Whipsaw And Beyond - Day 2

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Happy face.

Mud!

After we tried to find the backroad to Tulameen from Wells Lake with BushPiggy, we headed back to the campground and thought it might be time to join in the fun. We grabbed the marshmallows and headed down with the others to see what was on the agenda and see what a "group camp" involved. The smells off the grill were intoxicating. There was a lot of activity as people got settled in. Gavman and his friend Raymond had just shown up with a couple Toyotas following, so there were no midnight rescue missions needed that night.

Jordy brought over some chairs and we sat down for a bit, me with my marshmallows all set to roast over those coals that looked so perfect. Bruce had the grill set over the campfire with a pan full of perogies that had onions in them but one thing was missing: garlic. The finishing touch to the perfect meal that he was making. He pulled out the biggest container of garlic I've ever seen. Would have lasted us about 2 weeks!

I sat down and put the marshmallow on its stick and indulged in that delicacy of all delicacies. It's perfect when you take the marshmallow and just slightly burn the top layer then wrap your lips around it and slowly take it off and underneath it's warm and gooey - where the whole marshmallow is starting to slowly melt off the stick. And then you repeat the cycle again by thrusting it back into the coals to toast that inner layer.

We continued to visit and get to know people and had some good laughs. As the night slowly came on, the Blood Collectors were less noticeable. The generator was turned on and much to my surprise I didn't even notice it (I was impressed at how non-intrusive it was) the lights quietly glowed. Craving a bit of togetherness, Jordy and I escaped to our Shaugnessey division camping location. Then at 2 am I heard some commotion so it was likely a good thing we were a bit away so we could sleep.

Morning came upon us too soon, but then we discovered the 2 AM adventure that we missed out on! It was an argument about tire pressures. We don't know if perhaps it was the Silly Bugger Juice that was speaking or if it was another influence but a solid debate started up regarding tire pressure. Well, being that we were in the land where pheremones run strong & testosterone can impact even the sanest of those that otherwise would just step aside, the competition was on and things had to be proven. A contingency of Bushpiggy, Swampbugg, Kona & Kevin...well, I can't really say any more, except that the lower PSI did win.

Falcon Hill.

It was then time to pack up (after Jordy and I found a beautiful place to put the next Geocache - we placed 4 through Whipsaw to be activated next year) and head out and towards Falcon hill. We left by about 10:45 am, passing another small lake along the way. Another neat sight you'll see is an abandoned Scout, it's been there for years, and is taking a beating as more and more abusive people come through. We made it to the bottom of Falcon Hill about 30 minutes later.

The puddle before Wells Lake.

Twenty-two trucks climbing up Falcon Hill wouldn't make for a quick run but, surprisingly, it was only about 35 minutes from start to end. Everyone made it up it safely. Funny how after living a lifetime of being in these backwoods you never tire of it. Growing up like this you take for granted that a vehicle can go anywhere and that there are no challenges (except the slight moment of anxiety when you think, "ummm, shouldn't there be at least 2 tires on the ground?").

Rocks!

The view.

We meandered our way towards the next beautiful meadow, wanting to find a place to do a perfect group shot with all the trucks passing a small group from the Coquitlam Crawlers going in the other direction. It was now about 12:30 pm and we all happily gathered in a row, made sure that everyone was in one piece, and took some shots. Hunter & Vic took off and scooted around us to get to Princeton to pick up a permit (temp. insurance) so Hunter could continue on for the rest of the trip.

Lodestone Lake.

All the trucks made it through until we got to the 2nd to last, Raymond's stock F150. He had done extremely well so far, but the ledge wasn't going to give him a pass. People scoped out the scene, projecting angles, figuring out winch positions. What would the best way be to get that truck up without getting on a catastrophic position? The guys stood around walking up and down the hill, looking at ways to hook up a winch. But again, men will be men and not think about what their resources are. They go with the tried and true. It takes a woman to lead those men! I also spied a child falling in up to his knees into the mud. LOL.

Kids at Lodestone Lake.

I took the tree protector and tied it around the base of the tree and we secured it to the truck. Luc then became Jordy's Winch Wench and pulled the cable down the hill to the F150 and they secured it. With the Turtle Tank in place & secured and the Winch Wench having attached the cable to the tow points, Jordy was ready. With winch remote in hand, tucked safely behind his door, they started. Slowly, deliberately & methodically, they moved the truck up through the pit and the hill.

The winch speed slowed down as the tension on the line came close to stalling the winch. We tucked the children away behind the trees, wary of the enormous strain being applied to the line. While I was shooting video, I couldn't help wondering if the line would snap and cut me in half. The winch line made a sound which worried Jordy. He examined the winch setup and discovered that there were two flat spots in the light. But there was nothing he could do about it at that point. So the winching continued. It was a relief when the F150 reached safe ground. Now, after an hour spent here, we could move on to the next amazing location, Lodestone Lake.

Turtle Home Base.

We arrived at Lodestone, which had the first official outhouse (very much appreciated by some) and applied the 4th layer of OFF for the day. We rested their, enjoying the photo opportunities, watching the fish jumping in the lake, and the children playing on the logs enjoying life as it's meant to be. But, of course, it wouldn't last. It was soon time to move towards gas, ice cream, beer refills and ice. Jordy and I scooted ahead at this time to get home quickly, taking of course all shortcuts down, figuring we'd be well ahead of the crowd to take a shower! (Yes, ok, I got to take a shower ahead of everyone with no fear of hot water running out.) Even during our May event with 150 people we never had that many trucks in our driveway at the same time; quite an amazing sight. The kids ran towards the swings and played, people sat down at the tables, and I checked on the Robins eggs. They had finally hatched, but but were still lame little pink blobs! I packed up what we needed, beer, ice, BUG ZAPPERS!

Cow!

We made our way up the valley. Jordy, being here for 44 years, tends to forget just how breathtakingly beautiful it is through here. The valley filled with rolling meadows, little side brooks, trees and deer and other animals. When you drive through something so often you start to fail to see the beauty in what lies before you. It leaves you craving to see new and exciting things. When you get to see it through the eyes of others you see it so differently. You see the amazement in those that haven't been there before. But then again that is why we miss it when we are not there.

Shea Lake.

We then came around the backside of the lake where Beast, Lone Ranger & 4Lo had arrived ahead of time. One of them had a VHF & called Jordy to make sure we were the "crew" and they joined in the convoy. We made our way through the rolling fields to the abandoned structures, structures that give but a small taste of what was here before. The meadow was amazing. There were no designated camping spots so Bruce and Sass were spoiled for choices in the meadow's expanse. We all found our spots and camp was set up.

As day 2 came to a close, people gathered, shared some laughs, and the story was to continue the next day.

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