The Highlight of my Summer

July 27, 2018 2:09 pm Published by 1 Comment

As I had stated in my previous post, I was hoping to put together a “day in the life” work video; however, due to the demise of my GoPro during the day I was attempting to film this video, I will be resorting back to a weekend that has been the highlight of my summer thus far.

From the moment my father heard I would be spending my summer up in Quesnel, we set about planning a potential weekend for him to come up and visit. We were planning on doing some sort of backpacking excursion in the area as we are both quite outdoorsy. I had looked into popular tourist destinations such as Berg Lake which, to my dismay, had been entirely booked all summer and beyond. I began extending my search, spending many hours delving the internet for trip blog posts in the Coast and Cariboo mountain ranges. One in particular, about halfway between Williams Lake and Bella Coola at the beginning of the Coastal Mountain range, caught my attention. The exquisite photographs and detailed trip summary, filled with GPS tracks, directions, and hiking distances, had me sold in the blink of an eye. My dad booked a flight up to Prince George for the Canada day long weekend and the countdown had officially begun.

The weekend had finally arrived! I got off work around 3:30 and drove directly to Prince George where my dad’s flight was due to arrive around 7:00 pm. I picked up groceries, Subway sandwiches, and some outdoor gear while I waited then headed to the airport. The plane landed on time and we quickly set back out on the road towards Williams Lake where we had a hotel booked for the night. Darkness was beginning to ascend upon the town as we rolled into Williams lake a little after 10:00 pm. Sleep was obtained with a fair amount of struggle due to the amount of anticipation and excitement coursing through my body, but I managed to nod off until the rude awakening of our 4:45 alarm ended my slumber.

We gulped down a meager hotel breakfast consisting of toast, fruit, and yoghurt before heading out West towards Bella Coola where a three-hour drive awaited us. The highway wove its way through beautiful canyons carved by the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers where encountering traffic was rarer than wildlife. After leaving Williams Lake, civilization consists of tiny towns typically comprised of a single gas station and general store. We finally came to our turn off about 200 km West of Williams Lake and began up the dirt road for about 30 km. The directions obtained from the online trip report proved to be impeccable as we arrived at the trail head without any problem whatsoever. We unloaded our gear, ate a quick second breakfast and then embarked upon what would turn out to be the most epic backpacking trip of my life.

The first 8.5 km of the trail was a very well maintained quad trail that rose steadily upwards through Douglas-fir, pine, and spruce forests. The weather was overcast with periods of light rain that failed to dampen our spirits. The bugs were relentless during our water breaks despite numerous coats of DEET. At about the 8 km mark we got our first taste of what we were in for. The subalpine forests ended abruptly giving way to an alpine haven with the snow-capped Coastal mountains as the backdrop.

The vegetation changed immensely and now consisted of small trees, kinnikinnick, scrub birch and beautiful pink, purple, and yellow alpine flowers.

After a few awe-struck moments of silence and photographs, we continued onwards to find the end of the trail about 500 meters later. Luckily, I had packed a tablet with a map of the area and a compass so we shot a bearing towards the first lake and continued onward. The alpine meadows, that at first glance appeared to be an easier route than the lower forest, turned out to be an extended soggy marshland where each step resulted in a fall or wet boots. We decided to stick to the sparse subalpine forest where, due to the lack of vegetation, bushwhacking proved to be very straight forward. Another hour or so later, we arrived at the ridge above the first lake and proceeded down to the shore to have lunch. The lake consisted of beautiful turquoise hues that stretched out towards the forest which still separated us from the snow-capped peaks in the distance.

The clouds had parted and the sun broke through the haze, illuminating the turquoise water of the lake as we began upwards towards the next lake where we would camp for the following two nights. To our delight, the bugs that had hindered our enjoyment at lower elevations had all but disappeared at this point. We took another bearing and began the last leg of the 13-km trek. Numerous, roaring streams where crossings were difficult to locate impeded our movement. We managed to bypass each stream without harm and with only slightly soaked boots.

Another km later we arrived at the upper lake where our jaws immediately dropped to the ground. During all my days and travels I had never laid eyes upon a more stunning, turquoise lake. The lake seemed to simply radiate colour which was glorified even further by the periodic rays of sunlight that managed to break free from the cloud cover. The lake was encapsulated on all sides by the rugged, rocky terrain of the snow-capped glaciated peaks of the mountains that had been previously observed from afar.

It was around 3:00 in the afternoon by the time we had set up camp so we summoned any fleeting energy we had left in the tank and set out around the lake to summit the small rocky knoll overlooking the lake. A lakeside gander, an unstable, steep, shale scramble, and a slippery snow-covered traverse later we arrived atop our destination. While the view lacked the impressive backdrop of the Coastal mountains, it offered a new perspective of the lake where the shape and colour were accentuated beautifully. In the distance, the first lake we had stopped at was also visible.

We arrived back at camp and quickly began dinner prep which consisted of a simple but filling meal of pasta, sauce, and cheese. A couple post-dinner crib games later and we were both struggling to stay awake. We went to bed shortly after at an early hour, (when I say early I mean early; about 7:00 pm to be exact) exhausted after a long day.

The next morning began with an early breakfast of boiled eggs and oatmeal packets. The weather, which had appeared foreboding by the weather forecast, remained stable with slightly overcast skies. With the guidance of the map on my tablet and the GPS tracks of the people who had written the thorough trip report prior, we had determined that we could make it to various lakes on either side of our campsite. We packed a light daypack full of food, water, and rain gear and set out South of the lake where we were greeted with a steep climb leading to a barren ridgetop. Once atop this ridge, we were treated to our first views of the surrounding area where we noted numerous small lakes that we did not even know existed. A few hundred meters later, we arrived at the first lake of the day. This lake varied greatly from the one at our campsite, consisting of dark blue hues and steep snow-covered slopes. The lake was shrouded in mist when we arrived which added a mystic, eerie aura to the landscape.

We continued onward and began descending towards two lakes that had been classified as the previous trip blogger’s “favourite spot of their trip.” We caught our first glimpse of the lakes which simply took our breath away. It seemed as though each new lake we came across was there to outdo the last. A steep escarpment of loose shale led downwards into a large valley where the deepest blue lake I had ever seen resided. A small stream running from a smaller turquoise lake connected the two. On all sides, walls of razor sharp rocky peaks protruded upwards like a fortress protecting the lakes from outside forces.

We scrambled and slid our way down the steep slopes comprised of 70% gradients which just barely remained in my risk/reward hiking comfort zone. Many a fall later, we made it to the area between the two lakes which provided the most serene setting for an early lunch.

As is the case with most slightly nerve-racking terrain, the ascent proved much less precarious than the descent. It was however much more time consuming and physically draining.

We hiked back to our campsite and bypassed it completely in order to reach a number of lakes in the opposite direction we had travelled earlier. Our way down was made easier by large patches of snow that made for the perfect sprinting track. (Unfortunately, not quite steep enough for bum-sliding.)

A cumbersome minefield of large, jagged boulders and cobbles resembling a manmade rock quarry impeded our path as we gained elevation to the other side of our campsite. We made it over these obstacles unscathed and were greeted with more astounding views of different lakes and terrain. (From now on I will spare you all of my wordy descriptions of each lake and simply let the pictures do the talking.)

It was about 2:30 in the afternoon at this point and we had been hiking for seven hours straight. Gazing across the lake in the picture above, I decided my last venture of the day would be to make it atop the ridge on the other side of the lake. The orthographic map on my tablet showed numerous lakes that would be in view from this point. We both scrambled down to the lakeside where my dad decided he had had enough for one day. He remained at the lake while I climbed towards the ridgetop, vowing to remain there until he could watch me emerge from the forest and scramble up the barren, rocky area above the treeline. I made it to the top in under half an hour and ventured over to the very edge of the ridge. From this vantage point, if memory serves, I believe I counted over a dozen lakes.

I kept walking along the ridge for over a km where more lakes seemed to appear everywhere I looked. I made it to the final lake of a chain of four, all connected by small streams and waterfalls, when I finally decided to head back to camp.

As I walked back with visions of dinner swirling through my mind, the weather began to take a turn for the worse. Clouds began to roll in and the imminent threat of rainfall became apparent. I upped my pace, glancing nervously up at the sky from time to time. The rain never came, snow did. Small white flakes fell gently to the ground and settled upon the forest floor. I made it back into camp at 6:00 where my dad had already cooked up a delicious dinner. The snow worsened and turned into hail with gusts of high winds. We curled up in our tents and lay there, listening to the raging storm before falling asleep. (Probably before 7 this time.)

We woke up the next morning to a freshly snow-covered July 2nd. We indulged in another breakfast of boiled eggs and oatmeal before proceeding to pack up our wet camping gear.

 

As you can probably imagine, the journey back to the vehicle was a wet one. The sopping wet shrubbery in conjunction with the numerous stream crossings completely soaked our boots and pants. We shot a bearing directly to where we had originally lost the trail and began a relatively uneventful trip out of the bush.

We arrived back at my truck around noon where one might presume the drama of the trip had all but ended. Wrong! We took a look at my gas gauge which was placed just over the half way mark. We had previously filled up in Williams Lake so we both assumed we’d make it back just fine as we would be losing elevation on the drive back. We drove through the last town which was about 80 km West of Williams Lake without stopping. We were about 50 kilometers away from our destination when the low gas light came on. Amidst avid cursing and nervous conversations, we decided to keep driving whilst minimizing acceleration and putting the vehicle in neutral going downhill. It is worth noting at this point that there is no cell reception once you leave Williams Lake. The gas gauge was below the red line when we reached the high point that descended for about 8 kilometers into Williams Lake. We let out sighs of relief as we thought we were home free at this point. We rolled into Williams Lake where we accidentally stopped at not one, but two Cardlock stations that only distribute diesel fuel. We then had to drive a few hundred meters up the other side of town where the engine began to sputter as we finally pulled into a gas station.

We filled up and drove back to Quesnel where I mentally prepared for a week of mountain withdrawals. The major attribute of this trip that has resounded with me ever since, is the absence of any human signs after we lost the trail. Not one footprint, piece of garbage, fire pit, or any other sign of other human beings imaginable were seen. I dropped my dad off at the airport in Quesnel the next morning before work which put a close to our absolutely epic weekend.

Well that’s a wrap for now. If anyone has any questions of the specific whereabouts of this hike then please feel free to contact me but I would like to keep this truly special place as pristine and unknown as possible which is why I have not included directions or GPS tracks. I hope you all enjoyed this post as I sure enjoyed experiencing it and writing about it. Until next time!

 

Alexander Davis

 

 

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