seanpistol
Explorer
Damn, the ice cave is wicked cool.
Colossal 2015 - B.C. Canada
- Thread starter rickashay
- Start date
marathonracer
Adventurer
Wow that rock is amazing.
ttora4runner
Expedition Leader
Awesome!
SSDDBRONCO
New member
I feel like I'm riding co-pilot with you!! Great report and amazing pics!!
theBullfrog125
Adventurer
Dang it Addison, now ya had to go and share your travels to a place like that. As if there aren't enough places I want to visit and explore! 
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JCMatthews
Tour Guide
Nice, very nice.
parkkitchings
Adventurer
Great report and pictures. Thanks for posting.
rickashay
Explorer
Dang it Addison, now ya had to go and share your travels to a place like that. As if there aren't enough places I want to visit and explore!
Thanks again everyone! Glad you are all enjoying the write-up and photos so far. Working on Part III, should be done in a day or two.
rickashay
Explorer
Part III
It was approximately 11 am when the sound of the first motor hummed to life. One by one, the vehicles came alive as each unit in our group completed loading up all of their respective gear. A final check over the cabin to ensure we left it in a respectable state with all windows and doors shut. With the snow season being imminent at these elevations, we wanted to make sure the hatches were buttoned down properly. We all regretfully began the decent down the trail that had lead us up to this magnificent place the afternoon before. Taking in the scenery one last time and snapping a couple more photos, just to make sure we hadn't missed anything. The washout was navigated with relative ease this time, as our direction of travel seemed to alleviate some of the difficulty of the obstacle. We continued forward without a hitch, back down the long windy road that ran near the aqua blue river's edge. It was near 1:00pm when we reached the base of the next phase of our journey. With another hour of gravel followed by another 3 hours of highway to get back to Calgary, we still had a long drive ahead of us. It was Sunday after all, and 2 of the vehicles in our group opted to head back sooner than later to arrive home at a respectable time. A wise decision, and admittedly one that had also crossed my mind. However, for the remaining 5 trucks, the curiosity of what lie up the road to our right weighed too much on our adventurous souls.
We said our goodbyes and wished safe travels to the other 2 trucks that were departing. In no time at all, the 5 of us were pointed upward and heading south up the mysterious road. We were gaining elevation at a very fast pace and within 10 minutes had a gorgeous vista looking down upon the valley we had so recently left behind.
IMG_5660.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
The road continued to snake up, up, and up. The leaves and fall colors were beautiful and the smell of damp cool air lingered in the truck's cabin. We rounded a 90-degree bend in the road and caught a short glance at the massive peak in the distance beyond, which was quickly masked once again by the tall pines. As our progress continued, this peak revealed itself again with highlights of a recent fresh snowfall. Craig and I looked at each other with a smile, knowing that we were about to have another epic day in the backcountry. Up ahead lay a fork in the road, I slowed the convoy in order to pull out the map and make an educated guess on the best direction for us to travel. Luckily, two local dirtbikers sat at the fork having lunch and we began chatting with them to acquire some of their local knowledge. A friendly father and son out for a fall ride. They both described the epic ski touring in this area and the huge variety of activities available in this region. The son even mentioned having a 4Runner himself, so he was stoked to see the line of heavily modified Toyota's. These two gentlemen proved to be invaluable in our trip that day as they graciously pointed us in the best direction for some excellent views and technical 4x4'ing. We waved goodbye with a smile and were on our way up the mountainside.
Within 15 minutes we came across an old abandoned miners shack. It was very rundown but displayed some cool relics of its vintage. Another 20 minutes down the trail and things started to get more technical. I stopped and dropped down into low range as the trail narrowed and began to get rockier. The tree line again began to disperse as we climbed and the famous “two foot braking” technique became a necessity in order to navigate up the loose trail.
IMG_5667.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
IMG_5676.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
The scenery began to remind me of something out of Afghanistan war movie, jagged barren rocks that rose steeply on all sides, with the peaks covered in a fresh blanket of snow.
IMG_5694.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
Secret caves could be hidden anywhere in the still cool air, just waiting to be discovered. The scale of this place was truly amazing. I have never felt so small in my life (and I'm 6'6”… lol), nature dominated the scene all around us, making us feel insignificant. The loose climb seemed to never end. Eventually we reached a small off camber creek bed that deserved a look. A slightly tippy approach led to us to crawl a boulder, driver side, and back down at an angle while we tried to avoid dragging the rear end as we departed.
IMG_5674.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
IMG_5683.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
We navigated it with swift ease, preparing us for the unknown that was to come. We wound through the last gathering of Larch trees in a small level space before the trail took off sharply uphill yet again. The truck clawed for traction in 4-Lo as a tried to keep an even and slow pace. 18 psi in the tires almost seemed like too much air. My upward course began to veer to the downhill direction and the trail began to traverse the steep, rock washed, mountainside. Suddenly the trail in front of me disappeared. I drove the truck close to a large rock where I could maneuver into a safe position to get out. The e-brake and transmission were only part of the security system keeping my truck from rolling back down the steep chute. Craig and I got out to evaluate the obstacle: a large washout in the trail about 5' deep and 10' across. A steep and off camber bank to drop into the washout with the same to climb out the other side and back to safety. The tricky part being how off camber this entire affair would be, as it would not be a straight-on assault.
It was approximately 11 am when the sound of the first motor hummed to life. One by one, the vehicles came alive as each unit in our group completed loading up all of their respective gear. A final check over the cabin to ensure we left it in a respectable state with all windows and doors shut. With the snow season being imminent at these elevations, we wanted to make sure the hatches were buttoned down properly. We all regretfully began the decent down the trail that had lead us up to this magnificent place the afternoon before. Taking in the scenery one last time and snapping a couple more photos, just to make sure we hadn't missed anything. The washout was navigated with relative ease this time, as our direction of travel seemed to alleviate some of the difficulty of the obstacle. We continued forward without a hitch, back down the long windy road that ran near the aqua blue river's edge. It was near 1:00pm when we reached the base of the next phase of our journey. With another hour of gravel followed by another 3 hours of highway to get back to Calgary, we still had a long drive ahead of us. It was Sunday after all, and 2 of the vehicles in our group opted to head back sooner than later to arrive home at a respectable time. A wise decision, and admittedly one that had also crossed my mind. However, for the remaining 5 trucks, the curiosity of what lie up the road to our right weighed too much on our adventurous souls.
We said our goodbyes and wished safe travels to the other 2 trucks that were departing. In no time at all, the 5 of us were pointed upward and heading south up the mysterious road. We were gaining elevation at a very fast pace and within 10 minutes had a gorgeous vista looking down upon the valley we had so recently left behind.
IMG_5660.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
The road continued to snake up, up, and up. The leaves and fall colors were beautiful and the smell of damp cool air lingered in the truck's cabin. We rounded a 90-degree bend in the road and caught a short glance at the massive peak in the distance beyond, which was quickly masked once again by the tall pines. As our progress continued, this peak revealed itself again with highlights of a recent fresh snowfall. Craig and I looked at each other with a smile, knowing that we were about to have another epic day in the backcountry. Up ahead lay a fork in the road, I slowed the convoy in order to pull out the map and make an educated guess on the best direction for us to travel. Luckily, two local dirtbikers sat at the fork having lunch and we began chatting with them to acquire some of their local knowledge. A friendly father and son out for a fall ride. They both described the epic ski touring in this area and the huge variety of activities available in this region. The son even mentioned having a 4Runner himself, so he was stoked to see the line of heavily modified Toyota's. These two gentlemen proved to be invaluable in our trip that day as they graciously pointed us in the best direction for some excellent views and technical 4x4'ing. We waved goodbye with a smile and were on our way up the mountainside.
Within 15 minutes we came across an old abandoned miners shack. It was very rundown but displayed some cool relics of its vintage. Another 20 minutes down the trail and things started to get more technical. I stopped and dropped down into low range as the trail narrowed and began to get rockier. The tree line again began to disperse as we climbed and the famous “two foot braking” technique became a necessity in order to navigate up the loose trail.
IMG_5667.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
IMG_5676.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
The scenery began to remind me of something out of Afghanistan war movie, jagged barren rocks that rose steeply on all sides, with the peaks covered in a fresh blanket of snow.
IMG_5694.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
Secret caves could be hidden anywhere in the still cool air, just waiting to be discovered. The scale of this place was truly amazing. I have never felt so small in my life (and I'm 6'6”… lol), nature dominated the scene all around us, making us feel insignificant. The loose climb seemed to never end. Eventually we reached a small off camber creek bed that deserved a look. A slightly tippy approach led to us to crawl a boulder, driver side, and back down at an angle while we tried to avoid dragging the rear end as we departed.
IMG_5674.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
IMG_5683.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr
We navigated it with swift ease, preparing us for the unknown that was to come. We wound through the last gathering of Larch trees in a small level space before the trail took off sharply uphill yet again. The truck clawed for traction in 4-Lo as a tried to keep an even and slow pace. 18 psi in the tires almost seemed like too much air. My upward course began to veer to the downhill direction and the trail began to traverse the steep, rock washed, mountainside. Suddenly the trail in front of me disappeared. I drove the truck close to a large rock where I could maneuver into a safe position to get out. The e-brake and transmission were only part of the security system keeping my truck from rolling back down the steep chute. Craig and I got out to evaluate the obstacle: a large washout in the trail about 5' deep and 10' across. A steep and off camber bank to drop into the washout with the same to climb out the other side and back to safety. The tricky part being how off camber this entire affair would be, as it would not be a straight-on assault.
Last edited: