009 18:31:09 GMT -5
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sebastian
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Post by sebastian on Aug 16, 2009 15:30:18 GMT -5
Based on the studies of genus Andrias (the two Asian giant salamanders), their breeding season is coming up now. The male will become territorial and visible. Their breeding environment is fast flowing rocky streams. The best we can do is to speculate that the BC "mega" salamanders are also belong to genus Andrias and they have similar ecology as their Asian cousins.
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vilnoori
Really into this!
Bone Collector
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Post by vilnoori on Aug 17, 2009 20:36:31 GMT -5
That's interesting, Sebastian. Thanks!
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Post by princeton12 on Sept 19, 2009 21:29:27 GMT -5
so...
today I had a chance to get up to the first lake and though it starts out easy, it was quite a hike over big slippery rocks and chainsawed logs in the rain.
I just wanted an idea of what I should be prepared for. I wasn't prepared for what I got and I'd say it would be twice as rough the rest of the way to greendrop.
It's a breathtaking place and I can't think of a better home for an undiscovered primeval creature.
Of course I didn't find one, but the outlet of the lake is jam-packed with logs, and the stream literally disappears under rocks: the perfect hiding place for such an animal.
Also, I was obviously there in the day and salamanders are mainly nocturnal, so when I return in a week or two, I'll come equipped with traps and bait, as well as fishing rods.
The road up there was littered with road-killed toads, newts, salamanders, frogs and tree frogs, plus snakes, yet I didn't see any on the whole hike (and I was looking, trust me), so that goes to show you that just because you don't see one in the day doesn't mean they're not there...
I searched the stream and adjacent shore, where they should be if they're like the Asian variety, also the pacific giant inhabits the same habitat and I didn't find any trace of them either, and no one says they're mythical.
An added note: people are generally very unobservant. Two guys passed me, holding my dog in plain sight not 15 feet from the trail and were shocked to see us arrive at the parking area after walking 100 feet behind them for half a mile, so I'd say our hairy friend doesn't even have to work and staying hidden.
oh, and now I'm playing nurse to a sad newt who got hit by a car and has a huge split just behind his hips. They're pretty tough, so we'll see how he does.
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sebastian
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Post by sebastian on Oct 15, 2009 13:40:17 GMT -5
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Post by Jason C. on Mar 25, 2014 2:34:01 GMT -5
Holy Cross Mountain is also called Isolillock Peak which is visible from Hope. Google Maps -> Isolillock Peak |
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Post by bigfoothunter on Apr 17, 2014 6:23:43 GMT -5
Anyone ever heard of anything like a large dark colored lizard or salamander-type creature being sighted on any of our local lakes? Yes - salamanders. There is a small lake just above Harrison Hot Springs that has these creatures in it as a friend of mine used to go there and see them quite often in the water. In 2008, I saw a giant salamander high up on Mt. Archibald while with a news crew. It was dark in color tone and had no speckles. It resembled the giant salamander in Seb's video. |
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