Alpine Wanderings in the Shulaps Range (BC)

[XPEDBC]

October 2014...

I had about four days to spend on a solo adventure and the weather in the South-Western BC area was looking half decent. After some hasty googling and research on Dualsport BC and Bivouac.com (Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia - handy for all things mountains, including road reports etc), I set my sights on a generally unknown and rarely visited area in the Shulaps Range north of Lillooet, BC.

I developed a few rough goals for the trip, specifically because setting objectives makes things spicier. Also, leaving behind my wife and son for this adventure allowed me to plan to do some things I normally wouldn't with the fam along (think risk or comfort levels).

Goals/Objectives:

1) Explore somewhere new;
2) Spend the night on top of a mountain;
3) Get some exercise.

So did I reach my objectives? You'll have to read on for the story...

Note: trip photos were taken with both an iphone and a handheld digital camera so nothing fancy.


Day One - Tues Oct 14th:

Due to other commitments, I did not leave home in Langley until dark. I left my trip plans with two different people however they were pretty vague considering things could change instantly depending on weather, condition of trails etc.

Packing up the truck in the afternoon, much easier to pack for one:

A few of the items packed:

-hiking boots
-trekking pole
-backpack tent
-60L backpack
-MSR lightweight stove
-old negative 7 degree sleeping bag
-thermarest
-car camping sleeping bag
-UDAP Pepper Power bear spray with holster

-tow strap / recovery kit
-leather gloves for winch line
-axe
-saw
-shovel
-small chainsaw
-jack
-tools
-camp flood light (12v, magnetic base for mounting on truck0

-camp chair
-folding camp table
-coleman propane stove
-3X 1lb propane canisters
-food and small cooler (gotta have cream in the coffee)
-firestarter kit
-books!
-backroad map books
-relevant Cdn Topo maps downloaded (free) for offline use


I hit the road and traffic was light thanks to it being a weeknight. I picked up some food staples along the way and was in good spirits for the adventure ahead. I flew out on the Trans Can east toward Hope, enjoying the new 110 km/h speed limits. I buzzed through Hope (practically a ghost town after 9pm) and unfortunately didn't stop at the Blue Moose - the best coffee bar in Hope - as it was closed for the night.

After Hope I continued up the Fraser Canyon, stopping to take some night photos at one of the many historic spots along this area of the highway. Turned out not bad considering I wasn't using a tripod:

While the digital point and shoot I was using is a fairly decent camera, it lacks the manual functions required to really obtain decent night shots...

Since highway traffic was so light, I stopped to take a snap of one of the tunnels that are pretty cool to drive through. Usually the truck traffic is too busy during the day to stop and get a shot. As kids we'd always have fun trying to hold our breath while dad drove through the tunnels. Sometimes he would slow down so we'd have to hold our breath for longer but it would just make us laugh. The longest tunnel, the China Bar tunnel, is only about a kilometre long though. This is one of the short ones:

So my plan that evening was to continue all the way to the Lillooet area and stay at the BC Hydro Rec Site on the west end of town. It would just be a quick stop over for sleep and not really to camp. Unfortunately when I pulled into the Rec Site, the gate was closed (probably because it was after midnight). Stumped, I continued on to the picnic area and found the gate open! I drove down to the parking lot at the edge of Seton Lake / BC Hydro dam area and had the parking lot to myself. I backed into a stall, climbed in the back to sleep and "ninja-camped" right there.

I love how rugged the Lillooet area is.. there's no doubt why the Town's saying is "Guaranteed Rugged". Lillooet sits at the bottom of a deep rocky canyon with peaks rising to almost 9000 ft all around it. All roads leading in and out of town are fairly windy canyon carving type highways with switchbacks and frequent rock slides and forest fires. Despite it's semi-arid environment, there are plenty of glaciers and ice fields close to town as well. The town itself is kinda ugly but living in the area would be an outdoor enthusiasts dream.

Rocky bluffs rising steeply up from my parking lot:

The lake was fairly calm in the morning and I snapped some pics:

Now I rarely get behind the camera, but thought my wife would enjoy one or two of me:

I drove back up the road and found the gate to the Rec Site to be open this time. I'd never previously checked out the campsite so I gave it a quick tour. It seems to be well kept and it's even free to stay, a courtesy of BC Hydro. I think they even provide firewood at times!

I had a quick chuckle at this sticker added to the stop sign:

This area really is beautiful:

One-laned bridge on the 99 highway into town, over the hydro dam spillway:

Continued....

 

[XPEDBC]

**************************
After fueling up and a quick coffee I went north out of town up "highway" 40 which is basically a winding dirt road carved out of the hillside. It is maintained very well though as its the only maintained road to a number of first nation communities as well as BC Hydro infrastructure. A look at the mighty Fraser River on the way out of town:

Theses are traditional native fishing areas and you can see dozens of makeshift drying rack structures on the rocky river bank in this area. Signs indicate those areas are off limits to visitors so I respected the signs and did not get a closer look.

The Bridge River just before it enters the Fraser:

Old buildings along the "Moha" road:

Some characteristics of the road:

Airing down... forgot the tire guage so had to use the one on the Viair:

A glimpse of the south-eastern tip of the Shulaps Range, where I'd soon be headed:

My turn off to being the real climb:

Gaining some elevation over the Yalakom Valley now:

This is the first alpine bowl I climbed into. The road appears to have been recently redone. The 2nd edition of the South Western BC Backroad Mapbook isn't quite up to date on these roads so I used a combination of the Canadian Topo Maps app and the mapbook to figure where I was going.

 

[XPEDBC]

In the last pic I stopped where the road was blocked off with a sign indicating private road, no trespassing. Looks like there's been some activity at a mine up here and they reworked the road for access. There was nobody around to ask permission to continue or if I could park there to hike the ridge system. Again, being a visitor I'd rather not risk it and decided to turn around.

Back down in the valley I explored a quad trail. After a few turns it crossed a small creek in a gully and descended into the trees. Soon I came upon a downed tree and bushy area and decided to turn around. I could have easily dealt with the downed tree but it was early in the day and there were other road options so I turned around to try a different direction:

I drove out of that valley and had a look back, you can see the pocket glacier in the haze here:

Came across something big and brown, can you say mooooo?

Moo.

A nice panorama looking further up the Shulaps range:

Up exploring another basin, the views just keep coming:

I then came across some bear scat on the road. Heavy in berries, fattening up for the impending winter. Likely black bear based on the size.

 

[XPEDBC]

Another promising looking destination:

The roads here were pleasant to travel.. Fairly smooth, only a few cross ditches and not too many sharp rocks. Some areas were steep enough to require 4L gearing but most of it was relatively 2wd.

Eventually at approx 2000m (6500 ft or so) I came to this beautiful alpine lake:

The road continued beyond the lake and turned into a rough mining track. Steep, loose, boulders and sharp rocks.

Soon I began to wonder how far I'd be able to go. Turning around would be difficult and the road was becoming pretty hardcore for general exploration.

I don't have a whole lot of undercarriage clearance over stock (2.5" lift + 33" tires, weighted down by cargo and front bumper/winch). It was coming time to decide if I would continue or not. Problem was, the road looked like it climbed higher and higher and I've been seeking to find the highest drive-able roads in BC (Blowdown, Molebdynite, Canoe Mtn etc). If I could just get to the next section I'd at least be able to turn around or have a better look at the next stretch.

Up I went and it just got worse. I was in 4 low, aired down, had the centre locking diff engaged and all traction control systems turned off. The boulders were getting big and I was having to stop, back up and pick new lines to make it further. Eventually the road turned into a V-shape and it was difficult keeping 3 wheels on the ground. Well it was time to call it quits with this spur. With a few hours work moving some boulders, shoveling some dirt etc it could have been easily passable, but I figured it was time to bust out the hiking boots. It was about 4pm and I had 3 or so hours of daylight left. The peak at the head of the valley was calling my name!

Out came the backpack and hiking boots...

The peak was about 2550m or so (8400 ft) and I'd have to hoof it pretty good on foot to make it up there before dark....

 

[XPEDBC]

Up I went in a light breeze:

I passed underneath the shoulder of another lesser peak on my left. I noticed it had a small ice field partially buried by rocks as well. This was possibly another good option to summit from around the backside.

Once I gained the ridge between the two peaks, I'd have to traverse to hiker's right to access the shoulder that would lead up to the top of the peak at the head of the valley. As I got closer the ridge started to look pretty gnarly. The panorama mode on my camera made the clouds look pretty funny here.

Looking back down to where I came from:

I eventually gained the ridge between the two peaks:

The ridge I'd have to traverse to make the summit of the black rock peak looked better from this vantage point:

Since it was getting dark, I decided to setup camp right there on the ridge, (this turned out to be a bad idea I would find out).

Up goes my home sweet dome:

Home for the night!

To be Continued...

 

[michel77]

Since it was getting dark, I decided to setup camp right there on the ridge, (this turned out to be a bad idea I would find out).


To be Continued...

Dude! Can't leave us hanging!!

 

[O'DubhGhaill]

For some reason, the photos are not showing?

 

[DiscoKai]

Looks awesome! Subscribed for the rest of the trip

Pics show up fine for me.

 

[O'DubhGhaill]

Found out that a webfilter is blocking photobucket here at work...

 

[theside00]

Looks like a great trip. That area looks really cool. I bet it got cold and windy up there on that ridge.

 

[coastal616]

Nice trip! But...I can't believe you went up there alone! Nothing like the sound of a snapped axle or driveshaft in the middle of nowhere to make your day really long.

 

[calicamper]

Fun adventure. I have a 07 Sequoia the major weakness off road in rocky terrain is the lack of a rear locker. I learned the value of lockers this summer during a trip with the Gwagen club In Tahoe. The Sequoia is damn good but no rear locker can really stop progress fast.

My next rig will be a short bed 4dr midsized PU with a rear Locker..

Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

 

[ExpeditionDreamers]

Thanks for the pics, and I enjoy you sense of adventure and doing it alone. After walking up the ridge, what do you think you'd need to do it in your truck?

 

[v_man]

great report so far !

 

[java]

Amazing pics and trip. Looks great.