Camel Pass - South Chilcotin

Sept. 1 - 3

A tight squeeze but we needed the 4WD to see how high we could drive on the logging roads in South Chilcotin Provincial Park. We left at 10:00am so as to secure a campsite at the free first-come-first-serve Gun Creek Reservoir BC Hydro site. When we got there it was almost empty, unlike last year. But this year we were there at the end of the summer, not mid summer.

High water by Gold Bridge where Gun Lake drains into Carpenter Lake.

Almost at our campsite.

We had dinner at the Gold Bridge hotel.

Bralorne is 12 km north of Gold Bridge. Terry was excited to see a town of her childhood. The sign reads; population 9. But another sign infront of it read: 60.

The old inn. Terry lived here in Bralorne for one year when she was seven years old. It's the first time she returned to visit the ghost town. It once has a population of over 3000!

The town hall still had a working phone.

The Bralorne community hall was built in 1933 and oversaw the majority of organized community recreation. In addition to money received from the mines to construct the building, the club was financed through a monthly $1.00 levy on all mine employees who were all club members and had membership privileges to the factilities and activies operated by the club. Terry remembers going to the movies here once a week.

The church at the heart of the village is still well maintained.

Terry sitting infront of the house she used to live in. Her father was a miner here.

A few minutes farther up the road are these abandoned cookie-cutter houses. A few of them had newer roofs.

The Pioneer Mine was BC's leading gold camp, extending 100 miles underground. It operated from 1932 - 1971 and refined 3 million ounces of gold worth more than $100,000,000.00!

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Day 2: Camel Pass to Taylor Peak -- stats: 15 km / 1007m gain / 2266m high / 5:15 hours MT

No need for an alarm clock. As soon as the sun hit our tents we were up and at 'em.

Carpenter Lake.

We turned onto the road that leads to Tyax Lodge and Tyaughton Lake.

We were able to drive our FJ 2.6 km up the logging road. But after negotiating two tight spots, we parked it. From there it was another 3.5 km and 1:15 hours to the fork and beginning of the trail.

A campsite just before the High trail splits, left going to Windy Pass and right to Camel Pass.

We ended up on top of that far off orange mound in the distance.

Notice the trail leading up to Windy Pass by Spruce Peak. We'd summited Spruce Peak last year.

The orange algea on the rocks grows only in very pure air.

At Camel Pass. In the valley is the Taylor Basin where a decrepit lodge and two abandoned mines are waiting to be explored. But the cyclers we met at the summit said our FJ would be too broad for the narrow deteriorating road leading into the valley.

On the Ridge-O-Rama trail heading east.

Southwest.

West -- the "cat ears" in the distance were summited by a few in our club last year. It is Mt. Sheba Mt (2665), the highest peak in the park.

North - Nea Peak (2490) left & Eldorado (2400) on the right.

Northeast.

East - looking at Taylor Peak.

Southeast - Carpenter Lake in the distance.

Terry, Ingrid, me & Case at the summit 3 hours later.

Four shots: from north to west.

These mountains bikers just whizzed down the steep slope, which connected to the Cinnabar circuit which we'd hiked last year.

Heading back -- west.

Nea Peak with a very fresh dusting of snow.

South.

Ingrid said the soft shoulder started to give way as Case drove over it.

So I have now completed all the hikes in BC in the "105 Hikes in and around Southwestern BC" book. But I have not completed the book. That must wait till the US borders open. Then I have only 5 small hikes to do to be able to claim bragging rights to completing my second hiking book.