2018 Alexander Mackenzie Trail, West to East

[binch]

When did you get that photo Dave?    Got the job done and got him home again....good man!

The little fire that we drove through....   It was 2 ha and considered under control.   That's before a fire started about 8km to the SSW of it went nuts!   Low duff moisture code, extreme fuel load, high temperatures and one good lightening strike very near the Home Ranch of Pan Phillips (where we considered going to circumvent the small fire) set off a 7000+ ha fire that went out of control to the NNE, consuming the little fire wen went through, and threatening Rob and Linda's place and not to far off from the Lamberts homestead too.

It won't be long before the majority of the trail will be burned over from one end to the other.

I do hope the best for the three families ???

[Red90]

8000 hectares....

[binch]

Well that looks like it's very close to the Lambert Homestead then.     He's cleared things around his building so they are are far enough from the woods to be saved..... if the embers don't get them.    Hopefully he won't loose too much out there.    Hard to say if the fire went far enough to the east to get Rob and Linda's place....but the north fire boundary almost looks like it's following either the AMT or the Blackwater River.     :-\

[binch]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   >:(

Just spent a pile of time typing up the next installment only to get timed out and thrown off....where's a FBH when you need one!!!!!!

I'll take another kick at the writer's cat tomorrow......when my blood stops boiling!!!!!

[binch]

Tsacha lake for a day....Then on to Messue

Now that we've gotten on the east side of the three fires that were playing havoc with our route options we could afford to take a day off and enjoy the nature that greets us.    Most of our tents were set up along the grassy shoreline, enjoying the cool breeze of the day.    It didn't take long for Jeffrey to head off for his swim and the fly rods to come out.    With our camp sitting just off a spring fed creek entering the lake it seemed like a good spot to test the waters.   Heck, it didn't matter if these guys were catching fish or not.  The idea of spending sometime casting a line just sounds like time well spent.

For me starting the day with a bar of soap and a nice leisurely soak was just the ticket!   Even the clothes on my back got a good cleaning, to get some of the ash, dirt and sweat out of them.   I'm not sure who appreciated it more...me or the mosquitos!?!?     Since Curtis and Nicole had the campsite on the tiny peninsula it only seemed natural that folks bring their camp chairs there and have good visit, along with some Brie and crackers.  It was a lazy day....a chance to clean up and service the vehicles.   After dinner we settled in around the campfire and had more laughs.   It's amazing how quickly the time flies when you aren't keeping track of it.   The sun set as a big orange ball against the smoke blowing our way from the fires.    With the loons making their last calls of the evening I turned in for a read and good sleep.

Thursday morning we were up and at 'er early, tearing down the camp, packing away the freshly filled water jugs and loading the trucks.   We were off to our next camp at Messue Wagon Crossing for another couple of nights.  Curtis tried a short cut through the lake, off the little peninsula that was their campsite.   Unfortunately he found the only soft there was and required a we bit of assistance to bring him back to terra firma.   Other then a few 'damp' items in the truck there were no problems.   Trevor lead off today with Curtis taking the second position.   The rest of us fell in line and if I'm not mistake David and Craig followed up the rear.   By 930am we were on our way up the hill from the lake. 

When we got to the intersection of the AMT and the Blackmore driveway sign Trevor decided to follow the alternate route up the Blackmore driveway.  The trail was clear, bordered with an aspen/spruce/pine mix.  So far the pine beetle hadn't done quite as much damage here...yet.   About 1.5km up the trail the trees opened up to a large tidy farm, with rail fences, sheds and the obligatory tractor or dozer parked out of the way but still in view.    As we rolled to a stop I could see an older gentleman coming up from the log farm house to greet us.    This would be Jim Blackmore (not sure on the last name).   Soon after came his son Troy and grandson Wes, who we had met back in 2015 when they came down to the lake to see what trucks were making all the noise (5 defender tdi's).     Troy looked much like he did on our last visit but I didn't recognise Wes at all.   He was about 13 or 14 in 2015 but the young man standing in front of us was a stranger ahhahhahah.    We went through the introductions of everyone, which I'm sure ended up being "hey you #1, hey you #2, hey you #3, etc" by the time we were all done.

We stayed and had a short chat, explaining what we knew about the fires behind us and the neighbors to the west of their property.   The smoke was getting thicker and the winds were picking up so we know the flames where being fanned into life for the day.   Looking over their farm they had a very good clearing between them and the forest line.  They wouldn't be seeing any flames up to the buildings, but the embers from the fires would need to be watched carefully.   

Having said our farewells we were off down the trail again making pretty good time even with the dead fall on the trail that required clearing.  It was a bit thicker but it was being cleared quickly by the team.  For the most part the trail was in the thick of the woods, with the odd small lake popping into view through the trees.   About 10km along the trail the Kushya Creek starts to parallel the trail on the south side, and in places the trail was the creek.  But since the water levels were down so much at this time we only had some wet soil and the odd little puddle.   Much different from the previous two trips. 

Just before we got to the Messue Wagon Trail we had to cross the Kushya River....not a big river by any means but this time it was barely more then a creek about a foot deep.   Tall wet grass on each side of the trail and a mine field of large rocks to navigate through, constantly trying to find a good line for you differentials.   Cameron was driving Jeffrey D110 CSW in front of us.   For a self proclaimed "inexperienced driver" he was going a pretty good job.   The BFG AT's on the truck did an adequate job with only the odd 'love tap' from a rock on the crossing.    Another couple of kilometers we found the intersection of the Messue Wagon Trail and turned north.   At one time this trail was the main route out to the town of Vanderhoof (nearest airport and major services) for the residence of Kluskus Village.  This route is slowly being replaced by the high grade logging haul roads coming into the area from the south.   Because this route was important to the locals, and travelled frequently it was kept relatively clear.   

We began the 100m decent down the hill to the river over a twisting and winding trail.  For the most part it was not too bad.   The last section, just off the south shore of the river, had bit of a mud hole as the trail was confined to a space between some large spruce trees.   One by one the crew got through the mud hole with few difficulties and proceeded across the ford, through the labyrinth of islands.    This was the first good size crossing...but with the waters down it was only mid thigh deep.   Walking the river first was less of a chore then a pleasure as the water was cool, clear and welcoming.    With pictures taken and video footage gathered everyone enjoyed the little adventure.   Once on the north shore we found the old campsite used back in 2006 was heavily overgrown and not very appealing this time around.   There was a nice meadow there so Trevor had the lot of us wait while he and Mark scouted ahead to look for a good place to camp.  And did they ever!    A great spot about 15' up off the Blackwater River, but right along the shore.  A clearing about 20' deep offering a wonderful breeze of the water and good respite from the mosquitos.

Setting up the camp was a bit more of challenge this time.....  Mark and his trusty chain saw were trying to clear a spot in the trees for the kitchen but the chips from his saw started to go up instead of down, and they changed colour from off white to yellow and black.    Now we're not sure if he realized they were yellow jackets before they stung the rim of his ear or just before that.   But let's just say the expletives were colourful!    The kitchen was moved into more of a clearing, using a couple of trees and a couple of landies for tie downs.

I think it was about 4pm or so and our camp was up.   It wasn't long before people were heading into the water with the fly rods, and they were biting now too!    Squaw fish and Rainbows.    Jeffrey found a honey hole and over manage to land a few good size fish which would become a breakfast soon after that.    Dinner around the fire was filled with fishing stories, rules and regs and questions about legal size to keep.    Lots of fun there!!!!!   We went to bed with smiles on our faces and full bellies!

Friday morning began with the clang of a coffee pot and the clatter of fishing gear.   People slowing got out of bed and we began another rest day at the Messue Wagon Crossing.    Orville did his magic at breakfast and we just enjoyed the day.   I watch Jeffrey and Craig walk up the river, fishing as they went.    The view was right out of the movie 'The River Runs Through It' but neither of them resembled Brad Pitt or Robert Redford :-)    But let me describe the picture....   A dark water river winding gently over three shallow steps or gravel bars, the water reflecting the suns light.   Tall spruce trees encroach on both banks giving the impression of a dark, narrow corridor that the river runs down.   In the middle is a lone fisherman standing in knee deep drawing his fly rod back and casting it forward.   The light coloured, heavy line arching as he works the fly to the hole he's aiming for.     I don't know if anyone took a picture but it sure would have been a good one.   As it is this one will be imprinted in my memory for the rest of my days.

Jeffrey took a couple of tumbles out in the river giving his knew cap a very good goose egg.   But it didn't seem to bother him anymore a day or two later.  This was probably one of the best camping spot on the trip.   Steaks for dinner and a couple of Curtis' Squaw fish cooking on the hot rocks that lined the fire.  Yup...that was a good camp that was!

Saturday morning we broke camp early as we had a good distance to travel to our next spot near the washed out Bridge.....and more adventure.

Here are the maps for this section:

Tsacha Lake section
AMT_Detail4of7 by ALRE Club, on Flickr


Messue Wagon Crossing section
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/43067476535/in/album-72157696878170222/

To be continued.........

[Matt H]

Sounds like a real adaventure. Thanks for the write up guys.

[binch]

oh no...stand by there.....We still have more to come!!!   But I won't be continuing until tomorrow.   But now we have pics to add   ;-)

cheers, Bill ;D

[B-Red]

The fire map from BC shows the whole area red under state of emergency. I guess who ever charts the trail next time will have to get really busy with the timber.

[Rabbit91]

Our trip for next week is obviously cancelled, the fire hasn't touched the trail yet but it's so close. Guess it's time to start planning for next year.

[binch]

Our trip for next week is obviously cancelled, the fire hasn't touched the trail yet but it's so close. Guess it's time to start planning for next year.

If you mean "not touching the AMT" you'd be wrong there.    C11594 Tsacha Lake fire (2 ha)  had already crossed the trail when we were there.   We drove through the mop up sections on from the west and east flanks.  That was across the trail about 1/2 way between Lamberts and Phillips homes.   About a week later C11837 Shag creek fire (8000+ha) went right over the area burned by the Tsacha lake fire burning up a good chunk of the forest between those two properties.    I don't believe their homes have been hit yet as they are well set back from the forest and I imagine they've been painted red by the retardant bombers by now.

Mean while the Nazko Rd is running up the west flank of C12328 Blackwater River fire (4500ha), separated only by the Blackwater River at this time.   Neither the Shag Creek fire nor the Nazko Rd fire are being actioned on the ground, so they are still considered "out of control.

G41607 Chutanli Lake fire (10600ha) is east of the Messue Wagon trail (which connects into the Haul Roads leading out to Vanderhoof.   That road is likely closed now....so most of the traffic on the east side of the AMT in that area has little or no access.   

Postpone your trip for until late august or early sept and you should be able to access the area again.   And since our crew has cleared out most of the downed timber for this year you will have a very little to slow you down.    If you wanted to push it I think the trail could be done in as little as 5 or maybe even 4 days. 

A good portion of the trail has been burnt over now so it's a very different landscape from previous years.   But the more recent fires (last year) have already got lots of ground cover vegetation.   And the less recent fires (2 to 6 years) have got lots of small pine and poplar growing up in the area already.    The water crossing were very low this year as they just haven't had the precipitation they need.    Bog areas are very easy to cross right now too.

So if you can....just put the trail off for a bit and watch the fire situation.   The season can still be salvaged. ;)

[binch]

The fire map from BC shows the whole area red under state of emergency. I guess who ever charts the trail next time will have to get really busy with the timber.

Don't sweat the small stuff.....it won't be nearly as bad as the pine beetle kill stuff!!!!

[binch]

Messue Wagon Crossing to Kluskus Creek Ford, day 6

The Messue Wagon Crossing campsite was second to none and I think I can safely say that it was well worth the stay there.   But one note I forgot to mention......There were two flat tires on this trip, which is quite remarkable compared to the 5 or 6 we had in 2015.   I think it was on our way to the Messue camp that Trevor noticed his two week old right rear tire was getting a bit soft as we were driving along.   He thinks he may have driven over a piece of metal back at the Tsacha Lake camp.  The leak was small so he was able to add some air and get himself to the camp where he could repair it with a plug.   We'll tell you about the second flat soon.....

It was a foggy morning with the dew staying close to the river valley bottom, holding the smoke from the forest fires down there with it.   Folks took their time taking tents down as flies didn't want to dry off in any great hurry.   So we set about having breakfast.....Once again Orville was on his game, and getting the rest of the gear packed up.    It seem to get harder leaving these nice two night sites for some reason ahhahha!   We got the tents packed up and the last thing to come down was the portable outhouse.   Curtis stepped up and offered to assist in this....the least enjoyable job in the camp.   As we drove away all we left behind was our campfire ring and some flattened grass, which will recover soon after were gone.

In true land rover fashion the group decided to try and follow the more direct trail to the Pan Meadows Crossing.   So we continued on the Messue Wagon trail north to the intersection going up the hill, and we turned east to follow the trail for a little less then a kilometre or so.   This was going to be a first for us as there were no indications in any of the forums of people using this trail, that any of us knew about.    As it turned out this trail was very over grown and chalk a block full of downed trees on it, appearing to be the much slower option to the main trail through to the Kluskus Village further down river and a bit more to the south.   So about face we went, back tracking up the same trail we used to access the Missue Wagon Crossing.

It didn't take long at all to get back on the AMT and because this section was used more by the locals to access the Haul Roads north to Vanderhoof it was cleared of logs more frequently...that's good for us!    So we were making good time now.   As we got closer to the west end of West Kluskus Lake we did notice the trail was getting wetter.   Not from precipitation but from creaks and wet areas that just didn't drain real quick.   And the mud had a good rocky bottom so there was no sinking up to you axles in mud here.   But you did have to pick your route well as some of the rocks just loved "kissing" you differentials!    And the tell tale signs of civilization were plan to see.   Abondoned trucks and tractors could be seen along the trail.   Some with numberous bullet holes in them, insuring they were put down humanly ;-)
This area was mostly spruce/aspen mix with several small open areas along the trail.   By noon we come out at the clearing on the edge of Kluskus Creek where the water slowed and formed a small pond.    The first thing you notice was how green with algae the water was.   The lack of depth and green colour indicated that water wasn't moving through this area very quickly at all at this time.  More indications of the dry conditions in this country.    Since we had a good clearing and a ford to cross by foot before we drove it, we made this our lunch stop.  While Orville and I waded out into the water looking for safe passage from large rocks that could hang us up, the rest of the group broke out the food and checked out the remanants of a camp that had once occupied this spot.   Large wooden boxes for storage, poles still tied nd used for supporting a large wall tent or tarps now lay on the ground ready to be erected again at anytime.   The outhouse was still in good condition and was utilized by the group.   The temperature now had risen to a comfortable 25 celcius or so, much nicer then the 30+ degrees we were seeing earlier in the week.   And with the sun reaching higher in the sky the breeze was picking up , faning the fires and blowing the smoke higher in the sky again.   But still...this was a good spot for lunch.    In 2015 we had trouble finding the truck trail to this point and ended up on the footpath, on the north side of the creek from the Kluskus Village.   Definitely not a route for the faint of heart as the steep side slope ends in the water itself.

After a nice casual lunch we packed up our trucks and headed for the ford that would take us to the south side of Kluskus Creek and onto the Haul Road that would take us the 400m north into the Kluskus Village.    Once we crossed the bridge into the village we turned east again to follow the trail along the lake.  We kept our speed down here to minimize the dust we were kicking up and to not startle the horses left to roam in the meadow.    It was funny seeing the horses all standing beside each other, completely covered in dust and alternating head and tail.   That way they could keep the bugs down on their faces and butts! 

We followed the trail along the north shore of the lake, passing the shrine type grave of one of the village elders who passed away back in 2014 or so.   There was a white rail fence around a white and light blue house type structure.  Not large at all...just big enough for the body or casket.    A very peaceful place to rest.    The area along the shore was scattered with larger spruce and aspen trees.   A few of them needed clearing and required a bit more 'herump' to move the logs.    I wasn't long before we came into another burn area.  This region has been hard hit with the pine beetle for years now, with entire pine forest been killed off by the fungus associated to this bug.   So monther nature cleans up with a good burn!

Most of what we have to clean up here is dead fall from beetle kill, but there was some charred logs that needed clearing as well.   It was along this section that we found a large spruce tree down across the trail with the word 'STOP' carved into it with a chainsaw.    We weren't sure if that was where someone stopped or if someone was trying to imbark a little wisdom on us.   But since we had 6 saws, loads of saw gas and chain oil, and 12 people we ignored that log, cut it into pieces an removed the obstacle from our path!!!!
This is what the rest of our day would be..clearing fallen logs from the trail....  But the saws rang out and folks put there heads down and got the job done, making good distance as well!  There was a good few kilometers of this stuff to cut through.    I don't exactly remember where but it was but I was up on tail gate of my truck, getting some saw gas and cutting oil out when I stepped down of the truck.  Unfortunately I found the only rock in the area to land on with my left foot and rolled off of it.   That was the end of my running around for the trip.   It turned black and blue on each side and began to swell.   But nothing went "crack" or  "pop" and had to take it easy on that foot from then on.   

After a few hours of the cutting the east Kluskus Lake came into view and slowly drew closer to the trail, eventually bringing the two together.    There used to be a bridge crossing the Kluskus Creek here but it been washed away some years back, leaving only the odd bit of stone grip to let you know a bridge had been there before.   The ford to cross this section of the creek was just south of where the bridge was, with the shallow water on the west bank and the deeper water on the east bank.   But with the water being down a good foot or two it was an easy crossing for the landies.  One by one they cross the creek and climbed the bank on the far side.    Since this fire had happened only a year or so ago it was difficult to recognise the landscape.... everything appeared so different!  Once we got our bearings we were back on the trail again.

It wasn't even 200m along before we came to the old abandon homestead we'd camped at in 2015.   Back then there were a couple of old, sorry looking log buildings and a meadow.   At the bottom of the gentle slope there was what looked like a bog or marshy area, thick with alder and willow bushes.   A small creek ran up agains the edge of the pasture.    This time it was different!  The building were all gone...  The forests were gone....  The pasture was almost gone.   The alder and willow brush along the creek was all burnt away, with new growth or scattered survivors left.   In the middle of the pasture were two large, bare ash piles which once were buildings.   The odd nail or metal cup giving the only clue of what it might have been once before.

But this was going to be our home for the night so up went the tents, the cook shelter was built between Trevor's and Jeffrey's roof racks and dinner was started.   Now...you remember when I said there was another flat tire...?   Well it was in the right rear tire of my 110 (yup, same tire as Trevor's...I'm a groupy I guess).   Somewhere along the trail it looked like a small, fire hardend branch had gone through the edge of the tread (and belt) into the tire.   While I had air in the tire I got the jack out from under the passenger seat (which was full of wet mud....don't know where that could have come from) and got the weight off the tire before it could go flat.  I also got out the tool box, air compressor, Tire repair kit, and wheel wrench.   Now I had a general idea of how to do it but I hadn't actually done one yet.   So, under the expert tutelage and watchful eye of the 'big guy' I got Trevor to guide me through the process.    Not really very difficult but threading the tacky, rubber plugs into the awl was a bit tricky to start.    Having repaired the tire and pumped it up to check if the fix holds air, we left it for the night.

With the kitchen up dinner was started....It was pulled pork on a bun I think.....with freshly made apple sauce.    Mmmmmmmmm!    While waiting for dinner I collected Trevor's and Mark's chain saw's and gave them a well deserved sharpening....they needed it!   All this time folks were making their way down to the stream to get cleaned up for the night.  Washing off all the sweat, dirt, ash and dust!   The water in the creek was relatively clear and it felt good to get cleaned up again!   

After dinner I turned in so I could put my foot up for a bit as it was getting sore.   Jeffrey came by with a couple of advils ('one now and one in the morning') as well as a tensor sock, to help keep the swelling down.   The sock did it's job well but at one time I had to move it as it was beginning to cause more grief then relief.   It wasn't long after that Jeffrey came back with a piece of chocolate Zuccini Loaf for desert.   I had a couple of bites and saved the rest for breakfast ;-)

I don't know what the rest of the group did for the rest of the evening but I'm sure it involved gathering around a lovely campfire and having a good social of it.  The gang worked very hard and accomplished lots that day, and so far they have had a great adventure.  But tomorrow was really going to test their metal.

First leg from Messue Wagon Crossing east
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/30104294528/

Second leg arriving at Kluskus Creek Camp
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/42163912220/

To be continued.......   

[binch]

Kluskus Creek Ford to Kluskoil Lake Camp, Day 7

Like every morning of this trip the day started with the clatter of the coffee pot being put on the stove to brew up the first pot of the morning.   Once folks heard that sound it became a race for the caffine junkies to get some of the first batch.   From that moment on each morning the camp slowly came to life with people packing up there gear, the kitchen kicking into gear and the odd solemn march to a lonely corner of the woods (with a book of course) for a morning constitutional.    The tent flies were damp with dew that morning and the sun rose as dull pink ball in the easter sky.   There wasn't much for a breeze yet but we all knew that would come eventually.

The Rainbow Trout the guys caught back at Messue Wagon camp were on the menu for breakfast.  Jeffrey used some butter and some of his homemade spice mix and the end product was very tasty indeed.   Having the ARB fridges with us sure was nice for keeping things like the fish as fresh as we could.  Once breakfast was done the gang set out to tear the camp down.    I had a tire to check, to see that my plugs were holding air.   And they did just that.   The last structure of ours to come down at each camp was the "Loo"....Craig and Avrum volunteered for that job this time around.

Once we had all the gear loaded up into the trucks we were on our way once again.   The burn area we came into the day before was to conture through the area for sometime yet.    There wasn't a lot to clear from the trail for the first few hundred meters but slowing that changed.  About 1500m along we came to an area known as Sandyman Meadows.   The trail forked here with the normal route bearing off to the east through a boggy area.   There was another trail following the base of the hill bearing off to the north here.   On the GPS the north leg looked like it would cross the Blackwater river and join up with the AMT hiking trail on the north shore.   This would inturn meet up with the wagon trail we were aiming for.    Once again the land rover spirit took over and off we pressed...heading north, cutting our way through the dead and down trees that blocked our route.

We continued on this route for another couple kilometers in the burn and as we got closer to the river the burned area became a healthy forest that was spared the previous year's fire.   The gang cleared downed trees from the trail for a most of the morning until we arrived a clearing along the river, with several boats pulled up onto the show.   There were there waiting for the next time their owners want to cross.   By now the two gravity filters we purchased from MEC were failing so we had to be a bit conservative with out water consumption now.   

With all of us at the shore looking at a pretty wide bit of water we had to find out if it was a good place to ford or not.  Those boats were the first hint.    I looked back at Orville and asked "If I get soaked out there walking across will I be allowed back in the your disco...?"   I don't remember hearing an answer to that question....even after the laughter settled down.    Since David was driving my 110 I asked if he would be willing to give it a go.    With a big grin his reply was a simple "Sure!".    I didn't want to tell him about the puraanas, crocodiles or hippos that filled these waters...it would only scare him off!    Okay, okay.....so we don't have any of those.   It did get you thinking didn't it!?!

David dawned his river crossing gear and proceeded to walk out into the water.   Up to the shins, then the knees, then the mid thigh, then the waist, then mid chest and then he was under..and he was only a third of the way across.    Well that answers that....we weren't crossing here!!!!!    David made it to the far shore, read the sign on the tree there and had a look for the trail that was suppose to travel along that shore.    Once again we'd run into a deadend.   As David returned to the south shore again that big grin was still on his face and he added "that was a really nice swim!".   Since he had been out front cutting the past few hours I can imagine it was nice break ;-)   

There wasn't a lot of room to turn all of us around so we did the best we could, making our way back to the fork in the trail at Sandyman's Meadows.   Craig and David had already had a look over this area as we went by the first time.  Orville and I joined them at the meadow and we walked the various channels in the creek as well as through the tall grass, looking for a suitable route through.    Craig and David seem to have found a pretty good option and so we sent David on through in my 110.   Eazy Peazy!!!!    One by one the trucks made it through.   Curtis and Jeffrey had a little bit of trouble making it through one spot so we winched them through.   There was a clearing just beyond where we crossed the wet area and then the trail came back into view.    The hillside ahead of us, once covered with lush green timber the entire area was now burnt.   Only standing, blackened timber and ash could be seen up the entire hill as far as we could see, letting us see all the terrain that lay in our path.

In 2015 you could see more then a 100m through the trees and the pine beetle had left lots for us to clean up then.  Now, it was just ashes, fireweed, Indian paint brush, poplar and other weeds, beginning the new cycle of life for this forest.    We continued on the trail up the hill and through a narrow gully to start, before opening up to a slope falling off to our left (north).  Progress was slow and steady as we cleared debris from the trail.   I recognised this area but now I could see a long distance through the burnt out timber.   There was a picturesque water fall some 80 or 100' tall about 400m off to the north.  It was quite the site to see and having passed it on previous trips we had no idea it was even there!?!?   We were now seeing signs of harvesting in this area now which was good as we were heading toward the main haul road and our next water crossing at Pan Meadows.   Once we are on top of the hill we found the haul road we were looking for.  Trevor had this route on his GPS and we slipped our transfer cases into high range and off we went, looking for the clear cut that ate so many of our tires in 2015.   It wasn't 15 minutes before we pulled into the spot were we stopped for lunch on our last trip.    There were lots of blue berries and raspberries too.....plenty for all,to add to our lunch.   

With lunch done it was time to make some distance.   But the challenge was to find the trail through the fire hardened stumps that eat tires!    I got out front of the lead vehicle and was able to see the beaten path through the brush and regeneration growing through the area.    Being close to the ground and travalling slowly it was much easier to see the tracks.   It didn't hurt to have Trevor behind me confirming that we were indeed following the previous track.  Once out of the clear cut area and into the burned timber beyond we started to see things we recognised.    Two creeks, one with some big rocks on the west step out of the creek bed were there...but no water this time.   From the spot we had our lunch until we crossed the river we were clearing trail.  Paying the toll as we go.

We made good time here again and came on to Pan Meadows, on the south shore of the Blackwater river.    We had moved a considerable distance down stream from a few days ago but the water level wasn't much higher here.   In fact it looked like it could be down as much as 1 to 2 feet in depth.     I walked the river again looking for large rocks to avoid, with the water never going passed mid thigh.    My ankle really enjoyed to cool water soaks in the river....but not the slippery, rounded rocks on the bottom.   Once across I called Trevor and his Camel Trophy over.  One by one they came across, the odd diff kissing a rock.   But the landies made short work of this obstacle.   A short climb up the hill and we found the trail that "T's" off both W and E.  Everybody turned east, except Jeffrey and Cameron.   They decided to be different and turned west.   Once they realized they were alone the rejoined the group on the east leg.

By now we were only a couple of kilometers west of the western boundary of Kluskoil Lake Provincial Park.  This area showed some signs that the trail had been cleared but there was still plenty new logs left to do.   We had a good 8km or so of trailt to clear and the saws were showing signs of wear.   Curtis' saw last his on off switch when the tab was knocked off by the pull cord on it's recoil, but he sorted a way to start it and stop it using a small blade or something.   Mark's lost his oil filler plug but he used a piece of branch and some electrical tap to make up a plug that would do the job.    At one point Trevor asked me to break out the Binford 9000 (my 60cc saw) and send it up with David.    Orville's saw need a quick onsite sharpening too.   We had 4 good size saws going and two three smaller ones going too.   It sounded like a proper logging operations from days gone by!!!   I don't quite recollect where it was....I think maybe when we reached the west end of Kluskoil Lake or so, but the cutting seemed to stop and the trail was clear sailing now.   And it couldn't have happened soon enough as we were losing our daylight now.   Next thing we know the trucks are racing along the track like a bunch of rental horses heading back to the barn for the night.   I was driving Orville's disco 11 a this point and it was the only time I haven't been able to keep up with Jeffrey's 110?!?!    Following up the rear was David and Craig in my 110.   We were now driving by headlights and though we could see lots infront of us there was NO lateral visibility...you had to remember what you saw and hope you missed the obstacles hahhaha.     

Today we had managed to cover enough ground that would normally take two days to travel!!!!   This was mostly out of necessity rather then choice as we couldn't find an earlier campsite.    Next thing we know we were passing the westerly access trail to the Kluskoil Lake campsite, but the trail was marked off as closed.   I found that very strange as it was the better of the two access trails down to the lake and the campsite.   So we followed the bypass to the easterly access trail and down to the lake we went.    This last section of trail is the rockiest!  So you had to sacrifice speed for safety and comfort.   

I don't know what time we rolled into camp but I think it was about 10 or 11pm before we were setting up camp.   There were outhouses here so that was one job we didn't need to do.    The fire was set up quickly and tents even quicker.    The gang did an amazing job clearing the trail and keeping the  group moving.  We had some of the biggest logs on the trail that day, some easily reaching 16" or 20" in diameter.   It was a fantastic effort applied to a Herculean task but they put out that day and it payed off.   We all had a little bit to eat and drink but it wasn't long before people started turning in. 

We were now a mere half day's drive to the Titetown water crossing, which represented the end of the trail for us.   But we still had one day left to get off the trail.....

Kluskus Creek camp to Kluskoil Lake camp
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/30235937498/in/dateposted-public/



To be continued...... 

[Matt H]

Great stuff Bill! Keep it come coming.

[binch]

Kluskoil Lake Camp to Titetown Crossing and Out, Day 8/9 (last 2 days)

We woke up monday morning with no other sense of urgency except to get some of the first pot of coffee.   This camp is still in the BC Kluskoil Lakes Provincial Park.   The camp is located on the north shore of Klukus very near the outlet to the Blackwater River.  It was originally a private property with a couple of cottages and a dock, but was returned to the parks a few years back, to be used for camping.   

We have now completed 99% of the AMT trail travelling west to east, across the Cariboo Forest of BC and we only had a half days trail driving left to get out to the Forest Servic Road now....approximately 18km.   With all the effort put in on day 7 we had managed to cover two days of trail in one long day.   The intent was to find a clearing on the west Kluskoil lake and camp there...but we didn't see one so the group pressed on.   This section of trail laying before us sees the heaviest usage from locals so we expected it to be well worn and mostly cleared of trees.  An easy day out if not a bumpy one!   

One by one the group stirred awake, falling into the rhythm they had developed over the past week of packing their sleeping gear and tents.   Coming out of the tent the and looking at the lake before me I could see a heavy green coat covery the water near the shore, algae bloom run amuck.    A good indication that the flow of water through this area had slowed signicantly this year.    That didn't stop people from going down to the water to clean themselves up!   Cutting our way through all that timber, including the burnt areas, left folks looking "well worn and put away wet".    A bar of soap and a little green water.....?   Huh!.....it's an "irish spring" soap commerical in the making. (LOL).   

Since we were at least a day ahead of time getting off the trail we had a bit of extra food, some of it perishable.    So Orville went wild in the "kitchen" and came up with a good breakfast of pancakes with raspberries and hamburger with roasted peppars.   We took our time getting the camp cleaned up and I think we departed at a very respectable 10am or so.   

One by one the loaded landies began the back track up the rocky hill we came down late the evening before.  Everyone was in a good mood as they know knew that most of the difficult part of trail was behind us now, and we had one more water crossing left ahead of us.   Climbing up from the lake, back to the main AMT was slow going as this trail had seen much of the soil between the large racks get warn away with heavy use.   It was first and second gear all the way up, keeping a good grip o the 'O_ S_ _T' handle  all the way.   It took a good half hour to get back on the AMT again.   Once we found the intersection we bared off to the north and the quality of the trail slowly began to improve.   The forest here hadn't see the fires yet but they were also changing.   We started to find see small pockets of large Douglas Fir trees.   When this area was orginally logged out the really big firs would have all been taken out and the smaller, less commercially desireable trees were left behind.    Those trees left behind were now the dominant trees that stood before us now, and would be responsible for the younger seedlings, saplings and small fir trees that are slowing taking over the area again.   There were a lot more big poplars here as well, with stumps easily measuring 18" plus in diambeter.   But these big trees are short lived and you could see the signs that they were nearing the end of their lives.  They were starting to come down on their own and small pocket meadows were openig up where they stood before.  It's the spruce and fir that will take over here... if left to their own.     

You know you're not too far off from civilization when you start finding newer model vehicle abondoned along the trail.   There was a red Dodge 1/2 ton with an extended cab just like that....riddled  with bullet holes (must have looked like a moose or deer hahaha), it's windows smashed out and a bit picked over.   It's unlikely that truck will ever be removed.    This section of trail had a few more wet muddy areas we found, but all very passable.   

We we making very good time again, now that most of the big saws have been put away.   As our group was nearing the area where we would find the final crossing we began a small descent on a hill.   There were a bunch of treees that had fallen across the trail here so someone had established a bypass of the obstruction.   As Trevor made his way around the obstacle he went over a piece of wood, kicking up the free end and driving it up through the floor board, right at the front edge of the seat box.    I didn't see it happen but I'll bet he 'shreiked like a little girl' as the thought of losing any chance at offspring flashed before his eyes.....and legs!!   You'll have to ask Trevor and Mark for a play by play of the event.

Typical....anytime a land rover opens it's hood a meeting is called and everyone shows up ;-)     This was no exception......   Trevor, Mark, Curtis set about to removing the piece of wood and mending the damage to the floor panel and seat box base.   We got lots pics to show the culprit and the damage.   As we sat waiting we could hear the faint sounds of ATV's coming our way.

As Trevore and crew were making repairs to the Camel Trophy a group of 6+/- big quad atvs showed up, many of them hauling large trailers.  Turns out they were out to do some fishng and were heading to where we started from.....the Eliguk Lake Fishing Camp.   But we were now blocking their path and weren't going to be moving until the repairs were made.   They stopped to chat for a bit but were in a hurry to put down miles themselves, so they got out their chainsaws and began cutting out the obstruction from the original section of trail we were bypassing.   I have to admit they had two of the cutest little chain saws I'd every seen!!!!   The one saw weighed no more the 6lbs and had an over all lenth (including bar and motor) of maybe 18".   Not a bad saw for very light work, but they would have had fun on the trail we had just been on....if we hadn't been on it and cleared it out for them!   Hopefully they made it wide enough for a vehicle and not just a quad.   But needless to say we saved them a pile of work on the trail.    You might be interested to know that they didn't make it through to Eliguk Lake as they were turned back at Rob and Linda Phillips Lodge, just west of Tsacha Lake, but the 8000ha fire that had growing over the trail between the Phillips lodge and the Lambert homestead.

It took the better part of an hour to get the bent metal sorted on the footwell of the Camel Trophy but it was good enough to get Mark and Trevor home again.   So off we went!   I'm not sure but I don't think it was more then an hour before we came out to the south shore of the Titetown crossing.   This is where the waters of Euchiniko lakes and river flow in to long Titetown lakes at a narrows, where there's a gravel bar shallow enough to allow vehicles to cross safely.   Once we crossed this ford we came to the camping area over looking the lake and mostly occupied by a fleet of pick up trucks and car haulers of biblical size.   The must have belong to the fellas with the quads.   We stopped at this point to air up our tires again to highway pressures,  secure away any loose gear left for quick access on the outside of the vehicles and most importantly....LUNCH!!!   The quarter master's truck (aka Jeffrey and Cameron's 110 CSW) opened up and layed out a fine spread of cheeses, cold cuts, cookies and fruit for all to enjoy!   We had a leisurely lunch before heading to the official end of the trail a couple of kilometers, where it meets up with the Batnuni road.

As predictied we got to the Big AMT sign that indicated the official east end of the trail so we were as good as done now!!!!  We took the standard congratulatory photos and and decided on the plans for our "extracation to swivellization".    We were all going to Quesnell to fuel up now, but Curtis and Nicoles Disco 11 had developed a battery issure at the camp or at the lunch stop at the Titetown crossing that required a boost to get their truck started.   So the lot of us made our way en masse to Quesnell.  All that was left was to make our way home via Quesnell, Prince George, McBride and then home.

We all stopped in Quesnell for fuel.   At this point Orville and David decided to do the hard push and drive all the way through to Edmonton.  Jeffrey and Cameron were going going to use the extra time they made on the trail to go down to Jasper and the Columbia Icefields, where Cameron hadn't been yet.  Glen and Avrum stayed the night in Prince George and left there 6am the next morning heading for Edmonton.    Mark and Trevor took off for McBride while Curtis and Nicole went up to "Crappy Tire"  to source a replacement battery of one of the two battery system they had that died.   Craig and I stayed with Nicole and Curtis, booking rooms at the same place Trevor and Mark had booked into at McBride.   Once Curtis had the battering swapped out we followed after Mark and Trevor.

It was a nice quite drive on the way back keeping our speeds between 90 and 100km/h.    As we took the bypass around Prince George we had luck enough to catch four CL215 water bompers coming into the PG airport, at 20second intervals.   That was kinda cool to see!   I imagine thew would in that area for quite a while as the fire season there started to get busy!!!

Tuesday morning Trevor, Mark, Craig, Nicole, Curtis and I met up for breakfast.   Curtis and Nicole still had some holiday to enjoy so now that the battery issue was sorted they were going to stay and investigate McBride before heading back to Alberta via hwy 40 I believe.   Craig, Trevor, Mark and I hit the road good and early, in an effort to try and get through the highway construction areas early on in the day as they were plaguing Jasper National Park this year.    On the way out to start the trip we got caught up in one of the ques that must have taken us an hour to get through!!!!   It would have been far shorted if we were allowed to drive along the ditches ahahhhah.   

In the end everyone returned home safe and sound, and under their own steam.     Compared to 2015 there were far fewer mechanical issues this time around.   Correct me if I'm wrong guys but I can remember these:

Bill's 110
1 flat tire from small fire harded branch going into tread.  Plug and go.
Securing cable for rear diff guard required replacing.
CB decided to act up with bad connection internally.

Glen's 90
Accessories/cigarette plug failed limiting the use of the portable CB.

Jeffrey's 110CSW
Weld failed on his spare tire carrier.

Trevor's 110 Camel Trophy
Loose wheel bearing at Williams Lake.  Just needed snugging up.
1 flat tire from scrap of metal at Tsacha Lake camp.  Plug and go.
Log came up through floor board.   Remove, straighten & continue.

Orville's Discovery 11
One 'love tap' on the front side of  RR wheel arch.   Ignore and continue.

Nicole's Discovery 11
failed battery at end of trip.   Replace and continue.

Injuries
Bill fall down go boom.   Sprained ankle.
Jeffrey fall down go boom.   Swollen Knee.
Many, Many scraps and scratches... too many to count.

How did the Equipment do?   
Water filters were not up to the job of filtering 15 to 20 gal at day.  Filters plugged up after less then 200 litres.  Not even close to the 1500lts advertised by MEC.   Returned for refund and will consider ceramic filter next.
Chainsaws... We had lots of chainsaws and we used them all.  We found small pruning saws are not suitable for this sort of work.   Lots of fuel and saw oil too.   Vise was handy for sharening chains.
Common camp gear like kitchen and tarps worked very well and kept loads down.    We brought and exhaust jack but didn't really need it this time around.   But it was VERY handy on the 2015 trip.   The 3 ARB fridges worked out very well this trip, keeping frozend items frozen and maintaining a health stock of ice for the scotch ;-)   Cooler worked well to defrost frozen items and keep other foods, but ice ran out early on trip.  Some was able to refreeze in ARB's, which helped.
Having made an equipment list we were able to reduce duplication of some heavy and bulky gear, but still be well equiped to do the job.

Well, that's what she wrote!   Overall this was a very well equipped group and the trucks well prepared.  Working very well as a team they faced every challenge head on and came through with flying colours... and big grins on their faces.  There was a bit of concern about the amount of fuel that would be required by the Discovery's V8 gas engines.  But in the end I think they did pretty good on 6 20lt gerry can's each, if I'm not mistaken.    Having one 20lt can of extra (unmixed) saw gas was a good idea, just incase it would be needed for saws or V8's.   One more adventure on the AMT completed with Land Rovers ;-)

We will post some pics and videos as they come available.

Last leg of the AMT trip map
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/43415412704/in/dateposted-public/

Final leg home map
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alre_club/42163912060/in/dateposted-public/

Participants of the adventure


The Landies that did the job