South Chilcotin Exploration

[majorbedhed]

A bit late to the party it seems - I must have just missed alex@bushpigperformance on his groups way up to China Head Mountain August 9/10/11. My original plan was what I was calling the "Tale of Three Towers"! Myself and a buddy on XT250's were going to unload the bikes at Pemberton and attempt an overnight trip to reach Forest Service Fire Watch Towers - Green Mountain - Jesmond - Pavillion - then return to Pemberton. I know Green Mountain and Jesmond still exist, but heard the Pavillion tower is gone with only cell towers now at that location.

Unfortunately, due to my friends personal circumstances the universe was strongly telling him to sit this one out. So, I had to make some last minute changes and the Tale of Three Towers became a solo recon trip. I had done a couple of survival training courses with the military in the early 1980's near Bralorne so thought it would be a great time to go search out some of the interesting sites and see how Mother nature is reclaiming her own!

After pouring over BRMB and Gaia - I changed my plans to setup base camp at the Hydro site on Carpenter lake near Goldbridge. On the first day, I attempted Green Mountain but was quickly turned back by loose and steep terrain. I'm not sure if I could have made it all the way or not had I kept pushing on, but I do know that I would have gone a lot further had I not been solo. There were too many voices in my head as I have just completed a 6 month recovery from a sprained ankle caused by a crash in Death Valley in February. So then it was over to Bralorne and the surrounding area. While above the Pioneer Mine site, I found quite a few "former streets" of homes sitting off in the forest quickly being taken over by nature. I also found what I'm guessing is an old bunkhouse. I'm sure there is so much more to be uncovered in the forests around Bralorne / Bradian / Goldbridge. I also searched for quite some time to find the airstrip where the survival course I took was held, and after a good deal of map checking I realized I was riding back and forth on it for some time - they had turned it into a forest service mainline by connecting both ends!

On day two, I had hoped to summit China Head Mountain. The road up was excellent, and the scenery fantastic. I did not see a single soul after leaving the campsite all the way up to Mud Lakes - or after for that matter. Again, the voices were at work and on the first steep stretch - I decided to live to ride another day, or at least avoid having to use my InReach!!!! As a side note, I also rode my Africa Twin off the KVR back in 2017 and had a multi hour recovery - so as you may be learning I have a love for dual sport riding but not a lot of skill!...but I guess that is relative. Frankly, though I love to have a riding goal, I'm honestly just so happy to be our riding that I could care less if I make it or not, just happy enough to try.

After being denied China Head Mountain - I pulled up BRMB on Gaia again and found what appeared to be a trail to Big Sheep Mountain, and off I went in search of said trail. Well, it exists, and I did find dirt bike tracks which appeared a few days old, and a few car parts left in the water bars for those attempting to get their bikes closer to the trailhead I assume. But alas, I came to a slide area - which again if I was not solo I would have crossed but those damn voices just kept getting the better of me, and back to camp I went. All in all I was riding about 8 hours with lots of side trips and generally farting around. I saw absolutely nobody once away from Carpenter lake, not a single person / car / or truck - just one lovely Golden Lab near Tyax and about 7 deer. The scenery was simply stunning.

Here is a video I made from this trip -

 

[offworlder]

Awesome vid dude! Good on ya for turning around when you no longer felt comfy continuing.

 

[Rustic]

Glad you joined us. The $70 you mention in our other group is membership plus a bcorma trail supporter piece. You don't need to be a member but you can be for $30.00, I'll buy you a beer sometime and explain rhe support it brings

Cheers, look forward to more of your ride reports.

 

[Bushpig Performance]

Love your story Major and glad you still had a good time! It is stunning area!

 

[majorbedhed]

Glad you joined us. The $70 you mention in our other group is membership plus a bcorma trail supporter piece. You don't need to be a member but you can be for $30.00, I'll buy you a beer sometime and explain rhe support it brings

Cheers, look forward to more of your ride reports.

Thanks Russ for the clarification. I'd love to meet up with you and learn more about the BCORMA! Will DM you next time I'm heading out the valley. Hoping to do Harrison to Boston Bar before the snow flies - not sure if that is an AT or an XT trip yet...heard they rebuilt the Forest Service tower at Nahatlatch as well. I worked for BCFP in Boston Bar 1988/1989 - it was a ruin in those days.

 

[Rustic]

Here is a funny thing.... I was a Heliattack firefighter based out of the Boston Bar field station at that same time.
When you go to do Kookipi at the tower let me know I may join you, we could have that beer onnthe trail. Take the AT for that trip.

 

[majorbedhed]

Here is a funny thing.... I was a Heliattack firefighter based out of the Boston Bar field station at that same time.
When you go to do Kookipi at the tower let me know I may join you, we could have that beer onnthe trail. Take the AT for that trip.

LOL - you don't happen to mean this type of crew do ya???? We probably shared the Forest Service house just as you enter town from the South?

 

[majorbedhed]

I was with the Forestry Dept after graduation from BCIT. Summer of 1989 Fletcher could subsidize our wage by having us do Heli-Attack as well - forest tech work during the day - on call 10AM to 10PM if I recall correctly. Did 18 fires summer of 1989 - only felt safe flying with Gerry from Highland Helicopter out of hope - this 206 attached - he was bloody awesome pilot! So many stories from that summer!

 

[majorbedhed]

Our call sign was P72 - here is a pick of us filling pumpkins for Gerry...maybe feeding your crew on the hill???? Small world eh?

 

[majorbedhed]

Here is a comparison - 1989 to 2019 for the old helipad beside the forest service house....Herb the Road Superintendant for BCFP / Fletcher Challeng who lives across the street still tends his garden. He retired in 1990 and is now in his early 90's - we had a great chat when this pic was taken - he didn't remember me by name, but remembered me ripping down the road in my 1987 RM125! I went by in August on my bike and he was not around but the flowers were out so I'm sure he is still going strong.

 

[Rustic]

Rocky Delta was my call sign the summer of 89. Ya if you were supporting a fire above that was me or one of my crews. super small world. definitely need that ride and a beer now! Anymore pics from those days? I lost most of the small number I had in one move or another in my youth.

 

[majorbedhed]

Wow - I'm going to have to pull out the album and scan a few. Here is the house we lived in - took this last summer when I went looking at some of the reforestation work we did. Three of us Forest Techs lived here and 3 full time Heli-Attack - then I think 6 more were in Hope I believe and would rotate between Hope and Boston Bar. We had only two large fires in the area summer 1989 where all initial attack crews were on at the same time, putting out some small smokes and laying water lines for the unit crew to get a head start the next morning. You guys were rated for being on fire overnight - we always got pulled off by sundown - sort of how we got to know Gerry from Highland so well cuz we would be his last pickup before heading back to Hope. Definitely have to meet up!!!!

 

[Rustic]

Wow - I'm going to have to pull out the album and scan a few. Here is the house we lived in - took this last summer when I went looking at some of the reforestation work we did. Three of us Forest Techs lived here and 3 full time Heli-Attack - then I think 6 more were in Hope I believe and would rotate between Hope and Boston Bar. We had only two large fires in the area summer 1989 where all initial attack crews were on at the same time, putting out some small smokes and laying water lines for the unit crew to get a head start the next morning. You guys were rated for being on fire overnight - we always got pulled off by sundown - sort of how we got to know Gerry from Highland so well cuz we would be his last pickup before heading back to Hope. Definitely have to meet up!!!!

Ya that's the place and the dealeo. I was thinking two crews went up but it was likely only one (3 guys) I always had the bedroom downstairs, I spent one summer wallpapering with Bud and Jim Beam labels. We had our shirts stencilled with "RAINED OUT" that season because we didn't make much extra dough, I did get to go North to Mayo and south to SoCal though!!! (ya overnight was great for pay but sucked ass honestly.) Ya scan some pics totally awesome. [email protected]

 

[majorbedhed]

Ya that's the place and the dealeo. I was thinking two crews went up but it was likely only one (3 guys) I always had the bedroom downstairs, I spent one summer wallpapering with Bud and Jim Beam labels. We had our shirts stencilled with "RAINED OUT" that season because we didn't make much extra dough, I did get to go North to Mayo and south to SoCal though!!! (ya overnight was great for pay but sucked ass honestly.) Ya scan some pics totally awesome. [email protected]

LOL - yeah, we would land at the house, have showers - head up to the Alpine for dinner and think of you poor guys out there (and 1 gal I remember). There was one group of lightning strikes we all had to hit - I remember being dropped at the top of a mountain way up Kwoik I think - put out a small smoke, and as we were flying in Gerry's 206 we could see a big 212 with the Rap Attack team out of Kamloops setting up their tents in a landing. We were pretty spoiled. We never had to do mop up till all the Uni students went back to school - then we got into the shit jobs. I could not be around a campfire for a couple of years after that....You bet, will scan a few and email to ya! Cheers. Sean

 

[Rustic]

Here is a last pic and comment so we stop sending notofications to all of dsbc. My souvenir shirts survived with all my concert shirts so here is a little pic of that time. Pop me an email. I did Rapattack before Heliattack (I got to muscular from the PT and meals, turned the scrawny kid into an athlete that was to heavy for rap) and then trained as a smoke jumper but went back to Heli cause those smoke jumpers are friggin nuts. Chat soon