A big surprise gaped at us this weekend as we drove out of Saltery Bay up onto the BC Hydro pole line road intending to head east toward its end where the wires cross over Jervis Inlet to Nelson Island. This rugged road has provided access to the Fairview Bay Trail that allowed you to chop off one of the two hours of hiking, so all you had left was the section from the towers just above Ahlstrom Point to Fairview Bay.
Just as we got onto the pole line where the road levels out we were stopped dead in our tracks. Where once there had been road there were now bolders blocking the way, and the next ten metres of road were gone, dug up, and Saltery Creek was roaring through a deep wide trench. The bridge was gone.
As at this time we have no information as to whether this deactivation is permanent, or the bridge will be reinstalled. The upshot is that the option of having a shorter hike is not there now, and you must access Fairview Bay from the beginning of the trail down in Saltery Bay at the mouth of Saltery Creek.
This adds an hour of delightful hiking along Rose Beach, up the Elevator section of trail, down the other side of the pass to Pirate Cove, and along the beach toward the fish farm and back uphill where you will catch the last ten minutes of the dead end pole line road to the Towers.
From there you continue your hike for a second hour on the trail to Fairview Bay and points beyond, Rainy Day Lake, Mount Troubridge and the rest of the Sunshine Coast Trail all the way to Desolation Sound.
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