To Rieveley Pond and through Appleton Canyon.

This map covers the last of the "Northern" part of the SCT.  The trail North of Powell River is the lowest altitude and probably a good "warm-up" for the main event.  Hence this is the best section of trail to consider for winter hiking: you are less likely to get snowed in.

 Rieveley Pond is the third  hut (soon to be fourth with the addition of the new hut at the Sarah Point trail-head) along the SCT.  It was a pretty rudimentary open concept hut until 2020, but now it is practically a suite at the Hilton after a major upgrade. Even the new composting outhouse is almost luxurious.

Rieveley Pond itself is really quite pretty and very quiet, sitting in a shallow hollow far from any hint of civilization.  For people looking for a nice swim to rinse off the trail dust, this lake is the place to do it. Unfortunately there is no dock to swim off of, so muddy feet are guaranteed. I'm told by a reliable source that the pond is quite shallow and the bottom is pretty muddy, so you might also enjoy a whole body mud spa treatment if you are not careful about where you swim.  Don't pee in the pool; that's your water source.

At the Branch 10 trail-head.  About 30 minutes to Rieveley Pond.

Crossing the creek just short of the Rieveley Pond Hut.

Before and after.  They take their hut-building seriously around here.  Outhouses too. The Hilton Chain has nothing on the SCT. 

Two seasons, one pond.  No Ogopogo or Loch Ness Beastie.

Leaving Rieveley Pond, the hiker will parallel the lake for a very little way and then enter the deep, dark forest again.  Not too far along the trail skirts a small clear-cut, then enters a swampy lowland with a heavy canopy. The trail eventually rises up out of the swampland and crosses a granite face overlooking a shallow valley.  The trail starts dropping from there towards Appleton Campground and the bridge.

The hike from Rieveley Pond to Appleton Campground is about 30 minutes.  If I was not allergic to camping in general (which explains the ridiculously long hikes: I'd rather walk a hundred kilometers than use a public outhouse) I would camp here rather than the Rieveley Hut.  Of course, one should take the weather into account: nothing like a good roof over your head when the Sunshine Coast showers you with our typical liquid sunshine.

The campground is at the eastern side of the long, low bridge at the crossing.  There is an outhouse here, but it's a fairly long walk up the branch trail up to Tomkinson Road.  I hope the hiker is not desperate; be careful about your water sources along the hike. The treasure here is the hidden swimming hole the can be found by following the trail that leaves the SCT  slightly west of the bridge.  It's marked, but the hike up to the swimming hole is actually a few hundred yards.

I bet the water is really cold.  Grown men will enter the crisp waters as adults and emerge as little boys.

Around the swimming hole.  I thought the tree looked a little like a traditional Bonsai tree; bent and a little stunted.

The long bridge over Appleton Creek.   Speaking of Bridges: a great classical horror story by Ambrose Bierce is "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".  A perfect example of an unreliable narrator.

Yet another Grandfather Tree. It towers over the campground. Alarmingly, the bottom of the tree has evidence of being burned at some point.  It wasn't lightning striking the roots.

Once you climb up the hill out of the camping area, you will find a branch  heading South by Southeast: this leads to the outhouse (300 meters away; run if you drank bad water. Filters and boiling are your friend on the SCT).  The branch continues on out to Tomkinson Road.  I would just skip this path: the big payback of this section of the SCT is the canyon ahead. 

Enjoy.

Waterfalls abound.

If you have family or guests visiting (assuming the zombie plague eventually comes to an end) and they want to experience an easily accessible treasure of the SCT, this is the section of trail you need.  It's just over 2 kilometers of waterfalls, rushing water and luxurious forest growth.  I took my Toronto bound brother up that trail on an winter's day and he completely forgot his hellish urban life and the biting cold of December.

The Gorge Falls in at least two seasons.  Very photogenic at any time of year and the intrepid hiker can get up-close and personal with this waterfall.  Be a little cautious around the edge of the second drop into the narrow gorge itself.  Don't be camera foolish like me and perch on the sharp ledge, peering over the cliff.

Sylph Falls, a little bit farther down the trail.  Along the way the hiker will get tempting views of the canyon far below; resist the temptation to hang it all out and get that treasured glimpse of racing water. I was experimenting with ultra-long exposures utilizing a neutral density filter and the obligatory tripod. Once you have the trick down, it's hardly a challenge to get the dreamy effect.

As one descends through the canyon, there will be a few places that the trail is literally skirting the very edge of the racing water. The hard granite base is never buried too deep anywhere on the Sunshine Coast and, in places, the creeks take on the appearance of a natural water slide.  I'm pretty sure it would be the last water adventure a hiker had if they tried to ride the tempest here.

Don't quote me on this one, but I think these are "Bandit Falls".  My memory is a little foggy on this, but regardless of the name, this is about as close as you can get to these falls.  These photos were taken with my tripod balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff.  I need to be careful here: my wife tells me my camera budget is all used up.  I still like that ultra-long exposure trick.

the trail tracks through a maturing conifer forest, years from being harvested. Perhaps never to be harvested.

Near the bottom of the trail. You have to work for this little watercourse: the trail going down to the water's edge is a little precarious and I would have to think that a little moisture on a rainy day would make the trail a greasy and very fast ride to the bottom.

This little gem was dumped at the gravel pit that doubles for a parking lot for day hikers to Appleton Canyon. Proving that even the forest lands can breed knuckle-draggers. Alcohol and careless littering appear to be a paired couple.

The little Smart Car that could.  Being a Beatles Fan, my daughter Calista called her little red Smart Car "Jude".  One should never inherit anything from your child, but bad things happen in every life.  This is proof that Wilde Road/ Tomkinson Road is indeed good for just about any car.  Jude did need his lowest gear to make it up the last steep hill.

Foxglove, or properly Digitalis Purpurea.  It's beautiful and really quite poisonous if ingested, filled with toxins called cardiac glycosides.  Ironically, the old heart medication Digoxin or Digitalis is derived from this plant.  The poison acts to increase the calcium levels at the myocardium: too much and "pop goes the weasel".

Dywed yn dda dy gifaill, am dy elyn dewed ddim: Speak well of your friend, of your enemy say nothing.