Rainbow Falls (Part 2) At 6.1 Miles

In yesterday's post I told you how I'd taken the wrong trail seeking Rainbow Falls. It brought us to the banks of the Grasse River in all its splendor - but there were no falls. Well, now I was sure we were on the right trail and I was excited because Rainbow Falls was reportedly a breathtaking sight. The dogs trotted on ahead of me down the trail through the forest:

I knew we were close when the trail led us across a little bridge (and I could hear the roar of the falls):

My heart skipped a beat when little Daphne's foot slipped through the boards on the bridge but all was well:

And in this photo you can see the raging torrent beneath the bridge - and that torrent led directly to a waterfall, though not the big one:

The trail led us to this patch of snow and both Papillons ran merrily toward it. I could see that it was wave-shaped snow overhanging a deep gorge with the waterfall beneath it and screamed like a crazy person for the dogs to stop! They did stop, probably wondering why their dad had lost his marbles. You'll be able to see in later pictures just how catastrophic their action would have been. I immediately put all the dogs on leashes:

We descended the rocks following the smaller waterfall until we got a good view of Rainbow Falls, named for the refracted light emanating from the constant mist in the air. In fact, I had to quickly shut my camera's lens to protect it. See that wave-shaped snow formation on the upper left of the gorge? That's what the Papillons wanted to run out on!:

I walked downstream along the raging Grasse River until it seemed safe to once again let the dogs off their leashes. Daphne looked up at me as if to ask what was all the excitement about earlier?:

Seamus stood quietly with me, watching the spectacular Rainbow Falls, feeling its mist and hearing the overpowering roar:

Clover quietly explored the moist rocks above the river and Fergus trotted off to see the sights:

The immense power of the torrent below us would have been awe-inspiring even without the falls:

We went even farther downstream to where we could get close to the water. I suppose there are folks who climb out onto that rock, but I was not one of them!:

We'd seen what we'd come to see and it was magnificent. But it was time to return to the car, so we began our ascent alongside the smaller waterfall (below the bridge). It would have been a worthwhile sight all its own  but received no mention in the guide books at all since it was so overshadowed by the much more dramatic Rainbow Falls. But we weren't done yet. I'll post more tomorrow: