Whipsaw And Beyond - Day 1

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Jordy on the way.

Adventures together, friendships, bonds and perhaps a bit of limerence (look it up!) would occur. One never knows quite what to expect when you get over 22 trucks together. My eyes were opened and my own epiphanies would occur about my own views and realizing just how amazing things can be; how your own views can get in the way of an amazing time, if you let them. Being this was a first for me, travelling in a large pack, it was a bit daunting and my mind interwove its own thoughts on what might happen. The Whipsaw area is my backyard and I couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that a dozen strangers were about to come tromping into my home. Luckily my overactive imagination had led me down the wrong path and my awesome other half kept prodding me to go. I'm grateful that I did and thank both him and the company we were with for helping us have the time of our lives and fulfilling a dream Jordy has had for 40 years.

It begins.

We left the cabin at about 9:10 am (running the traditional 10 minutes late) and headed towards Princeton, passing two brand new baby fawns and missing the first photo op of the trip. Of course I had been playing with the new inverter that Jordy picked up for me as a toy so I could do what I needed to: write and transfer photos. The inverter also let me run my laptop which, thanks to the magic of NMEA, I turned into a 17" GPS screen. I could now track the trail and navigate in style.

View of mountains.

• Luc (Luc)
• Raymond & his 3 kids (no user name)
• Kelly (Kranium) & Jessica (Swampbugg)
• Sam (Sam92toy) & his other half
• Nick (86extra-cab) & his dad Rob #3
• Andy (Red Army) & his other half
• Andy (R031Kona)

Our geocache meadow.

While on the way up there, if you're following our tracks, keep in mind that there are many beautiful little spurs that lead down to the streams below and offer up sites that are abandoned mines where you can still see the flicker of gold in the rocks. The same gold that offered up the fever years ago. The shafts quite often are collapsed but the babbling brooks that trickle down the stream offer water that is as cool and delicious to the taste buds and feel just as delicious as wrapping your tongue around an ice cream cone and licking at the drops that melt down the sides. Bring a bottle of wine & lay out a blanket there one day and you won't be disappointed.

Kelly and Jessica at the start.

Huff's Mine is only a few steps away from the 18 km mark and is a place of beauty. Beauty in the abandoned nature of what used to be here, shrapnel in the trees from the exploded power lines, tray upon tray of core samples, lines from the old generators. If you wander around you can find old bottles and cans, and get a good sense of what lies here. And if you listen very carefully, perhaps you'll hear the whispers of the ghosts as the wind blows gently. We took a few pictures here with Spooky (a geocaching thing) and checked on our geocache that is hidden in the area.

Jordy was allowed me my free time to re-feel the beauty of it without feeling rushed and for this I am eternally grateful. I love this area, it feels like home, like when I lived out here and we spent time gold mining at Copper Creek and backpacking in to the river's edge, where my parents would tie me to their backs and rappel down the cliffs. Rob #4 & Bob (Daddy Style) met up with us here after the huge rush of travelling over from the Sunshine Coast. We talked for a bit but again it was time to catch up with the group. We didn't want to fall too far behind.

Huff's mine.

Jordy and I had a personal plan at Dick's Cabin, one that we had salivated over for almost a year: a hike to a geocache that no one had found yet. We know that it may have been in bad form to leave the group to go on their way for a short while, but it also was the perfect opportunity for us to have alone time for the first time in weeks (no not that way silly). Time for me to feel like I was at home, with the vista's and views, the flowers & marmots. For me to be cooped up in the city with no camping, adventures or stories to write about starts turning me into a hollow shell. It makes me miserable to be stuck in a daily life surrounded by society's expectations of how you should live your life.

Huff's shrapnel.

Life is meant to be lived with passion and excitement, like the feeling of sleeping in a tent where the thunder is so close you can feel it through your entire body when it hits the ground. I needed to make the hike and feel the sense of oneness with all that was around me. We got the cache and found an amazing meadow of serenity that sees so little human interaction, a complete difference from the site at Dick's Cabin. We arrived back at Dicks Cabin to find Danny (Gavman) & family, followed by Raymond and his kids. We chatted for a bit and then set off to find the remainder of the crew.

We caught up about 30 minutes later as the remainder of the crew had found a fun little puddle to play in. We also found another amazing cabin that neither of us remembered. The puddle offered up some good old mud wrestling play for the trucks, the type of play where you can wrestle your vehicle through and not have to feel guilty. Some opted to go around but the best part was driving through where the water would come up to the floor boards and you'd wonder if you were going to end up squishing your toes in it.

It was time to kick back and enjoy the surroundings. I popped the top off a beer and I could feel the cold liquid travel down my throat just as surely as I could feel the condensation from the bottle dripping on my arm. At that point, I realized that this trip wouldn't be so bad; I was home and the group was good. They, like us, weren't going to muck up the meadows, or show any disregard for the area.

Dick's cabin.

Thirty minutes later we happened to finally make Janzen Rock. We were running a bit slower than we had hoped and Jordy wasn't able to get video of the trucks going up. We then continued on to Wells Lake. Wells Lake is a place of great beauty and blood donations. Jordy was ready to indulge in what he calls his "Silly Bugger Juice" which is a great way to take one's mind off of mosquitoes and just about anything else, for that matter.

We followed BushPiggy (Rob #1) into the campground, passing Hunter & Vic who were already there. Jordy followed right behind Rob and we got to camp about 4:40 pm. Jordy spent a bit more time with his new friends and we found a quiet place to set up our own camp. I do regret not joining in on the pot luck - next year it will be a must do. Jordy & BushPiggy opted to take off and try to do a bit of exploration. That's when Jordy realized that no, the Suburban cannot go everywhere. Sometimes the short wheel base has its benefits. Perhaps next year we'll have the Jeep and he'll let me drive!

Janzen Rock.

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