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Today Ethan joined me for a drive through the hills. Our goal was to explore the roads on Mt. Agassiz. To get there one had to enter via Mt. Woodside and so we set out for the FSR entrance off the highway on the lower slopes of the mountain. The initial climb to the ridge goes quite quickly as the road is in good shape and we really don’t have to go that far. About half way up there is a good view showing the beauty of the Fraser River and the valley heading west. It is an amazing view and would only get better as we gained further elevation.
As we came by the side branch leading to the launch point of the paragliders, Ethan suggested we go there first and so we did. I was easy to convince as I felt we would get better views with the sun behind us rather than in front. When we arrived we found four pilots on the site preparing to take off. We chatted with them as they each in turn launched into the scenery. I got some good shots of the pilots taking off. One of them was embarking on an 8 hour cross-country flight – across to Stave River up the lake, over to Harrison and back down!
After an hour plus on the site we set off for the rest of our day’s journey. Climbing higher we came by the fork leading to the radio repeater on the peak of Woodside and as its gate was open we started up it next. The road was a bit over-grown and the brush still leaning inward from the season’s snowfall. We got to within a half kilometer of the end before snow stopped us. So close but it is still out there causing trouble. We returned to the mainline and continued north-east. We came by the fork leading to Stacey Lake where we walked around its frozen surface back in December 2010. Today we found a string of 4x4 parked on the road with the drivers all busy fishing on the lake. We chatted with one chap who had come in from the lake as he had gotten very cold.
We backed back to the mainline and continued on our way to Mt. Agassiz. The next gate was also open and we continued along soon passing the peak of Agassiz and coming to an amazing viewpoint of Harrison Lake. Here we stopped to enjoy our lunch and the great scenery. It was lovely in the bright sunlight but soon we were getting overheated and so we continued up the road but it only went a short distance further. So we returned to the first fork and there we drove along a soggy bit of road and soon found ourselves within a few feet of the edge of Campbell Lake. We stopped at a makeshift campsite so I could gather a few photos of the lake and its reflections of the clouds above. The road continued on past the lake and so we decided to follow it. The first few hundred meters were very wet and soft but it hardened up enough for us to keep going. We continued for a few hundred meters more crossing some more swamp zones and very narrow gaps before we realized the road had narrowed to a trail and we would need to back out. This proved a bit troublesome, tight space between trees and a drop on the one side. After careful maneuvering Ethan was able to back us out and we were soon back to the lake where we could turn around.
While extricating ourselves from the tightest part, a pair of hikers came by having climbed the slope from Harrison Hot Springs. They came to see the lake and would be heading back not much after we had returned to the mainline. I can only image what they thought of our situation as they made their way past us.
The map shows that the road crosses back over the ridge of Agassiz and down the slope down to the roads below. I thought we could drive it to see where it came out. This area was also more freshly logged and the road was in good shape. So we decided to follow it out. We had some lovely views to the south as we slowly descended the slope. But the original road was not followed for long and soon we found ourselves further to the east in newly logged areas. We back tracked but were unable to find any road branch that continued on down the slope. So we had to return the way we came.
The map also showed an old road leading down to the Harrison River. The early section of the road looked fairly good so we decided to give it a drive. We made it about a third of the way before the road narrowed and looked less inviting. If it had been earlier we likely would have continued down but by this time we were tired and didn’t really want to fight a narrow road for the second time today. So I guess I will need to try it another day.
Once we returned to the main line we noticed that our tonneau cover was slipping at the top end and so we had to get out and straighten it. This needed to be repeated often as we descended over the rough spots on the way out. (After we got home I inspected it and discovered that one of the clamps had broken loose and needed repair.) We soon rounded a bend and were greeted by two kids riding an ATV. They seemed a bit uncertain as to which path of a fork to take. But they got out of our way and we continued on. About three quarters of a kilometer further back we were stopped but a chap in a truck asking if we had seen them! It seems that he was having trouble keeping reigns on them. But we told him where they were and he set off to find the escapees.
By this point the jarring had taken it toll on both Ethan and I and so we decided to head out and call it a day. We had seen some great scenery and pushed our abilities on the narrow roads. So even though we didn’t need the winch, it was a good day and a lot of fun. Now I have finally seen the majority of the area on these two mountains and can move on to more new stuff.