| Author |
Topic |
| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 12:11 PM
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Dru has been encouraging me to spread my wings and try some climbing. I have been teasing him that I would return the favour and teach him to hike. So I planned a trip to Barkerville, then on to Groundhog Lake, so he could have a hiking lesson with my son and my friend from PG.
We drove from Agassiz to Barkerville in record time, about 8 hours, to meet Vicki. We camped at Whiskey Flats because it was free. It's about 20 minutes from the parking lot at Barkerville.
Dru and Vicki pitching tents.
Moon! (I hope Dru will share his moon pictures.)
In the morning, we broke camp and drove to Barkerville. Our plan was to hang out in the town and see the sites, have lunch, then hike up to Groundhog Lake.
Wandering around Barkerville:
  
  
After lunch, we packed up and headed out. We had to walk pretty much through the town with overnight packs. There were one or two interested looks!
The trail follows the Cariboo Waggon Road into the hills above Barkerville. The area is really a snowmobiling/quadding place, so the trails are wide and really easy to find. At Summit Rock, the trail leaves the road and follows an old ditch the miners dug to bring water to their sluices.
   
We reached the cabin after about 3.5 hours, much faster than I expected. The cabin is interesting - bright yellow inside, no benches or tables, but in fine repair otherwise. The outhouse is warped, but you can use it.
 
After dinner, we decided to burn off some steam by hiking up the ridge over Groundhog Lake. It was misty and the bugs were bad.
 
Marcus loves bugs!
Some quadders came up to the cabin, but seeing that we were there, very graciously decided to continue on to camp by another lake. We were grateful for the privacy, especially since we were using 'their' cabin.
Just when we put our books away and turned out the lantern, we could hear a strange noise. I knew, from past experiences, that it was a porcupine gnawing on the cabin. Dru got up and chased it away with a shovel!
In the morning, we got up to beautiful sun for our hike out. It only took 2 hours.
We went to Wells for lunch and to see the sites. Then we drove home the long way because there was an accident south of Boston Bar. Highway 8 is beautiful!
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Langley, BC
Canada
1693 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 12:33 PM
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| Great trip!! |
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 Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13469 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 12:36 PM
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Eryne
Many thanks for the tr on this great place. I hiked up into an area south of Barker and spent a full day solo, which included hiking up to a lake with a hut, and then up on the mountain above it. I was struck with the large alpine flowery plateaus around as well. A flowery paradise of great beauty.
I have always wanted to do it again, but so far from here....
K |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 12:51 PM
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There is not much to add to this excellent TR except perhaps some more photos.
Rising moon. I won't post the 10 or so bad shots of the same thing.
   
Historic snafflehounds just like they had in in 1858.
   
Hiking in
  
A little bit of historical bouldering at Summit Rock. The first recorded ascent of this problem may have been by Judge Begbie in 1861.
    
More views along the trail.
The Great Porcupine Chase was Saturday at around 11 PM. On Sunday morning I got up at 5:30 and made a quick ascent of Mt Agnes before the others woke up. I was back at the hut by 7 AM. There were some great views and the bugs were mostly quiet then.
       
It`s fun to go to an area of the province where I don`t know the names of any of the mountains!
          
The summit cairn on Mt Agnes currently has a condom, a torn up bandana, and a bag of peppermints or something in it. In a couple of these shots you can also see the upper lake the quad riders camped at. There were hoary marmots near the summit - I saw one and heard a couple of others. These are the "groundhogs" that the lake is named for.
Hiking out.
 
Trail maps.
"Hey what kind of dogs are those?" |
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 1:50 PM
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A condom is always good to have on a summit!  Did you add any other valuables to this great cairn?
So Eryne... Was Dru a good student? Did he pass the hiking test?
You guys sound like you had a lot of fun.  |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 3:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SnowSeeker
Was Dru a good student? Did he pass the hiking test?
Almost. When we got to Summit Rock, he climbed it. Then he cajoled me into tackling it. Then, he cajoled Marcus into climbing it. To top it all off, he did the same on the way down In order to be a true 'hiker', one must keep their feet on the ground at all times. |
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2012 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 4:46 PM
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Great report you two. I always enjoy that area for the historical sites. Did you check out the old cemetery above town, some interesting tombstones in there?
So fat ground squirrels are actually called Snafflehounds? |
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 5:13 PM
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| Hey, where's that picture of Dru chasing a porcupine? I bet it was fun to watch! |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 5:17 PM
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I was suffering so a fierce attack of laziness so I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed to take a picture of a porcupine. Marcus went out to look, but soon gave up on that idea because there were too many bugs. Dru didn't take a picture himself. Another reason why I couldn't give him a passing mark in Hiking 101.  |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13058 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 5:46 PM
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Wot ! No pictures of Dru goldpanning with the local snafflehounds ?
Nice photos, looks like a great place to wander |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 5:52 PM
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Here's the script for the Great Por-Q-Pine Chase:
SCENE: Groundhog Lake cabin, c. 11 PM. VICKI and two DOGS are bedded down on the lower level. DRU, ERYNE and MARCUS are bedded down on the upper floor. Night has fallen, dessert has been eaten, Sudokus done, lantern extinguished and it's finally bedtime.
MARCUS: I have to pee.
ERYNE: I don't want to get out of my comfortable sleeping bag... just pee off the deck, it's Ok just this once.
DRU: Animals like the taste of human pee... I have to pee too now we're talking about it. I'll get up and accompany Marcus to the outhouse.
5 minutes later, back in the sleeping bags...
DRU: Yep one time in the Liberty Bell area a goat pushed me aside to get at my pee stain on a rock. Animals love pee.
MARCUS: Piss! hahahahahaha.
ERYNE: Marcus! Go to bed.
A few minutes later, the whole building starts vibrating: rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrrr
DOGS: Bark, bark.
VICKI: What ARE you guys doing up there?
DRU: I think it's downstairs?
ERYNE: I know what that is! It's a porcupine chewing on the cabin. Back when I was I the forest lookout there was one that would come and chew on the lookout every single night!
VICKI: What should we do? Just ignore it?
PORCUPINE: rrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrr
DRU: I will get up and chase the porcupine away!
MARCUS: Can I watch, Mum? Please?
ERYNE: You can only go out on the deck. Don't get in the way of Dru or the porcupine.
DRU gets up, puts on pants (again), grabs headlamp and snowshovel and starts looking for porky.
DRU finds porcupine gnawing on a stack of plywood in the cabin basement/woodpile area.
DRU: Get out of here! G'wan, scram! Make like a tree and leave! (flourishes shovel)
PORCUPINE retreats into most inaccessible corner of basement, under a pile of plywood, with only its eyes and quills visible.
DRU runs around the back of the cabin and pokes shovel through crack at PORCUPINE.
DRU: I'm a bear! Arrrr grrrr rowl! Hit the road Jack and don't come back no more!
PORCUPINE finally gives up and runs away with DRU chasing it in flipflops, brandishing shovel and cursing.
DRU heads back to cabin to find that MARCUS has given up on watching and gone back to bed.
DRU looks for hero's welcome.
ERYNE: zzzzz
VICKI: zzzzzz
MARCUS: zzzzz
DRU: Oh well.
DRU goes to bed too. |
Edited by - Dru on 07/21/2008 5:53 PM |
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 5:59 PM
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| Great story. Made me laugh. You should publish it. |
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Langley, BC
Canada
1693 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 6:09 PM
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| teehee |
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Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
2268 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2008 : 3:53 PM
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I've heard that Porcupines will sometimes lure unsuspecting hiker-trainees out into "quill circles", where they're pincushioned and mugged for spare brake lines. Sounds like you may have had a close call there, Dru ('course, it was Mick that told me that, so...)
Otherwise, great TR. Unusual area for sure! |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2008 : 7:20 PM
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Lovely read Eryne and Dru. I haven't been to Barkerville since I was 17 (many moons ago) and it looks the same believe it or not~!
I just noticed that Eryne and Dru look alike, does that mean they've been hanging out together so much that they now appear...smarter?
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2008 : 10:51 PM
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| WTH! Where did all that extra hair on your head come from Dru? It was not in evidence when we did Illusion Peak. |
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Chwk, BC
Canada
457 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 07:48 AM
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| I love Barkerville. Sounds like you guys had quite the trip! |
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ALBANY, OR
USA
588 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 08:29 AM
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glad to hear it was only a porcupine and not a skunk otherwise the results of the encounter could have been different ! |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2041 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 08:45 AM
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| Awesome trip report. Good pictures and very funny responses too. |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 8:10 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by burndug
WTH! Where did all that extra hair on your head come from Dru? It was not in evidence when we did Illusion Peak.
Right from here:
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 9:16 PM
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| Very idyllic. |
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Topic |
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Barkerville and Groundhog Lake
