Squamish - Powell River
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that would be sweet
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Simon, you should post up on BC4x4. It's B.C. specific and you'll likely get more response.
we go to a cabin at powell lake all the time. weve talked alot about the road threw as far as i now it can be done but it takes a couple of days. ive wanted to check this out for a wile now. heres some pict of the cabin on the lake.
June 8, 1970
A government- sponsored helicopter tour of the proposed Dogwood Trail from Squamish to Powell River substantiated belief that the route is capable of ultimate development, the highways & transportation committee reported to the Chamber of Commerce. Committee chairman Neil, Jim and Manfried looked over the route, scheduled to finish in time for Sea Fair on Saturday Aug. 1.
A party of 24 youths, supervised by two adults, is planned for the 12 day trek, camping along the route. Already the youths are in training for the trek, using an obstacle course set up at Timberlane by Outward Bound. The group plans to leave Squamish about July 20. A party of Rover Scouts was reported to be planning a "hard-march" trip over the route, leaving about July 24. Funds will be needed to provide transportation for the original youth group to get to Squamish; transportation will be required from the Goat Lake end of the trail to Powell River. Outside interest has been expressed in the trek by 16 members of a Richmond Club, which has special mountain travel equipment and expects to be able to cut some 60 miles off the distance by cutting off circuitous parts of the route which a regular road would have to follow.
July 20, 1970
The proposed 60-mile trail-blazing expedition from Squamish to Powell River, has been canceled on account of "no rain." Twenty-five hikers representing the local Chamber of Commerce and, at last report, 13 from the Squamish Chamber were to set out yesterday in an effort to prove the two communities can be linked by road. Critical fire conditions which may result in forest closures curtailed the hike. "We’ve been asked to hold off until the weather changes, authorities report that forest fire conditions at Squamish are desperate." Said Neil. He said the purpose of the hike is to get road connection with the TransCanada highway, which would link the world’s largest newsprint centre with the rest of Canada. Chamber member also felt that such a road would lead to the opening up of BC’s northern coast, and access to icefields on the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. He speculated this would bring tremendous tourist and commercial trade to this area. "I’m thinking 10, maybe 20 years from now. Our immediate need, of course, is direct route to Vancouver, we are drawing the attention of the powers at BC’s cabinet. You don’t get anything unless you holler." Assistant resident-engineer at Squamish in the early 50’s, he said he considered the possibilities of a road from Pemperton to Lillooet, and a similar direct connection between Squamish and Powell River. He said temporary halt to the expedition has not dampened their spirits. "We haven’t lost our interest in it, we’re still going through, be it this month, August, or September. But we wanted the trek to coincide with Sea Fair and have the trekkers ride in the Chamber of Commerce float in the parade." However, Gerry, the chairman of the chamber’s publicity committee said they haven’t given up. He said, "We hope we can keep it in the schedule to arrive in Powell River in time for Sea Fair. The machinery to make this trip possible can be activated almost in hours after lifting of forest closure." He added whether the hike takes place now or later won’t diminish the effect it will have towards getting a highway link between the municipality and the rest of Canada. He said during the interim they will be taking additional aerial photographs of the proposed route, and checking out equipments, such as land-to-air walkie-talkies which hikers were to use in communications with escort planes from the Westview Flying Club. Additionally, a free lance photographer will be filming the Queen’s Reach area for CBC. "Powell River has waited more than 40 years for this link," said Gerry. "A couple more weeks one way or another won’t make any difference.
Aug 2, 1970, sunday
After a breakfast of sausages and coffee at the Sea Fair Grounds, 18 hikers climbed into the Canadian Forces boat YFP-317 at the Westview wharf at 6am. They arrived in Squamish at the government wharf at 1:30pm and waited for the Squamish hiking party. Once the party showed up, the 30 hikers including a cameraman were loaded into tow Weldwood crummics and a pick-up and taken to the end of the road. The hikers made camp at the end of the road on the first night. The skies were clear and they slept on ground sheets in 6" thick moss. The morning of second day saw the hikers up at 7am and hiking a half hour later. Two hours later the youngest member was already at a point of exhaustion; there was nothing to do but to send him back to the road where he could wait for trucks heading back to Squamish.
Aug. 5, 1970, wednesday
The trekkers Wednesday night were camped on mile from the conflux of Sims Creek and the Elaho River in the Elaho Valley. Neil and pilot Dennis of the Westview Flying Club contacted the party last night and they are all doing fine and in good health. The two, flying in Dennis’ aircraft, went up Jervis Inlet to Malibu and then went through a pass to Sims Creek. They made contact with the party in the Elaho Valley. He said the party will attempt to cross the Elaho River today. "I could be easy or it could take them all day." "The hikers have been averaging about 6 miles a day, and they are right on schedule." The hikers will go up the Elaho Valley, past the Queens Reach at the head of Jervis Inlet. He said he could see the group’s campsite as he flew over the valley. Contact was made by walkie-talkie. Neil said "we figured if they got to the Elaho by the third day, they were doing well" The group was one mile from the Elaho when they were spotted. Neil and Dennis will make another flight to the area tonight and again on Saturday night.
Aug. 9, 1970, sunday
"I figure they are two days behind schedule," Said Neil. He finally made visual contact with the 30 hikers Sunday afternoon after three days of low clouds in the area. The hikers were five or six miles up Sim Creek Valley Sunday afternoon, halfway between the Elaho River and the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. The party was on the move when he saw them from an aircraft piloted by Al and he said he has no reason to believe they are in any trouble. He said that they could not hear the radio broadcasts from the hikers because of the noise of the plane, and so doesn’t know why they are behind schedule. He speculated, "It may have taken them longer to cross the river than expected. They may have even had to travel far upstream to make the crossing." Food now becomes a problem for the hikers. There is a food drop waiting for them at a logging camp at Queen’s Reach, where they were supposed to be before their present food supply runs out on Wednesday. "If they continue to lost time, we will have to make a food drop tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. We’ll go up and have a look tomorrow and see how they are making out." He said the food drop was already prepared and ready to go . He added that although he could not hear their radio broadcasts in the aircraft, he was sure they had heard his.
Trail ended early for three hikers when Kelby, 14, of Vancouver injured his knee on the hike. According to Jim, the hikers were cutting a trail through thick alders when Kelby fell. "We were walking along a fallen logs with rotten bar, the bark kept falling off and it was slippery underneath. The kid was walking behind me. He fell once and almost knocked me down. He fell again and almost knocked me down again. The second time he fell, he landed on a rock with his knee. Manfred stopped the hikers. He piggy-backed the kid out of the alders onto the beach. They applied splints to his knee." This had happened minutes after Neil and pilot Al flew over the hikers on a routine check. The hikers made camp on the beach that night. Manfried decided the trekkers should push on and leave Kelby with a couple of hikers to take care of him. The hikers were not far from their destination, the MB logging camp at the head of Jervis Inlet then and help could communed from there, if contact could not be made with one of the reconnaissance aircraft. Jim volunteered to stay with Kelby.
"None of the other boys were eager to leave the hike, so I said I’d stay. If I hadn’t volunteered Manfred would have had to stay." Said Bill. Manfried gave the boys an emergency flare and four days food. Monday morning the rest of the hikers pushed on toward the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. Jim and Bill lit three fires, the international distress signal and kept them lit all day. Near the three fires, the boys had gathered a pile of green branches which they planned to throw on the fires to make smoke when an aircraft approached.
Aug 10, 1970
Monday afternoon when the airplane carrying Neil and pilot Bob approached the boys, Bill let off the flare. The plane waggled its wings that it understood and Neil summoned the rescue helicopter. The Air-Sea Rescue helicoptor arrived two hours later and returned Jim, 17 and Bill, 18, with Kelby to Powell River.
Aug 13, 1970
Neil made the decision to end the trek at the Percy Logging camp at Queens Reach Aug 13 with 22 miles remaining in the hike, twelve of the remaining miles are logging road. He made that decision because the party had lost several days earlier in the trek because of bad conditions and some of the hike members had jobs and other commitments.
Aug 15, 1970, Friday
The hikers were picked up at the camp at 3pm by the Royal Canadian Navy ship YFP 317 under Lieut. Commander Caldwell.. Stewart, general manager of the News was able to complete these arrangements when transportation difficulties became apparent. Billets for the out-of-town hikers had been arranged by the Chamber of Commerce. Squamish hikers left by bus Saturday morning.
Thoughts after the trek
Manfried said the hike had been no picnic. One Powell River hiker and one Squamish hiker dropped out early. The hikers had to make their own trail through most of the trek, he said and added that there were days when the hikers could make no more than three or four miles. Weather conditions didn’t help the hikers at all. He said that after the hikers crossed Sim Creek, it rained every day, off and on. The rain, combined with the thick underbrush soaked the hikers even through their boots. Wet boots and socks soon developed blisters on the hiker’s feet. After the hikers went through the 5000 foot high pass at Casement Mountain, they had to go through Hunachin Valley to Queens Reach. "Hunachin Valley is one of the most obnoxious valleys I have ever seen," It took the hikers two full days to get to Queens Reach through the valley. He said he decided to call a halt to the trek at Queens Reach because they had one day for a trip which would take three days. The boys all found the hike difficult. He said there were days when hardly a word would be spoken all day, but around the campfire at night, everyone became more cherry. "I think it is a wonderful thing for those kids to go out there. As far as the highway is concerned, it is quite possible to build, provided there is a need for it. Pretty well all of the boys out in the bush were really helpful. They are a great bunch, really top notch" He said there was no concern about the food supply running low because of the slow progress." We had packed enough food for seven days but actually there was enough for about 10 days. We borrowed some food from the Squamish group who had theirs paid for by the Squamish Chamber of Commerce." He said the woods were full of berries also, but the PR group had enough food. Regarding the radio he said, "it didn’t work." He said it worked until the third day when he tried to get a message to the plane of some things they needed. On the ninth day, the radio picked up a message from the aircraft. "But those $330 walkie-talkies only worked twice." He has been working hard to get an Outward Bound project going under the local Youth Services Association said the hike made a good start. He said next year he would like to take some boys exploring, using a base camp.
Bill expressed great disappointment at having to leave the hike. He said that while waiting for the plane, it was impossible to sit still. "There were millions of black flies out there. If you sit still, they’ll eat you." "I was really pleased I went on it. I had a lot of time to think. I’m satisfied." Bill now has a lot of pleasant memories about the eight days he spent hiking along the Dogwood Trail. He said his satisfaction with the hike was not so much a feeling of accomplishment, but an inner feeling that he found difficult to explain. "I had a lot of time to work things out in my head. I think the hike did everyone some good, physically and mentally. It was awfully peaceful out there, It was nice to come back, at first it seemed strange walking along streets and being able to see a long way ahead. You really notice the different colors of houses when you get back. I went because I though that it would be a nice hike, not because the Chamber wanted to put a road through. Summing up the Dogwood Trail adventure, Bill said, "It was not a hike; it was an expedition". He said the rain, bad weather, blisters, and rough going seemed to hit the hikers all at once. "They came at the beginning before you had a chance to get ‘worn in.’ They all hit us at once. It was like instant depression. "He said that after they crossed Sim Creek, a day and a half after they crossed the Elaho, it rained lightly and was always cloudy until the eight day when the hiker hurt his knee. "After we crossed Sim Creek, it cleared up and we dried out in the warm sun. Sitting around waiting for the plane was a drag. I felt a lot better when the helicopter came. I really enjoyed the helicopter ride. I’d never been on one before. That was the only thing I enjoyed about missing the end of the hike." After the hike, the trekkers told Bill he had missed the hardest part of the hike. Bill said, "You couldn’t do anything comfortably out there because of the bugs. The bugs had never been around a laboratory and didn’t know about bug repellent. There were no mosquitoes, just black flies and occasional horsefly. Standing in the smoke of a fire was one of getting rid of them. It was worth having the smoke in your eyes to be bug-free. They were really ferocious. I don’t have any regrets about the hike except I forgot my toothbrush and I regret that I didn’t finish the hike. I missed peanut butter and jam sandwiches. It’s funny. When you’re out there you don’t miss the big things like cars and houses; you just miss little things. I didn’t miss steaks and carrots, just peanut butter and jam sandwiches and cheese. I had a real craving for cheese. A hike like that makes you appreciate the little things you’ve got at home." He said that when he first started out on the hike, he thought the Powell River group would keep to themselves, and the Squamish group would do likewise. "It wasn’t like that, though. As soon as we were all out there, there were no barriers; it was just all of us out there together. Everyone was immediately friends with everyone else. He said that despite the sore feet and backs, it was easier to walk with your pack on than off. He explained it this way, "It was easier to walk with your pack on than with it off because with a pack on, your shoulders ached more than your feet hurt." He kept a diary of the trip in the form of a letter to a friend. "In the diary, a couple of times I wrote, ’I wish I wasn’t out here.’ But now that I’m back I’m glad I went and I want to go again. "If another hike like this comes up, I’ll go. It’s not that it’s fun out there, its just good memories. Thinking back, it makes you appreciate the little things you’ve got at home."
"I wouldn’t say it was a flop" Neil said, " I would say it was a disappointment that they had to come out without finishing the project," "They covered the most difficult part of the hike anyway," He added part of the group will probably make the hike from Goat Lake to the logging camp at Queens Reach at the head of Jervis Inlet, just to complete the record. "We may even be able to do this before the summer is over." Some of the boys did later return to that point and finished off the trek in two days. Neil said he was just as enthusiastic as he ever was about a highway someday being built along the route the hikers tool. He said the idea would be kept alive by a film that freelanced cameraman took as he hiked with the others. He said the film would be shown for the boys at a Chamber of Commerce sponsored banquet and then shown for the public. The film is also scheduled to run on television.
The Participants
From Powell River: M Kuchenmuller, J Arkinstall, P Oele, E Warris, D McLeod, L Osterholm, R Harry, B Urquart, J Huigsloot, J Way, P Brandsma, P Milbradt, B Penman, M Steiger, G Blainey, D Stutt, M Watson. From Squamish: M Goode, J Zarnowski, K Weiler, L Goss, R Mercier, J Krznowski, L Fenton, P Marshall, D Dawson, R Sandberg.
For more on the story, see article in Beautiful BC 1971. More logging roads have been built on the Squamish side and now the Elaho river can be crossed over bridges. Dared to try?
A government- sponsored helicopter tour of the proposed Dogwood Trail from Squamish to Powell River substantiated belief that the route is capable of ultimate development, the highways & transportation committee reported to the Chamber of Commerce. Committee chairman Neil, Jim and Manfried looked over the route, scheduled to finish in time for Sea Fair on Saturday Aug. 1.
A party of 24 youths, supervised by two adults, is planned for the 12 day trek, camping along the route. Already the youths are in training for the trek, using an obstacle course set up at Timberlane by Outward Bound. The group plans to leave Squamish about July 20. A party of Rover Scouts was reported to be planning a "hard-march" trip over the route, leaving about July 24. Funds will be needed to provide transportation for the original youth group to get to Squamish; transportation will be required from the Goat Lake end of the trail to Powell River. Outside interest has been expressed in the trek by 16 members of a Richmond Club, which has special mountain travel equipment and expects to be able to cut some 60 miles off the distance by cutting off circuitous parts of the route which a regular road would have to follow.
July 20, 1970
The proposed 60-mile trail-blazing expedition from Squamish to Powell River, has been canceled on account of "no rain." Twenty-five hikers representing the local Chamber of Commerce and, at last report, 13 from the Squamish Chamber were to set out yesterday in an effort to prove the two communities can be linked by road. Critical fire conditions which may result in forest closures curtailed the hike. "We’ve been asked to hold off until the weather changes, authorities report that forest fire conditions at Squamish are desperate." Said Neil. He said the purpose of the hike is to get road connection with the TransCanada highway, which would link the world’s largest newsprint centre with the rest of Canada. Chamber member also felt that such a road would lead to the opening up of BC’s northern coast, and access to icefields on the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. He speculated this would bring tremendous tourist and commercial trade to this area. "I’m thinking 10, maybe 20 years from now. Our immediate need, of course, is direct route to Vancouver, we are drawing the attention of the powers at BC’s cabinet. You don’t get anything unless you holler." Assistant resident-engineer at Squamish in the early 50’s, he said he considered the possibilities of a road from Pemperton to Lillooet, and a similar direct connection between Squamish and Powell River. He said temporary halt to the expedition has not dampened their spirits. "We haven’t lost our interest in it, we’re still going through, be it this month, August, or September. But we wanted the trek to coincide with Sea Fair and have the trekkers ride in the Chamber of Commerce float in the parade." However, Gerry, the chairman of the chamber’s publicity committee said they haven’t given up. He said, "We hope we can keep it in the schedule to arrive in Powell River in time for Sea Fair. The machinery to make this trip possible can be activated almost in hours after lifting of forest closure." He added whether the hike takes place now or later won’t diminish the effect it will have towards getting a highway link between the municipality and the rest of Canada. He said during the interim they will be taking additional aerial photographs of the proposed route, and checking out equipments, such as land-to-air walkie-talkies which hikers were to use in communications with escort planes from the Westview Flying Club. Additionally, a free lance photographer will be filming the Queen’s Reach area for CBC. "Powell River has waited more than 40 years for this link," said Gerry. "A couple more weeks one way or another won’t make any difference.
Aug 2, 1970, sunday
After a breakfast of sausages and coffee at the Sea Fair Grounds, 18 hikers climbed into the Canadian Forces boat YFP-317 at the Westview wharf at 6am. They arrived in Squamish at the government wharf at 1:30pm and waited for the Squamish hiking party. Once the party showed up, the 30 hikers including a cameraman were loaded into tow Weldwood crummics and a pick-up and taken to the end of the road. The hikers made camp at the end of the road on the first night. The skies were clear and they slept on ground sheets in 6" thick moss. The morning of second day saw the hikers up at 7am and hiking a half hour later. Two hours later the youngest member was already at a point of exhaustion; there was nothing to do but to send him back to the road where he could wait for trucks heading back to Squamish.
Aug. 5, 1970, wednesday
The trekkers Wednesday night were camped on mile from the conflux of Sims Creek and the Elaho River in the Elaho Valley. Neil and pilot Dennis of the Westview Flying Club contacted the party last night and they are all doing fine and in good health. The two, flying in Dennis’ aircraft, went up Jervis Inlet to Malibu and then went through a pass to Sims Creek. They made contact with the party in the Elaho Valley. He said the party will attempt to cross the Elaho River today. "I could be easy or it could take them all day." "The hikers have been averaging about 6 miles a day, and they are right on schedule." The hikers will go up the Elaho Valley, past the Queens Reach at the head of Jervis Inlet. He said he could see the group’s campsite as he flew over the valley. Contact was made by walkie-talkie. Neil said "we figured if they got to the Elaho by the third day, they were doing well" The group was one mile from the Elaho when they were spotted. Neil and Dennis will make another flight to the area tonight and again on Saturday night.
Aug. 9, 1970, sunday
"I figure they are two days behind schedule," Said Neil. He finally made visual contact with the 30 hikers Sunday afternoon after three days of low clouds in the area. The hikers were five or six miles up Sim Creek Valley Sunday afternoon, halfway between the Elaho River and the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. The party was on the move when he saw them from an aircraft piloted by Al and he said he has no reason to believe they are in any trouble. He said that they could not hear the radio broadcasts from the hikers because of the noise of the plane, and so doesn’t know why they are behind schedule. He speculated, "It may have taken them longer to cross the river than expected. They may have even had to travel far upstream to make the crossing." Food now becomes a problem for the hikers. There is a food drop waiting for them at a logging camp at Queen’s Reach, where they were supposed to be before their present food supply runs out on Wednesday. "If they continue to lost time, we will have to make a food drop tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. We’ll go up and have a look tomorrow and see how they are making out." He said the food drop was already prepared and ready to go . He added that although he could not hear their radio broadcasts in the aircraft, he was sure they had heard his.
Trail ended early for three hikers when Kelby, 14, of Vancouver injured his knee on the hike. According to Jim, the hikers were cutting a trail through thick alders when Kelby fell. "We were walking along a fallen logs with rotten bar, the bark kept falling off and it was slippery underneath. The kid was walking behind me. He fell once and almost knocked me down. He fell again and almost knocked me down again. The second time he fell, he landed on a rock with his knee. Manfred stopped the hikers. He piggy-backed the kid out of the alders onto the beach. They applied splints to his knee." This had happened minutes after Neil and pilot Al flew over the hikers on a routine check. The hikers made camp on the beach that night. Manfried decided the trekkers should push on and leave Kelby with a couple of hikers to take care of him. The hikers were not far from their destination, the MB logging camp at the head of Jervis Inlet then and help could communed from there, if contact could not be made with one of the reconnaissance aircraft. Jim volunteered to stay with Kelby.
"None of the other boys were eager to leave the hike, so I said I’d stay. If I hadn’t volunteered Manfred would have had to stay." Said Bill. Manfried gave the boys an emergency flare and four days food. Monday morning the rest of the hikers pushed on toward the Mount Tinniswood Glacier. Jim and Bill lit three fires, the international distress signal and kept them lit all day. Near the three fires, the boys had gathered a pile of green branches which they planned to throw on the fires to make smoke when an aircraft approached.
Aug 10, 1970
Monday afternoon when the airplane carrying Neil and pilot Bob approached the boys, Bill let off the flare. The plane waggled its wings that it understood and Neil summoned the rescue helicopter. The Air-Sea Rescue helicoptor arrived two hours later and returned Jim, 17 and Bill, 18, with Kelby to Powell River.
Aug 13, 1970
Neil made the decision to end the trek at the Percy Logging camp at Queens Reach Aug 13 with 22 miles remaining in the hike, twelve of the remaining miles are logging road. He made that decision because the party had lost several days earlier in the trek because of bad conditions and some of the hike members had jobs and other commitments.
Aug 15, 1970, Friday
The hikers were picked up at the camp at 3pm by the Royal Canadian Navy ship YFP 317 under Lieut. Commander Caldwell.. Stewart, general manager of the News was able to complete these arrangements when transportation difficulties became apparent. Billets for the out-of-town hikers had been arranged by the Chamber of Commerce. Squamish hikers left by bus Saturday morning.
Thoughts after the trek
Manfried said the hike had been no picnic. One Powell River hiker and one Squamish hiker dropped out early. The hikers had to make their own trail through most of the trek, he said and added that there were days when the hikers could make no more than three or four miles. Weather conditions didn’t help the hikers at all. He said that after the hikers crossed Sim Creek, it rained every day, off and on. The rain, combined with the thick underbrush soaked the hikers even through their boots. Wet boots and socks soon developed blisters on the hiker’s feet. After the hikers went through the 5000 foot high pass at Casement Mountain, they had to go through Hunachin Valley to Queens Reach. "Hunachin Valley is one of the most obnoxious valleys I have ever seen," It took the hikers two full days to get to Queens Reach through the valley. He said he decided to call a halt to the trek at Queens Reach because they had one day for a trip which would take three days. The boys all found the hike difficult. He said there were days when hardly a word would be spoken all day, but around the campfire at night, everyone became more cherry. "I think it is a wonderful thing for those kids to go out there. As far as the highway is concerned, it is quite possible to build, provided there is a need for it. Pretty well all of the boys out in the bush were really helpful. They are a great bunch, really top notch" He said there was no concern about the food supply running low because of the slow progress." We had packed enough food for seven days but actually there was enough for about 10 days. We borrowed some food from the Squamish group who had theirs paid for by the Squamish Chamber of Commerce." He said the woods were full of berries also, but the PR group had enough food. Regarding the radio he said, "it didn’t work." He said it worked until the third day when he tried to get a message to the plane of some things they needed. On the ninth day, the radio picked up a message from the aircraft. "But those $330 walkie-talkies only worked twice." He has been working hard to get an Outward Bound project going under the local Youth Services Association said the hike made a good start. He said next year he would like to take some boys exploring, using a base camp.
Bill expressed great disappointment at having to leave the hike. He said that while waiting for the plane, it was impossible to sit still. "There were millions of black flies out there. If you sit still, they’ll eat you." "I was really pleased I went on it. I had a lot of time to think. I’m satisfied." Bill now has a lot of pleasant memories about the eight days he spent hiking along the Dogwood Trail. He said his satisfaction with the hike was not so much a feeling of accomplishment, but an inner feeling that he found difficult to explain. "I had a lot of time to work things out in my head. I think the hike did everyone some good, physically and mentally. It was awfully peaceful out there, It was nice to come back, at first it seemed strange walking along streets and being able to see a long way ahead. You really notice the different colors of houses when you get back. I went because I though that it would be a nice hike, not because the Chamber wanted to put a road through. Summing up the Dogwood Trail adventure, Bill said, "It was not a hike; it was an expedition". He said the rain, bad weather, blisters, and rough going seemed to hit the hikers all at once. "They came at the beginning before you had a chance to get ‘worn in.’ They all hit us at once. It was like instant depression. "He said that after they crossed Sim Creek, a day and a half after they crossed the Elaho, it rained lightly and was always cloudy until the eight day when the hiker hurt his knee. "After we crossed Sim Creek, it cleared up and we dried out in the warm sun. Sitting around waiting for the plane was a drag. I felt a lot better when the helicopter came. I really enjoyed the helicopter ride. I’d never been on one before. That was the only thing I enjoyed about missing the end of the hike." After the hike, the trekkers told Bill he had missed the hardest part of the hike. Bill said, "You couldn’t do anything comfortably out there because of the bugs. The bugs had never been around a laboratory and didn’t know about bug repellent. There were no mosquitoes, just black flies and occasional horsefly. Standing in the smoke of a fire was one of getting rid of them. It was worth having the smoke in your eyes to be bug-free. They were really ferocious. I don’t have any regrets about the hike except I forgot my toothbrush and I regret that I didn’t finish the hike. I missed peanut butter and jam sandwiches. It’s funny. When you’re out there you don’t miss the big things like cars and houses; you just miss little things. I didn’t miss steaks and carrots, just peanut butter and jam sandwiches and cheese. I had a real craving for cheese. A hike like that makes you appreciate the little things you’ve got at home." He said that when he first started out on the hike, he thought the Powell River group would keep to themselves, and the Squamish group would do likewise. "It wasn’t like that, though. As soon as we were all out there, there were no barriers; it was just all of us out there together. Everyone was immediately friends with everyone else. He said that despite the sore feet and backs, it was easier to walk with your pack on than off. He explained it this way, "It was easier to walk with your pack on than with it off because with a pack on, your shoulders ached more than your feet hurt." He kept a diary of the trip in the form of a letter to a friend. "In the diary, a couple of times I wrote, ’I wish I wasn’t out here.’ But now that I’m back I’m glad I went and I want to go again. "If another hike like this comes up, I’ll go. It’s not that it’s fun out there, its just good memories. Thinking back, it makes you appreciate the little things you’ve got at home."
"I wouldn’t say it was a flop" Neil said, " I would say it was a disappointment that they had to come out without finishing the project," "They covered the most difficult part of the hike anyway," He added part of the group will probably make the hike from Goat Lake to the logging camp at Queens Reach at the head of Jervis Inlet, just to complete the record. "We may even be able to do this before the summer is over." Some of the boys did later return to that point and finished off the trek in two days. Neil said he was just as enthusiastic as he ever was about a highway someday being built along the route the hikers tool. He said the idea would be kept alive by a film that freelanced cameraman took as he hiked with the others. He said the film would be shown for the boys at a Chamber of Commerce sponsored banquet and then shown for the public. The film is also scheduled to run on television.
The Participants
From Powell River: M Kuchenmuller, J Arkinstall, P Oele, E Warris, D McLeod, L Osterholm, R Harry, B Urquart, J Huigsloot, J Way, P Brandsma, P Milbradt, B Penman, M Steiger, G Blainey, D Stutt, M Watson. From Squamish: M Goode, J Zarnowski, K Weiler, L Goss, R Mercier, J Krznowski, L Fenton, P Marshall, D Dawson, R Sandberg.
For more on the story, see article in Beautiful BC 1971. More logging roads have been built on the Squamish side and now the Elaho river can be crossed over bridges. Dared to try?
Good pictures of a recent attempt by quads are here
http://pic3.piczo.com/johnsatvpictures/?g=12592562&cr=3
http://pic3.piczo.com/johnsatvpictures/?g=12592562&cr=3
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awsome info . would love to be able to find a way through .
I've got some more info around here somewhere. There was a group trying to push for a road and made some real cool fly thru computer graphics. It was reconed by light plane already. The first step was to hike, second by quad and then build a road. There was a possibility that a tunnel (!) would be required at one time. Once you get past Mt Eldred it gets pretty rough. Haven't heard much from the group lately, but if I'm pretty sure that if anyone tells you it's possible, it's (non) urban myth.
Mike
Mike
I went to this meeting a few years ago...I'll dig for some old news clippings.
Proposed Route from Powell River to Squamish
When: Thursday, June 16 2005 @ 07:00 PM PDT - 09:00PM
Event Type: Public Speech
Where:
Description: OPEN HOUSE – PUBLIC INVITED
Proposed Route from Powell River to Squamish
"The Vancouver Island – Interior Connector"
Thursday, June 16, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Town Centre Hotel
Is there a road to Squamish in Powell River’s future?
Is it time to get this project on the Province’s agenda for
future development?
See the video, digital fly-through, maps and photos of the
proposed route. Learn about the suggested phased development
and possible schedule.
Discover what economic benefits a road might bring to our
area.
Give your opinion about how this project will affect Powell
River.
Sponsored by a volunteer committee supported by the Powell
River Regional District
Proposed Route from Powell River to Squamish
When: Thursday, June 16 2005 @ 07:00 PM PDT - 09:00PM
Event Type: Public Speech
Where:
Description: OPEN HOUSE – PUBLIC INVITED
Proposed Route from Powell River to Squamish
"The Vancouver Island – Interior Connector"
Thursday, June 16, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Town Centre Hotel
Is there a road to Squamish in Powell River’s future?
Is it time to get this project on the Province’s agenda for
future development?
See the video, digital fly-through, maps and photos of the
proposed route. Learn about the suggested phased development
and possible schedule.
Discover what economic benefits a road might bring to our
area.
Give your opinion about how this project will affect Powell
River.
Sponsored by a volunteer committee supported by the Powell
River Regional District
- Thread starter
- #13
Road seen as vital to economy
Laura Walz, Peak Editor
06/22/2005
Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly
A DREAM REVIVED: Former municipal councillor Bob Astrope
Laura Walz, Peak Editor
06/22/2005
Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly
A DREAM REVIVED: Former municipal councillor Bob Astrope
and Powell River Regional District board chairman Colin Palmer look over a presentation about a road from Powell River to Squamish.
Meeting outlines route to Squamish and the benefits a road would bring to the Powell River area
Nearly 300 people packed the banquet room at the Powell River Town Centre Hotel Thursday night to attend a presentation about a road out of Powell River.
A volunteer committee that has been working on the project for nine months unveiled its findings through maps, a digital fly-through and a video of the backcountry from Powell River to Squamish.
Many people in the audience expressed support and even enthusiasm for the project, which the committee calls the Vancouver Island-Interior Connector.
Jim Donnelly, a Powell River resident who attended the presentation, used the example of Bella Coola, where residents first built the road connection to the Interior without government help. "Let's just get behind these guys," Donnelly said. "If they need $200,000, that's not much to get a proper study done. Then let each of us pick up a shovel, because we could have that road through darn fast if everybody in this room picked up a shovel."
The route, with a maximum elevation of 1,000 metres, is about 215 kilometres, of which 62.5 kilometres will be new road and the remainder an upgrade of existing roads.
Colin Palmer, chairman of the Powell River Regional District board of directors and a committee member, pointed out there might be funding available through the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. "If it was a project that tied in with the Olympics, maybe somebody could pick up some money that way," he said. "If you wanted to really dream, I don't know why there couldn't be an ATV [all-terrain vehicle] trail through there to the Olympics."
When someone from the audience said he was concerned Powell River would change dramatically, Palmer, who has lived in the community for 40 years and has been in local government for 14 years, replied he was nervous about the community. Palmer said BC Ferries was "making every effort to try and get rid of the first sailing out of Saltery Bay, so you will be locked in here for longer hours."
Powell River's school population is dropping, Palmer said, and NorkseCanada Ltd. is "demanding tax breaks and they're getting them out of the council by pressure. That's never happened in this town before."
Other factors on Palmer's list include too much empty retail space, a major hotel that is closed, an increasingly aging population and a lack of youth, along with infrastructure that needs replacing. "The town is changing and you can't expect it to stay the same," he said. "Yes, people are coming in, but people are also dying. People are leaving."
Some of the benefits of a road to Squamish the committee has identified include expanded economic opportunity for Northern Vancouver Island and the upper Sunshine Coast, enhanced movement of goods and services that allows the development of new import and export opportunities in Powell River and population growth with linked real estate development.
The committee's next step is to form a society with a representative cross-section of participants from government, first nations, communities, business and other stakeholder groups. It has identified four phases for the project, the first of which is a pre-feasibility study. To come are estimates of the costs to build a road and a survey to determine if the route works on the ground.
Other members of the committee are Don Allan, Powell River Regional Economic Development Society manager, Glenn and Caleb Allen of Accurate Location Surveys, who supplied the maps and selected the routing, Chris Beaton, a former school principal, Peter Hall, a mining engineer, Jason Lennox, president of the Powell River ATV Club, Bob Astrope, a former municipal councillor who shot the video shown at the presentation from a helicopter, and Paul Schachter, the committee's coordinator.
"I think the committee was very heartened by the response from the Powell River community," said Schachter. "We feel the continuation of exploration is certainly warranted."
Meeting outlines route to Squamish and the benefits a road would bring to the Powell River area
Nearly 300 people packed the banquet room at the Powell River Town Centre Hotel Thursday night to attend a presentation about a road out of Powell River.
A volunteer committee that has been working on the project for nine months unveiled its findings through maps, a digital fly-through and a video of the backcountry from Powell River to Squamish.
Many people in the audience expressed support and even enthusiasm for the project, which the committee calls the Vancouver Island-Interior Connector.
Jim Donnelly, a Powell River resident who attended the presentation, used the example of Bella Coola, where residents first built the road connection to the Interior without government help. "Let's just get behind these guys," Donnelly said. "If they need $200,000, that's not much to get a proper study done. Then let each of us pick up a shovel, because we could have that road through darn fast if everybody in this room picked up a shovel."
The route, with a maximum elevation of 1,000 metres, is about 215 kilometres, of which 62.5 kilometres will be new road and the remainder an upgrade of existing roads.
Colin Palmer, chairman of the Powell River Regional District board of directors and a committee member, pointed out there might be funding available through the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. "If it was a project that tied in with the Olympics, maybe somebody could pick up some money that way," he said. "If you wanted to really dream, I don't know why there couldn't be an ATV [all-terrain vehicle] trail through there to the Olympics."
When someone from the audience said he was concerned Powell River would change dramatically, Palmer, who has lived in the community for 40 years and has been in local government for 14 years, replied he was nervous about the community. Palmer said BC Ferries was "making every effort to try and get rid of the first sailing out of Saltery Bay, so you will be locked in here for longer hours."
Powell River's school population is dropping, Palmer said, and NorkseCanada Ltd. is "demanding tax breaks and they're getting them out of the council by pressure. That's never happened in this town before."
Other factors on Palmer's list include too much empty retail space, a major hotel that is closed, an increasingly aging population and a lack of youth, along with infrastructure that needs replacing. "The town is changing and you can't expect it to stay the same," he said. "Yes, people are coming in, but people are also dying. People are leaving."
Some of the benefits of a road to Squamish the committee has identified include expanded economic opportunity for Northern Vancouver Island and the upper Sunshine Coast, enhanced movement of goods and services that allows the development of new import and export opportunities in Powell River and population growth with linked real estate development.
The committee's next step is to form a society with a representative cross-section of participants from government, first nations, communities, business and other stakeholder groups. It has identified four phases for the project, the first of which is a pre-feasibility study. To come are estimates of the costs to build a road and a survey to determine if the route works on the ground.
Other members of the committee are Don Allan, Powell River Regional Economic Development Society manager, Glenn and Caleb Allen of Accurate Location Surveys, who supplied the maps and selected the routing, Chris Beaton, a former school principal, Peter Hall, a mining engineer, Jason Lennox, president of the Powell River ATV Club, Bob Astrope, a former municipal councillor who shot the video shown at the presentation from a helicopter, and Paul Schachter, the committee's coordinator.
"I think the committee was very heartened by the response from the Powell River community," said Schachter. "We feel the continuation of exploration is certainly warranted."
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Wow, that is so very cool.......
Last week in the island paper was some talk of building a trail from Victoria to the northern tip of the island.
Only problem, it mentions hikers, atvs, motor bikes but no vehicles.
Last week in the island paper was some talk of building a trail from Victoria to the northern tip of the island.
Only problem, it mentions hikers, atvs, motor bikes but no vehicles.
Wow, i can't believe I never found this till now, it's been a year since this thread was last replied to, but I have something to add.
I grew up in Powell River. I bought my cruiser at 16, had detailed logging road maps and keys to logging road gates from a friends dad who was a logger. I assure you, it is not possible to build a road from PR to Squamish. Basically at the end of each logging road from the PR side is a glacier, or a very jagged peak of the coastal mountain range. You would have to tunnel clear through the Coast mountains to get to squamish. The peaks are too tall and the terrain too steep to ever build a road.
Even if they did build a road, the amount of snow that falls up there would make road maintenance so uneconomical that the toll for the few people that would drive the road would make it too expensive for it to be even worth it.
I grew up in Powell River. I bought my cruiser at 16, had detailed logging road maps and keys to logging road gates from a friends dad who was a logger. I assure you, it is not possible to build a road from PR to Squamish. Basically at the end of each logging road from the PR side is a glacier, or a very jagged peak of the coastal mountain range. You would have to tunnel clear through the Coast mountains to get to squamish. The peaks are too tall and the terrain too steep to ever build a road.
Even if they did build a road, the amount of snow that falls up there would make road maintenance so uneconomical that the toll for the few people that would drive the road would make it too expensive for it to be even worth it.
I was trying to find a way form squamish to sunshine coast a few years ago and it looks more feasible . Take a look at a map and go from mt sigurd towards port melon . If anyone wants to try this I'd be in. don't know how legal it might be because it come pretty close to some parkland but I think you could navigate through without pissing too many people off.
I worked on a couple of shutdowns at Port Mellon and there was talk about people walking to Squamish from there. I wondered then if a Cruiser could go where a person could walk but didn't have time to pursue it.