\ PART 2 \
Wednesday the 20th I stroll into work at the usual time, pour a cup of coffee and proceed with my morning routine of checking emails and news clippings. It's raining outside still and it started the previous day in the am and hasn't let up. On a whim I log into the BC Gov. site to check the backcountry restrictions – even though we are basically set to roll to Utah come Friday evening. I almost fall out of my chair when I see the backcountry restrictions have been lifted. I grab my cell phone and text Chase – “Game on, Colossal in the Koots!”
It's Saturday morning and Chase's truck was bolted back together about 5 hours prior.
Still without an alignment we scramble around town to see if we can get him squeezed in before meeting with most of the attendees at Empire coffee in Nelson BC (best cappuccino in town). Chase's truck can't get in because all the shops in town are booked solid. He decides the eyeball alignment from the night before is close enough.
The meet and greet goes exactly as it should. All smiles as everyone meets new/old faces alike while taking in their morning dose of java. We discuss the route plans for the day and hand out some swag before hitting the road. Saturday is a long day on the road with some highway travel to get to our destination. Although instead of taking the most direct route, I opt for a slight detour that brings us on some of the most gorgeous twisted mountain roads that can be driven on. We head out of town with radio chatter on high. The fact we are in the Kootenays and not hard-***'ing it through the night to Utah is still an amazement to us all. Icing on the cake, the fire bans are even lifted that morning – we will be granted the ability to have a fire for the first time since spring. Things are looking up!
A quick stop in an old mining town for a pee break and we are off once again. Winding through the Selkirk mountains on a fall day is hard to beat, even if we were just sticking to the tarmac. The fall foliage glistening in conjunction with the bright green pines and snow-capped mountains. A couple last minute stops at the next town to refuel all petroleum and coffee provisions and we were headed north for the real backwoods.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Dave and Ian chatting while we catch some aerials with the drone
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
This is where the fun truly begins and the excitement grabs hold. All the anticipation, attempts at route planning, vehicle maintenance, everything lines up to this moment where your tires hit the gravel and you realize you are free from the daily grind. The fresh air is crisp to my lungs as we officially leave the pavement. We have a short 20 km gravel run ahead of us before we hit the trail head. The gravel road is fun and allows the group to loosen up a little – the gaps between each vehicle widens as the speeds increase along with the associated dust cloud of a summer full of draught. The initial hooning session ended as one of our stranglers from Revelstoke caught up to us just before the group began our ascent on the initial trail.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Kevin's LT Tacoma looking proper at speed
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Cody coming in hot
Now in 4-Lo with the tires dropped down to 20psi we begin cutting our way back and forth up the steep mountainside. This particular trail is not overly technical but it's not the technical aspect that we are here for, it's the views… and this trail never disappoints. The first 3rd of the trail climbs up the mountain with a series of switchbacks that allow a glorious view westward of the lake and surrounding mountains below. The mountain grades upward at an extremely steep angle making each switchback capable of a more glorious view than previously seen.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Trevor doing a good job representing the Nissan crowd in his exceptionally nice Frontier
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
The next section turns more inward on the mountain and provides the odd technical washout and steep rocky climb. As the elevation gains, the foliage also changes, eventually even bringing us into some old growth forest. Bright green moss, the rich scent of cedar trees, and the cooler air remind us that we are getting quite high in elevation. Once near the top of the mountain, the trail pops out of the dense trees to reveal a view that must be acknowledged. Looking north-west you are able to see the lake below and the river valley we will be navigating on day two. Looking north and east, two glaciers display their year round snow and ice stockpile. We are lucky enough on this day to have a ceiling high enough to make these views visible.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Larch or Tamarack trees in full splendor
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
This particular spot is where we became stuck in the snow at sundown for Colossal 2016, so for a few of us, it is a triumphant moment as we continue forward without the worry of an icy and sketchy decent back down later in the day. Today we are at this site earlier in the year and earlier in the day. The trail makes one final climb before we score the ridge of the mountain. Now views to the East open up with a spectacular sight – a giant rock face in the opposing valley and again glaciers in the distance. We wind along the ridge for the final section of the trail, stopping for a few moments to take in the neon larch trees and to capture some aerial footage with Goose, our drone.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
David of Untitled Offroad helping run tail-gunner all weekend in his wicked 80-Series LC. Thanks brotha!
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
The view looking Northwest
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Chase of TMCo and Dallas of The Real Pool Service tagging in to help us film for the weekend
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
The slab east of the ridge. So massive and ominous in person... photos don't do this mountain justice.
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
The final challenge on the day are the extremely tight switchbacks that lead up to the old fire lookout. Some of the longer trucks avoid the tight turn and actually reverse up a couple of them, easing any chance of vehicle damage or excessive tire rub. We all sign the guestbook in the tower documenting our arrival date. Soon this summit will be un-reachable by anything other than a set of touring skis or a snowmobile. We take in the 360 panoramic views, snapping photos and capturing video as the sun begins to drop to the east.
20170923-_MG_2223 by
Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
With a keen intent on enjoying #camplife while on Colossal, we head for camp and to meet up with the last straggler of the event. He was at battle with some seized lower control arm alignment cams and was luckily able to acquire the necessary parts to get his truck road-worthy albeit a day late. I convinced John to make the trek regardless, and am glad he struggled through his adversity.
Views from the top.
20170923-_MG_2226 by
Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
20170923-_08I4446 by
Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
Chase and I grab a couple photos of the Tamarack rigs amongst the Tamarack trees 
20170923-_08I4390 by
Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
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Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr
We set up camp with John rolling in an hour or so after us. Our spot a large group rec site on the waters of the very lake we were overlooking most of the day as we made our ascent up to the fire lookout. This late in the year we have the site almost all to ourselves and enjoy the clear evening on the waterfront. Most of us make a dinner feast before heading to the fire for some beverages and stories. Other than a scare from a random dog who finds some of our garbage too tasty to resist, we are left with a beautiful and peaceful night under the stars. Tomorrow will take us even deeper into the Canadian Wilderness so I head off to bed for a good nights sleep.
/ Stay tuned for Part 3 /
