I do not have all the details of out route since a lot of it was off the cuff and I was just in essence following the trails leaders. We (Robin and I) left at 6pm Friday night after work headed up the Duffy to meet at Cinnamon rec site. We pulled in at about 10:30pm to find Vince and Axel all set up and with a warm fire waiting for us. We quickly set up camp and sat around the fire till 12:30am catching up and enjoying the clear night and raging stream.
Camp at Cinnamon:
Axle had a few areas he wanted to check out so he was leader for this trip. The first road was about 1/2km North of the Rac site and zig zagged back and forth out of the Duffy Hwy Vally, it really was a quick ascent, one area of this trail was just wide enough for us to squeak through (slip out on low and gravel wall on other) that road is not long for this earth. Once to the top we had a clear view of the Valley below and were overlooking Seton Lake.
Seton Lake:
Vinces and My dogs burning off some energy:
Picture of me across the narrow bit:
Pictures of the narrow section from below of Axel going over:
From there we headed down towards to lake to see what we could find, on one off shoot we fond an recently abandoned 3 wheel ATV 30ft down the side of the mountain against a tree (no rider in site). So we quickly looked at this as possible our only opportunity this weekend to break out the winch and blocks (little did we know). 10min later and the 3wheeler was back on the road and pushed off to the side for the owner to collect. We then headed down towards the lake and found some nice lake front cabins, none of them occupied. We used the beach at one for out lunch stop for the day. After a nice break and food we where back under way headed back towards the Duffy and Lillooet for gas.
ATV joy ride!
Once filled up we looked at the map books and placed a pin on out next location. We would head up to the peak of Mt Carson off the Pavilion-Clinton FSR. The road looked to be closed for Beatle kill clearing along the road but calls out on their Radio channel where un answered so we headed up. Man the area along the sides of the road was ugly, looked like someone had gone back and forth with a Feller buncher and just lobbed everything off. As we got higher up to where they had not cleared yet you could see this at one point was a nice road. Once we got to the top we were greeted by an unobstructed 360deg view (other than the radio towers). The wind was blowing hard and cold, we all took some time to enjoy the view and check e-mails (great 3g coverage up beside the towers
).
We then headed down into the Radio array area and our first snow, a drift. Axel tried it but stopped dead in its wet hard packed condition, I started letting air out of my tires as I was lighter and had bigger tires. I was fairly sure I would be able to break through. A few hits later and I was 99% of the way through, then I sunk to the frame.......I had 12" more to go till I was clear. We quickly broke out the winch to pull me back a few feet and I dug some of the snow away as well. Once back out of the hole I was able to break the rest of the way through. Axel came next and started having problems right off the bat his truck with smaller tires and about 1200lbs heaver. After a bit of winching forward and back we got him through. Vince came after in his lighter Taco and made quick work of it after a bit of back and forth. So 2 hours later we where through, then turning around to go back, a few pulls and winces later and we were all through.
Do not have many pictures as I was trying to help get them through.
We decided since it was late in the day we would head to Kelly Lake Provincial Park to camp that night we found it closed
So we headed back up to the Pavilion road looking for some good Ninja camping and found it, a nice clearing in a replanted forest.
Once camp was setup it was time for one of these:
Then some of this: (Note both the beer and Italian sausage are Axel's)
Roughing it in the woods....
What a great set up, easy to use and all built amazingly well.
The night became cold at 4500ft as soon as the sun dropped and it went below freezing. Axel has a sweet fold up Snow Peak fire basin that heats up your feet well if you slide then under it. So as long as we stayed close to the fire we where warm. We all headed to bed around 11pm tired for a full day in the trucks. Once in bed I was asleep fast other than a field mouse rustling around the outside of the tent at one point waking me.
Camp at Cinnamon:
Axle had a few areas he wanted to check out so he was leader for this trip. The first road was about 1/2km North of the Rac site and zig zagged back and forth out of the Duffy Hwy Vally, it really was a quick ascent, one area of this trail was just wide enough for us to squeak through (slip out on low and gravel wall on other) that road is not long for this earth. Once to the top we had a clear view of the Valley below and were overlooking Seton Lake.
Seton Lake:
Vinces and My dogs burning off some energy:
Picture of me across the narrow bit:
Pictures of the narrow section from below of Axel going over:
From there we headed down towards to lake to see what we could find, on one off shoot we fond an recently abandoned 3 wheel ATV 30ft down the side of the mountain against a tree (no rider in site). So we quickly looked at this as possible our only opportunity this weekend to break out the winch and blocks (little did we know). 10min later and the 3wheeler was back on the road and pushed off to the side for the owner to collect. We then headed down towards the lake and found some nice lake front cabins, none of them occupied. We used the beach at one for out lunch stop for the day. After a nice break and food we where back under way headed back towards the Duffy and Lillooet for gas.
ATV joy ride!
Once filled up we looked at the map books and placed a pin on out next location. We would head up to the peak of Mt Carson off the Pavilion-Clinton FSR. The road looked to be closed for Beatle kill clearing along the road but calls out on their Radio channel where un answered so we headed up. Man the area along the sides of the road was ugly, looked like someone had gone back and forth with a Feller buncher and just lobbed everything off. As we got higher up to where they had not cleared yet you could see this at one point was a nice road. Once we got to the top we were greeted by an unobstructed 360deg view (other than the radio towers). The wind was blowing hard and cold, we all took some time to enjoy the view and check e-mails (great 3g coverage up beside the towers
).
We then headed down into the Radio array area and our first snow, a drift. Axel tried it but stopped dead in its wet hard packed condition, I started letting air out of my tires as I was lighter and had bigger tires. I was fairly sure I would be able to break through. A few hits later and I was 99% of the way through, then I sunk to the frame.......I had 12" more to go till I was clear. We quickly broke out the winch to pull me back a few feet and I dug some of the snow away as well. Once back out of the hole I was able to break the rest of the way through. Axel came next and started having problems right off the bat his truck with smaller tires and about 1200lbs heaver. After a bit of winching forward and back we got him through. Vince came after in his lighter Taco and made quick work of it after a bit of back and forth. So 2 hours later we where through, then turning around to go back
, a few pulls and winces later and we were all through. Do not have many pictures as I was trying to help get them through.
We decided since it was late in the day we would head to Kelly Lake Provincial Park to camp that night we found it closed
So we headed back up to the Pavilion road looking for some good Ninja camping and found it, a nice clearing in a replanted forest. Once camp was setup it was time for one of these:
Then some of this: (Note both the beer and Italian sausage are Axel's)
Roughing it in the woods....
What a great set up, easy to use and all built amazingly well.
The night became cold at 4500ft as soon as the sun dropped and it went below freezing. Axel has a sweet fold up Snow Peak fire basin that heats up your feet well if you slide then under it. So as long as we stayed close to the fire we where warm. We all headed to bed around 11pm tired for a full day in the trucks. Once in bed I was asleep fast other than a field mouse rustling around the outside of the tent at one point waking me.
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