Exploring in true Overland Style – Part 1 of 3 Published in 2016, minor editing changes made
Words and photos by Kristina Wheeler
I normally wheel alone, but once a year I’ll team up with people and take off on a different kind of adventure. This offer was too good to resist, 5 days riding shot gun in a Unimog (known as Heavy) as part of the guy’s annual man camp. The idea behind the trip was simple, follow up on an idea I’d gained from reading a book a few years before by Chilco Choate – “Unfriendly Neighbors”.
We planned 5 days of open trails which would include running Kookapi, the West side of the Fraser Canyon, Churn Protected area, the lands of the Gang Ranch, hopefully find the legendary Chilco Choate, back down through Poison, Mud Lakes, a quick run over the highline road out of Seton Portage and home via West Harrison. It was to be an epic trip; and the comradeship gained between I and the 7 trucks running to last a lifetime.
It was Friday night and most of the other trucks had already headed up to Clear Creek Hot springs; with the guys and Heavy swinging by to pick up my gear and I on the way. We quickly loaded, and headed towards the East Harrison FSR with a quick stop to fill the humongous fuel tank; where I learned that about anything can be added if needed, including vegetable oil. We pulled into the hot springs just after dark, quickly set up camp, and luckily had the tubs to ourselves. The trip to the springs is a nice day trip and can easily be done in a 2-wheel drive vehicle; however, keep it mind that it’s a popular location with limited tubs, so it’s best to be prepared for close quarters.
The next morning, we arose early and after a quick breakfast over the campfire continued heading up East Harrison to meet up with the Kookapi FSR. As Heavy is not always known for her speed, we followed behind the other trucks and started noticing that there was a trail of trash in the middle of the road, One of the guys and I got out and started walking in front to pick it up, as it closely resembled our own trash from the night before. Turns out that the Trasharoo on one of the trucks had come loose and was attempting to redistribute its contents back to mother nature.
The Kookapi FSR, connecting East Harrison to Nahatlatch offers incredible panoramic views and numerous mountain glaciers. After a few hours, on a fairly paved FSR, you will find yourself in the Nahatlatch Lake area. Here you will find many options for camping, which include the lake, along the river, or spending the night in the Fire Lookout Tower high above everything with a star lit view of the Fraser Canyon below.
Due to time constraints we opted to take the paved road out of Boston Bar heading into Lillooet. There we topped up on gas, grabbed ice cream, and headed up the West Canyon dirt road towards the Big Bar Ferry; pulling off on to a plateau above the Reserve to have lunch. While there we spent some time watching the fisherman below, stepping momentarily back in time realizing for generations they were using the same methodologies for fishing. The scene offering a perfect moment to pull out the larger camera lenses to capture some of detail below, including the salmon that were hundreds of feet beneath us in the Fraser River.
It was time to continue North up the Canyon, our next goal was the Leon Creek Rec site, the backroads map book had noted a hot spring accessible from it, which seemed odd. Most of the trucks continued at their own pace up to the Big Bar Ferry, with little interest in the additional exploring; however, the three of us in Heavy, after a few wrong turns found the sought after Rec Site. It was obvious that it had long since been neglected and in need of some care; also it became quickly apparent that many years had passed since the road to the supposed hot springs had been driven down. Hundreds of fallen trees lining the way indicated that hours of good chain saw work would be needed to clear them out, or the time to complete the hike on a hunch. As frustrating as it was, we decided that the venture in to verify if the Backroads Mapbook was correct would have to wait another day, so is there or isn’t there a hot spring there is still a mystery.
We continued North, silenced in awe by the vistas and landscapes, stopping for a moment to take in a rather large herd of deer to our right, smiling as we watched them bounce through the fields, with 2 of the playful stags catching our interest the most. The views along the Fraser Canyon in this area have always mesmerized me, the thousand shades of gold reflecting off the long grasses and sandstone ridges.
We shortly came upon the Big Bar ferry, which usually runs on demand, unless the operator is having dinner, then you need to be prepared to sit and wait for a bit. Some of the guys were already across, and you could see the smile on the operator’s face as he saw Heavy. Something about a Unimog, being used in the way they were designed, always brings a smile. As he brought us across we exchanged trip stories from the area, he was disappointed that China Head and Poison didn’t offer the same challenges as his good old days in the 70s.
A short way after coming off the ferry, we started passing through the Gang Ranch Area. Although several of the older structures remain, it’s important to remember that while they may look abandoned, they do remain the property of the Gang Ranch, so any visits to them may result in you interacting with the staff. At this point you will want to do a hard look at your gas tank; there is a small service station in a nearby town of Dog Creek, but there is no guarantee that they will be open or have fuel on hand, and from here to the Seton Portage area there is no further fuel opportunities.
A few of the guys went to top up their tanks and Jerry cans as we carried on, the great thing about Heavy is she carries more then enough fuel to safely get you where you need. We continued along the winding road towards the Churn protected area, with the scenery never stopping. I was in heaven surrounded by the meandering grasslands, surrounded by the painted colours on the tablelands that rose above us as we traversed through the valley.
As we made our way through the roads that winded like a snake, we descended upon the old iron Churn Creek bridge; a long standing tribute to BC’S dedication to creating both artwork and sturdiness with anything they constructed. Unfortunately, in today’s world we seem to have lost the understanding that when we impose man on mother nature, we have a requirement to ensure that we do our best to improve what is there. We stopped on the bridge for a bit for everyone to get their tourist photos in, the entire crew coming alive with smiles.
Heading East on the Empire Valley Road we found a quaint camping spot at the well worn calving barn and settled in. Something about pitching tents on manure wasn’t that appealing, so everyone got to the business of setting up camp in the grass fields outside. Soon the camp fire was ablaze, dinner on, and I settled in listening to the guys.
I noticed a slight breeze moving the grass beside me, I sat there getting lost in the falling stars, listening to the crickets sing, I was finally home, with 3 more days left to explore.
Too be continued
