Epic adventures here in BC Canada

Continued

 

J. Adams & Jenny Wren such a cute couple



had another brew up , then walked up the main creek bed.


Densely packed gravels / sands



found some high quality clay - night just come back and try my hand at making a bowl.


Definitely coming back with a shovel - this entire section is clay - I’m betting I could dig a really cool cave , maybe a tunnel



Secret Ninja Stealth route back to the truck.


Got to the end of the culvert, smelled cigarette smoke. Saw two people wandering around by the creek. If I stepped out of the culvert and the stream side shrubbery, they would probably have heart attacks.

So I waited in the culvert for 15 min. Checked again and they had left

stealthily made my way to the truck, and headed home before the massive weekend traffic hell that happens every Sunday . Time for Reebs anyways !!!

Great day of total stealth hiking , shelter setup , and exploring

 

Still jealous of the pretty terrain! ( if you could even find a pile of rocks like that here know what else you’d find? That’s right..a snek! That’s what! )

 

Teaser pics from a wet wet hike!

rolling heavy with my MOD British Issue knife, Jenny Wren, and TOPS SXB! 30 lb load out in the Carcajou Tactical Alice webbing



meet wet wet day. And I’m wearing shorts. Why? My legs dry faster than pants. lol




trail . Wet trail


big silver maple leaves



Dropping trees with the Jenny Wren. She’s a midget , but she can bite took less than 8 chops to drop this 4” tree across the trail (I’m slowly making it impassable and hidden.)


brew up - coffee and hot noodles





@5col XXL Skog bands silencing the clinky clanky of the canteen cup bail handles.



All fuelled up - time to get seriously wet



by wet I mean pushing thru these completely soaked jungle of wetness


Jelly cup fungi



Found another creek bed


The best shelter material around - flat, easy to layer in shingle style, comfortable to sleep on (4 to 6” deep layer) and most of all , sheds rain like crazy



fatwood! I think once winter hits - it’ll be time for another epic 1 ton of fatwood campfire, just to rankle the BCUSA heathens



big ol tree



these creeper vines , when wet, are very pliable and can be used to as cordage .




Wandered around the dense wet leafy jungle forest, ended up doing a loop around the old quarry and back onto the old overgrown roads.

 

Continued

wandered up the creek bed when I heard multiple shrieks / bugles / whatever you want to call it. Crested the embankment and found a low lying swamp area , absolutely impassable due to the blackberry thorn thickets . Kept hearing the animal calls but couldn’t see anything thru the dense forest.



I’ll get back to that in a bit.

Carried on up the creek bed, wanted to dig out the massive clay bank with a strong digging stick I made . Nope. That clay is brutally tough , it’s gonna need a pick axe and water thrown on it to dig it out. Even a sharp rock barely touched it.

15 minutes of digging with a strong sharp digging stick


Water photos



Finally got back to the truck , wet but toasty warm. Drove to the Hwy u turn point further up the highway and turned around to head home.

However….. my curiosity got the better of me. Parked the truck off the highway further east of where I was , and scrambled down a very steep rough embankment . Got into the forest well east of the low lying swamp.

Started seeing signs of moose. BIG piles of moose droppings, hoof prints the size of a horse. Got closer to the swamp , it had been waded thru and grasses pulled up from the swamp bed. Water was muddy and the edge of the swamp looked like the moose had been there a while, going in and out of the swamp

didn’t want to piss off a big bull moose, they are very dangerous animals , egressed back up the forest and up the steep embankment. Think I’ll avoid that area for awhile, esp once rutting season starts . I’d rather deal with black , brown or grizzly bears than a moose.

More adventures coming. Including a FSR explore further east above the highway.

 

Teaser Pics from today’s Church Of The Woods - a 7&1/2 hour BC Hydro FSR Tabbing Ruck. 18 KM’s in total . 5500 feet elevation gain from the trailhead at ocean level.

25 lb loadouts in each of Brother @Twoody88 and my LBE webbing rigs

MORE TO COME !


Random photos from today

Y’all have no idea how massive our mountains, valleys and logging cutblocks are.



literally filtering out tiny tadpoles and sediment from this FSR puddle near a stream

 

Certainly didn't need the wool anorak . That added a pound or two on my buttpack

 

More soon. Got some first aid stuff to do , thanks to poor fitting boxers and the seams.

loads of pics ( not of first aid issues )

gotta start with one of the last pics I took on this Tabbing Ruck. Ever had both coffee and savoury boullion? Lil caffeine / sugar hit, mixed with very savoury , chock full of minerals / electrolytes combo. Strong, sweet and savoury. Hit the spot!!

yes - instant coffee au lait packet mixed with a beef bouillon packet. IT WAS EPIC, both in flavour and electrolytes replacement at the mid point of a long tabbing march.



More, photos in random order

 

Told ya BC is huge



We started at the ocean (top of satellite Image) and climbing steadily up towards the two lakes in the valley between the mountain ranges




Bear droppings EVERYWHERE on the hydro trunkline


Both @Twoody88 and I carried magnum cans of extra spicy taco seasoning spray for bear defence.

Scout carry for the bear spray



@Twoody88 (in between the hydro poles on the rocks ) chasing a stupid grouse who didn’t understand we were going to roast it



great long tabbing ruck, aside from serious chafing issues on me.

 

Teaser Pics from the field, 35 DegC / high UV index. Great time to go hiking



trip report.

late start - was humming and hawing all morning trying to decide if I wanted to venture out into 30 -35 Deg C heat and go hiking with 25 lbs of webbing rig …..

Finally left the apt at 1300 hours. Had to get out , been hiding inside from the heat for the last 6 days, sweltering .

checked out a new (to me) BC Hydro FSR.

leafy


Alders everywhere


Old water supply pipeline running down the mountain


it’s BC - hydro on every single mountain


Swordfern taller than me


Your never alone in the mountains in BC

 

Old logging spur road, overgrown with alders - passable no problem with a machete



One of many spurs to access the hydro poles


sun and wind baked dry log round.


beautiful views of Howe Sound


time for a brew up


and some throw stick carving


breaking out the German issue SAK. The GITD donut got mega supercharged by the high UV light today- it was glowing bright in the shade


ready for sanding - I’ll use a palm sander at home .
It throws flat and hits HARD


I’m in yer woods , creeping and hunting Wabbits




Time for canteen refills. Already gone thru 4 litres water .


water treatment tablets (chlorine, chlorine dioxide, iodine ) - I got it all , neatly tucked into a small Velcro pouch that attaches to the inside of the canteen pouch.

 

Millbank Bag in outer canteen slot


End of the Hydro FSR


Another old overgrown logging spur


things you find in the middle of the forest



Was getting too hot, even in the shady hydro FSR, rucked back to the truck, and drove east about 10 KM’s , before ducking down yet another hydro access line


shady cool spot for dinner.

Homemade vac sealed beef / garlic / onion / carrot / pea stew. Froze it in the vacuum bag for a few days prior. It stayed nice and cold and fresh in the webbing rig all day, in 35 Deg C heat .

BCB FireDragon fuel brick heating up the yummy stew


mmmm garlicky , spicy, salty, beefy beef stew


of course one needs to wash down the stew with a brew up! Coffee time!


cleaned up , packed up, headed up the access line back to the highway. Time for REEBS!

 

Todays Church Of The Woods adventure

a total slog, humidity and high temps late morning just slammed me. Got some relief in the afternoon though….rain drops, cool breeze , heavy dark overcast skies were a welcome relief - for about an hour lol.

38 lb load-out in the Carcajou Tactical Alice webbing didn’t help with the sweating either lol

and a total surprise visit on the trail by @Twoody88 and his Lady in the afternoon!

pics/ report loading

headed out mid morning Sunday, it was hot , sunny , humid. Full load out (gear etc 38 lbs) in the webbing, including vac pouches of peaches/ juice, 2 lbs shredded Korean bbq chicken, 2 lbs curried mashed potatoes and other yummy lunch foods.

been three weeks since I’ve exercised, lol, and I was feeling it in every muscle and bone as I slogged up the steady grade of the BC Hydro trunkline in the 30 deg C heat (35 with humidity). Hiked up partway with another hiker (he was heading for the twin lakes).



Clouding over, humid as heck



Watering hole has dropped 2’ since three weeks ago.


added a large pouch on the back of the Molle yoke, holds clothes, camo net, etc . Needed room in the rear webbing pouch for my tasty lunch of Korean bbq chicken, mashed potato’s and veggies, canned peaches, noodles etc .

dedicated the left sustainment pouch as my brew up kit / snacks pouch.


top of the switchback . It’s hot. The Les Stroud Replicant is overheating.


the holy grail of old logging spur roads …. This one is from the late 70’s/early 80’s. Not decommissioned.


this spot was my goal today. A little mossy pullout off the spur , overlooking the valley. A perfect place for a future campout with my Trekking Cart and friends.

 

Absolutely gassed out by the heat and humidity (although it was cooling down a bit) , it was time for lunch

On the Church Of The Woods menu today was pulled Korean bbq chicken , with spicy noodles, and a big ol double portion of Philippine instant coffee with milk

cloud cover getting heavier, few cool raindrops starting to fall . It was heaven .


across the valley is a massive 4’ diameter steel pipe that goes 1000’ up the 65 degree mountainside, before punching thru horizontally all the way to a massive pump station before Squamish BC. Water is pumped to the pipe, and gravity does the rest, feeding a massive turbine wheel way below in the valley , for power generation. The turbine whine can be heard all the way up by the mountain peaks


finished lunch and got a text on my cell from none other than Bro @SofTwoody88 and his Lady!! What!! Your at the trailhead?? No way! Awesome!


gave them directions to the old spur road

I hiked back to the main trunkline and waited for them at my “forward observation post” good view of the lower trunkline switchback


Pentax . Nice compact spotting binoculars


I see you .


met up with @Twoody88 and his Lady, hiked back up the old spur to the camping spot / lookout.



We carried further on up the old spur


dead ends at an old log landing


hmmm… bear den?


fun stuff

 

We all headed back down the old spur, down the main trunkline . Stopped at the creek to cool off . I found a Hydro Flask insulated beer cup in the creek! yer coming home with me!

random photos - fuzzybee butts , insects having fun etc


anytime is time for a brew up!



Got back to the vehicles and headed home.

Great day , total surprise seeing Bro and his Lady. Good times!

 

@Arpina23

 

Ooooh claw marks!