Snow Creek Falls

Sept. 1, 2016 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Our Earth needs constant concern and attention. Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for creation, this precious gift which God has entrusted to us. 

This means, on the one hand, that nature is at our disposal, to enjoy and use properly. Yet it also means that we are not its masters. Stewards, but not masters. 

We need to love and respect nature, 

---Pope Francis

As Bill and I headed toward Snow Creek Falls, I thought about the Pope's message and the day set aside for Catholics to contemplate and the photo of a beautiful area taken around Sandpoint which Vatican Bureau Chief for CNS Cindy Wooden had posted on Twitter earlier in the day. 

Not just yesterday but pretty much every day we think about the Pope Francis' message to take care of the earth. We try our best to comply.  

We never take for granted the abundance of precious natural gifts that truly arouse our souls whenever we experience them.

Snow Falls is no exception.

The official day set aside in the Catholic Church to consider such thoughts, however, added a special dimension to my first-ever trip to the falls off the Snow Creek Road southwest of Bonners Ferry.  

Bill had visited the spot before with some Forest Service colleagues but said he probably saw only one set of falls and that the trail maintenance has advanced considerably since then. 

Yesterday Kiwi, Bill and I walked to both the upper falls and the lower falls.  The trail, though somewhat steep in some spots, could certainly receive a gold star for upkeep. It runs down the hillside from the road into the shade and through some lovely park-like settings, complete with benches. 

There was quite a gathering at Snow Falls yesterday with three other vehicles parked near the trail head.  We said hi to a young couple at the Upper Falls and then enjoyed a great visit with a two Mennonite women from Bonners Ferry who had brought along about ten children from four families.

It was apparent that the women make frequent trips to this spot.  In the spring, they told us, the falls gush forth with great power while yesterday the moss behind the mildly cascading water stood out. 

Our adventure to these gorgeous sights lasted about an hour and then Bill fulfilled his promise that he would fish only 30 minutes up the creek a ways. 

Nursing a pesky cold, I remained content to sit in the pickup and read this week's Sandpoint Reader.  

And, yes, I did a little contemplation, part of which involved one more day of appreciation that we have so many opportunities to take in God's natural creations which remind us of the simple but profound gifts that abound on this Earth's surface. 

Happy Friday.