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Vancouver, BC Canada
718 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 6:20 PM
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Stein River Valley Revisited


26 C Average Daytime 12 C Average Nightime
Distance: Trailhead - Suspension Bridge Corridor & Beyond Participant(s): Solo Number Of Days: 4 Book Partially Read: The Catcher In The Rye - JD Salinger

With a forecast favorable for backpacking without having to carry a rain jacket, I revisited the Stein River Valley for a third time as part of a 52nd birthday treat. The weather was exceptionnal, ideally dry and warm with a gentle breeze daytime and comfortably cooler at night for a good sleep. Going beyond the beer line or above the tree line was almost impossible this early in the season. That corner of British Columbia was the ideal destination without snowshoes.
The whole time on the trail and at campsites, I spent days without seeing another person, except Saturday where 2 small groups of hikers passed by while dayhiking from the basecamp. Basically, I had the whole valley to myself for 4 days, in complete solitude. I was amazed nobody showed up. I could'nt believe my luck. That's when I realized Heaven really does exist.
There were only 4 cars parked when I arrived, the same number but different vehicles where side by side when I left. It wasn't a busy week-end for the Lytton ferry workers. The water level was fair, increasing normally. The interruption of service will occur for a different reason this year.
IMPORTANT NOTICE (...and a reason for this trip report): The Lytton ferry will be out of service as of May 26th and the next 30 days for repairs and upgrades.




If a novice hiker wishes to hike the Stein River Valley, as it's never too late for a good thing, and besides several trip reports on this site, a valuable book was published recently about the area. It also includes a detailed map with the "official" campsites along the path.
On my way out, I met an interesting lady in the parking lot. She was a dayhiker, on her birthday trip too, a person of a respectable age (65+). We briefly exchanged thoughts about trails and things... I left her with this in mind: We always walk out a better person when returning from a hike.

Experienced and produced in British Columbia! |
Edited by - Tatonka on 06/06/2010 11:33 AM
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Powell River, bc Canada
2536 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 7:08 PM
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Heaven for sure,Happy Birthday!!! You already got your gift  |
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Too close to the city, BC Canada
785 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 7:37 PM
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| Were you camped at Teepee? I think my hubby and I passed you near Earl's Cabin as we made our way towards Ponderosa on Saturday ... Absolutely amazing weather! I can't believe how quiet it was... we saw more piles of bear crap [a LOT] than we saw people [maybe 10 people total]. And Happy Birthday! |
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Vancouver, BC Canada
718 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 7:44 PM
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Yeap Icevixen, I remember crossing path near Earl's Cabin. TeePee was vacant when I hiked in. So, I decided to set-up camp and dayhike upriver instead of going all the way to Cottonwood with a full pack on. Nice tattoos by the way... |
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Too close to the city, BC Canada
785 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 8:03 PM
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quote: Originally posted by Tatonka
Yeap Icevixen, I remember crossing path near Earl's Cabin. TeePee was vacant when I hiked in. So, I decided to set-up camp and dayhike upriver instead of going all the way to Cottonwood with a full pack on. Nice tattoos by the way...
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Coquitlam, BC Canada
153 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2010 : 11:08 AM
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Happy Birthday! I recently bought "Stein Valley" by G. White and its a really good book. I really want to do the Stein Valley transverse sometime in the summer, but I hear that there are some parts of the trail where trail-finding and navigation is a necessity. Because I don't have any of these skills, I don't know how I can overcome this hurdle. Maybe I should just do west coast...
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Chilliwack Canada
306 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2010 : 10:07 PM
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| The colors in your photos are so bright...love it ....I would also like to do that trail in the future....Yvonne |
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