LABOUR DAY LONG WEEKEND TRIP - SEPT 3-5, 2005.
WE GATHERED SATURDAY MORNING IN PARK ROYAL. GARY TELFORD, BRUCE DAVIE AND PARTNER MILENA, JAN HEDMARK AND PARTNER ANGELICA, AND BILL WILKINSON. FOR A GROUP THAT MOSTLY HAVE NOT WHEELED TOGETHER, WE HAD REMARKABLE HARMONY ON THIS TRIP. WE WERE ALL DRIVING DIESELS.
WE DROVE UP TO SQUAMISH AND PICKED UP GARRY BROECKLING AND MOVED ON UP THE DUFFY LAKE ROAD TO LILLOOET WHERE WE TOPPED UP OUR FUEL. JUST OUTSIDE LILLOOET WE TOOK PICTURES OF THE NATIVE INDIANS AND THEIR FISH CAMP ON THE FRASER RIVER. THEN IT WAS ON UP THE YALACOM RIVER VALLEY FSR FOR SCENIC GRAVEL TRAVEL. ALONG THE WAY, CAMPSITES AT YALACOM AND BEAVERDAM WERE AVAILABLE, BUT THEY ARE ACCESSABLE TO CARS.
FINALLY, WE ARRIVED AT POISON MOUNTAIN AND CIRCLED AROUND IT LOOKING FOR A GOOD CAMPSITE. WE GOT A BIT DISORIENTED BECAUSE THE MAP BOOKS WERE INADEQUATE AND THE ROADS WE WERE TRAVELLING WERE OFTEN NOT ON THE MAP. WE EVENTUALLY FOUND A GOOD CAMPSITE ON THE N.W. SIDE OF POISON MOUNTAIN. SKYS WERE CLEAR, THE STARS OUT, THE CAMPFIRE WARM, AND WE TURNED IN EXPECTING PERFECT WEATHER. DURING THE NIGHT IT RAINED HARD AND THEN CLEARED UP AGAIN, LEAVING FROST ON THE GROUND BY MORNING AND SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS.
AFTER A LEISURELY START SUNDAY MORNING WE HEADED UP THE NORTH SIDE OF CHINA HEAD WHICH HAD A FRESH DUSTING OF SNOW OVERNIGHT. ALL VEHICLES MADE IT UP AND WE ENJOYED AN INCREDIBLE VIEW FROM 7300 FEET ALTITUDE. LATER, WE VENTURED UP THE MUDD LAKES ROAD TO ANOTHER GREAT VIEWPOINT IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION. WE GOT SNOW AT THAT POINT TOO. THEN WE GOT THE IDEA THAT WE W0ULD LIKE TO CAMP AT BIG BAR FOR THE NIGHT, BUT GOT LOST TRYING TO FIND THE BIG BAR ROAD AND ENDED UP CAMPING AT THE SAME POISON MOUNTAIN CAMPSITE AGAIN. DURING THE NIGHT IT RAINED AGAIN AND FROZE UP SO THAT THE CRUISER DOORS WERE FROZEN SHUT IN THE MORNING.
MONDAY MORNING, WITH ALL FOUR DIESELS SMOKING PROFUSELY, WE HEADED UP THE MUD LAKES ROAD AGAIN AND EXPERIENCED THE MOST CHALLENGING ROADS WE HAD SEEN UP TO THAT POINT. MUD LAKES AND SWARTZ LAKE ARE GORGEOUS AND THEIR CAMPSITES ARE WORTH VISITING. ALONG THE MUD LAKES AREA, THE BEAVER DAMS ARE RUNNING ALONGSIDE AND THE WATER LEVEL IS WELL ABOVE THE ROAD. EVENTUALLY WE FOLLOWED THE MUD CREEK ROAD SOUTH AND ON TO CARPENTER LAKE AND GOLDBRIDGE WHERE THE GAS STATION WAS CLOSED AS USUAL.
AT GOLDBRIDGE WE HAD THE ONLY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WHEN GARRY BROECKLING'S HEADLIGHTS QUIT BECAUSE HIS FUSE BLOCK FRACTURED. A WIRE JUMPER QUICKLY FIXED UP THAT PROBLEM AND SOON WE WERE ON THE HURLEY FSR HEADING SOUTH. THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY DOWN THE HURLEY WE TOOK THE "SHORT CUT" SAFARI DOWN THE OLD HURLEY ROAD TOWARD PEMBERTON MEADOWS. IT WAS QUITE OVERGROWN AND NOT MAINTAINED SO BRANCHES WERE SCOURING THE SIDES OF OUR VEHICLES IN THE DARK.
WE HIT PAVEMENT AT PEMBERTON MEADOWS AND FINALLY FUELED UP IN PEMBERTON. WEEKEND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AS WE PASSED THROUGH WHISTLER ABOUT 9:00 pm AND WE ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER ABOUT 12:30 am FEELING TIRED BUT SATISFIED IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT TRIP IN OUR FANTASTIC B.C. BACKWOODS. FOR LOTS OF PICTURES OF THIS TRIP GO TO GARRY BROECKLING'S WEBSITE AT www.coastalcruisers.ca
~Bill Wilkinson
WE GATHERED SATURDAY MORNING IN PARK ROYAL. GARY TELFORD, BRUCE DAVIE AND PARTNER MILENA, JAN HEDMARK AND PARTNER ANGELICA, AND BILL WILKINSON. FOR A GROUP THAT MOSTLY HAVE NOT WHEELED TOGETHER, WE HAD REMARKABLE HARMONY ON THIS TRIP. WE WERE ALL DRIVING DIESELS.
WE DROVE UP TO SQUAMISH AND PICKED UP GARRY BROECKLING AND MOVED ON UP THE DUFFY LAKE ROAD TO LILLOOET WHERE WE TOPPED UP OUR FUEL. JUST OUTSIDE LILLOOET WE TOOK PICTURES OF THE NATIVE INDIANS AND THEIR FISH CAMP ON THE FRASER RIVER. THEN IT WAS ON UP THE YALACOM RIVER VALLEY FSR FOR SCENIC GRAVEL TRAVEL. ALONG THE WAY, CAMPSITES AT YALACOM AND BEAVERDAM WERE AVAILABLE, BUT THEY ARE ACCESSABLE TO CARS.
FINALLY, WE ARRIVED AT POISON MOUNTAIN AND CIRCLED AROUND IT LOOKING FOR A GOOD CAMPSITE. WE GOT A BIT DISORIENTED BECAUSE THE MAP BOOKS WERE INADEQUATE AND THE ROADS WE WERE TRAVELLING WERE OFTEN NOT ON THE MAP. WE EVENTUALLY FOUND A GOOD CAMPSITE ON THE N.W. SIDE OF POISON MOUNTAIN. SKYS WERE CLEAR, THE STARS OUT, THE CAMPFIRE WARM, AND WE TURNED IN EXPECTING PERFECT WEATHER. DURING THE NIGHT IT RAINED HARD AND THEN CLEARED UP AGAIN, LEAVING FROST ON THE GROUND BY MORNING AND SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS.
AFTER A LEISURELY START SUNDAY MORNING WE HEADED UP THE NORTH SIDE OF CHINA HEAD WHICH HAD A FRESH DUSTING OF SNOW OVERNIGHT. ALL VEHICLES MADE IT UP AND WE ENJOYED AN INCREDIBLE VIEW FROM 7300 FEET ALTITUDE. LATER, WE VENTURED UP THE MUDD LAKES ROAD TO ANOTHER GREAT VIEWPOINT IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION. WE GOT SNOW AT THAT POINT TOO. THEN WE GOT THE IDEA THAT WE W0ULD LIKE TO CAMP AT BIG BAR FOR THE NIGHT, BUT GOT LOST TRYING TO FIND THE BIG BAR ROAD AND ENDED UP CAMPING AT THE SAME POISON MOUNTAIN CAMPSITE AGAIN. DURING THE NIGHT IT RAINED AGAIN AND FROZE UP SO THAT THE CRUISER DOORS WERE FROZEN SHUT IN THE MORNING.
MONDAY MORNING, WITH ALL FOUR DIESELS SMOKING PROFUSELY, WE HEADED UP THE MUD LAKES ROAD AGAIN AND EXPERIENCED THE MOST CHALLENGING ROADS WE HAD SEEN UP TO THAT POINT. MUD LAKES AND SWARTZ LAKE ARE GORGEOUS AND THEIR CAMPSITES ARE WORTH VISITING. ALONG THE MUD LAKES AREA, THE BEAVER DAMS ARE RUNNING ALONGSIDE AND THE WATER LEVEL IS WELL ABOVE THE ROAD. EVENTUALLY WE FOLLOWED THE MUD CREEK ROAD SOUTH AND ON TO CARPENTER LAKE AND GOLDBRIDGE WHERE THE GAS STATION WAS CLOSED AS USUAL.
AT GOLDBRIDGE WE HAD THE ONLY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WHEN GARRY BROECKLING'S HEADLIGHTS QUIT BECAUSE HIS FUSE BLOCK FRACTURED. A WIRE JUMPER QUICKLY FIXED UP THAT PROBLEM AND SOON WE WERE ON THE HURLEY FSR HEADING SOUTH. THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY DOWN THE HURLEY WE TOOK THE "SHORT CUT" SAFARI DOWN THE OLD HURLEY ROAD TOWARD PEMBERTON MEADOWS. IT WAS QUITE OVERGROWN AND NOT MAINTAINED SO BRANCHES WERE SCOURING THE SIDES OF OUR VEHICLES IN THE DARK.
WE HIT PAVEMENT AT PEMBERTON MEADOWS AND FINALLY FUELED UP IN PEMBERTON. WEEKEND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AS WE PASSED THROUGH WHISTLER ABOUT 9:00 pm AND WE ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER ABOUT 12:30 am FEELING TIRED BUT SATISFIED IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT TRIP IN OUR FANTASTIC B.C. BACKWOODS. FOR LOTS OF PICTURES OF THIS TRIP GO TO GARRY BROECKLING'S WEBSITE AT www.coastalcruisers.ca
~Bill Wilkinson
