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 Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2039 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:18 PM
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Spent Saturday & Sunday in the Downton basin/meadows at ~2300m with my son. This morning it hailed & poured. Thundered and lighntened. For 4+ hours!!
When we came down, we successfully went by the eroded road section at around 5km. There was a mid-sized slide that went down the road, as opposed to across it not far after that. We managed to ride over that as it was all downhill. Too soft to go back up I expect.
At around 4.3km we came across this.
Ain't no driving my Xterra over that baby. So we packed a bag and made our way down the road. On foot. Bye car.
A little while later we bumped into a rock-crushing crew that was able to help. First they diverted the water flowing on to 'ganner 5' bridge. Good thing as that could of been bad for future access if the bridge went. Then cleared a smaller slide and finally the one that stopped us. Here's what it looked like after.
The upper slide that ran down the road is still there. Sorry no photos. |
Edited by - burnabyhiker on 07/15/2012 9:22 PM
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Hope, BC
Canada
7093 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:20 PM
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| Cool that you lucked out in the end, I always have fear of bolders or slides trapping me in places at times. |
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bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4646 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:24 PM
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Holy crap Chris  . Glad you two made it out ok. Nice of that crew to help out!! |
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Poco, BC
Canada
405 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:30 PM
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| Holy crap, nice run of luck, Chris! |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6768 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:34 PM
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| yikes, thats why we always pack for extra days if stranded, man, you got lucky to have those guys around. we watched as that storm blew into blowdown and wondered if you went up downton, as the system was very active on that side at around 6;30 am.we had a lighning strike ignite a s hort lived wildfire, watched the smoke rise from our tent, hoping it would not block the road out...wata day |
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Van, BC
Canada
2780 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:39 PM
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Wow, crazy - know exactly where that is. Glad you were able to get the X out of there without too much trouble!
-Ryan
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2039 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 9:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Aqua Terra
yikes, thats why we always pack for extra days if stranded
We did have blankets and stoves and enough food for one more day. But certainly hadn't really considered I may have to leave my car. Glad to have told a few people where we were going.
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Satirical photoshop junkie who frolics in the mountains of the Chilliwack River Valley
Chilliwack, BC
Canada
6895 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:12 PM
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Glad you made it out and had that crew nearby to help you out  |
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| gyppo
Intermediate Member
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Edmonton, AB
Canada
745 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:17 PM
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There are 2 bright sides to this:
-the road isn't deactivated
-you didn't have this blocking your way (stranded by avalanche in Gott creek last year - had to bring in an axcavator)
Glad you made it out ok! I saw another truck stranded behind a mudslide in Downton last year too. It sees a lot of slide activity but generally in May and early June. Surprised to see it happen in July!
B |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1602 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 10:49 PM
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| Amazing luck to have a helpful crew so close by on a weekend! |
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Outdoors addicted flyfishing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking car crooner and resident motormouth
Da'Wack, BC
Canada
5368 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2012 : 11:17 PM
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| Whew! Glad it turned out the way it did Chris. Must have made for a bit of an "oh crap" moment. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
459 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 08:17 AM
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I am sorry to hear about slides and especially if this ordeal frightened your son.
It could happened to us last weekend also but we had a dry weekend. Thunderstorms and small flush floods can cause a lot of soil erosion and damage.
Looks like we all have to count on this when we pass complicated sections going in, and make a quick decision to go back on time if possible. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
874 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 08:34 AM
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That could have been a very expensive hike.
The same thing happened to some friends of mine, about 20 years ago. They borrowed their family's brand new Suburban for a weekend hike and unfortunately a couple of creeks plus bridges blew out. They had to bring in a D8 cat to build a temporary road then drag the truck out behind it. The final bill was only slightly less than the replacement cost of the truck. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
2659 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 09:21 AM
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Man, I'd love to be a fly on the wall when S's class shares their "What I did on my summer vacation" in September!
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Vancouver
35 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 10:06 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by weedWhacker
The final bill was only slightly less than the replacement cost of the truck.
This makes me nauseous. Mountain biking from now on. |
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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 |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1602 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 10:38 AM
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| In addition to a little saw, a tow rope (and knowledge of where to attach it to your vehicle) is a great small/cheap addition to your safety kit if you drive on logging roads. It can be used to move sections of trees out of the way once you have cut them. |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2039 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 11:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dru
Even something as small as fallen tree can block you in if you don't carry a saw or axe.
We did have a handsaw. But will be packing something bigger and a shovel too next time. Good advice, thanks. |
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203 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 11:37 AM
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| Additionally I suggest a come along. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
159 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 2:07 PM
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| Whoa - we'd been planning head up there this weekend too, but the storms forecast had me worrying about something like this Glad to hear you got out OK! Carrying a saw and a shovel sounds like a really good idea now... |
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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
13436 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2012 : 8:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by aspersa
Whoa - we'd been planning head up there this weekend too, but the storms forecast had me worrying about something like this Glad to hear you got out OK! Carrying a saw and a shovel sounds like a really good idea now...
Ditto.
Lucky you had that crew nearby to help you out.
K |
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Topic |
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Downton Creek FSR slides July 15
