Trip-It is a useful app for organizing your travel details. Eric recorded our itinerary there, complete with maps and flight, ferry, bus and train schedules. The plan for Sunday was to take the TransLink (light rail) from Yaletown to Vancouver International Airport and take a taxi 10 minutes to the jumper site, Million Air. From there we’d take Cessna 6 seater direct to Chilko Lake at 11am that Brian McCutchen, the owner of R.O.A.M. had chartered.
Since we had the better part of the morning to prepare, we were leisurely taking our time getting ready. Eric checked his email around 8am and saw URGENT – Flight Change. Thick clouds had rolled into Vancouver closing the passes that the small planes navigated to move from the coast into the interior. Brian had quickly booked us on a commercial flight that could climb above the weather but that went into Williams Lake, an airport 100 miles from Chilko Lake. One thing else, we needed to be at the airport by 8:50; 40 minutes after reading the email. Without missing a beat, we shoved the last few items in our packs, hit the street and hopped into a Prius cab on Granville Street at 8:15. Yes, even the cabs are green.
Our driver, Graham, drove us through the Rumson of Vancouver – in the hills with views of the coast to one side and the city to the other. Lots of “For Sale” signs – property prices are still very high. We saw 2BR condos listed at $2mm the day before. Graham was pessimistic about the economy as the province doesn’t actually produce anything. Rich in exportable natural resources but poor on manufacturing and with tourism waning in a struggling global economy, he’s worried. 20 minutes later we were checking in to our flight with Pacific Air.
This Beechcraft 1900 took 15 of us to Williams Lake. I had to bend my body at a 45 degrees to get to my seat. While we were flying, Brian was driving 4 hours from the lodge to meet us there.
We flew just above the white sea at 25000 feet – with mountain capped mountain tops, blue sky ponds and illuminating sunshine to guide the way.
Beating Brian to Williams, we met up with Ashish and his 10 year old daughter Swati to wait. In the meantime, we also met Jim, a pilot for Lawrence Air who was taking 3 people to Tsuni Lake, just a few minutes by air from Chilko but 6 hours by car. His passegers packed hard suitcases, so he had to come back for the luggage and said he would take us if we got stranded. We’d later decide to take him up on that.
Brian showed up in his tough riding Land Cruiser with news that we would make the 4 hour drive back to Chilko with 1 hour off it offroad, as there were no planes to give us a lift. We gave him Jim’s number, he worked some magic and chartered three seats with Jim and his C-182. Only one of us would have to make the road trip. Our man Eric raised his hand, of course.
Jim loaded me, Ashish, Swati and 2 Samonsite cinderblocks in this Cessna 182 four seater. I would co-pilot, assuming the Jenika frog leg position so my feet would not hit the pedals and my knees not hit the yoke. I would have to stay frozen in that position for that hour ride. Overdressed in long sleeves and a vest, it was like sitting in a human crock pot, slow roasting under the Chilcotin sun as we flew west at 6,000 feet to the lake.
On the landing approach I couldn’t figure out where Jim was going to put down. There was a winding river, trees and mountains. At the last moment a dogleg right fairway revealed itself and Jim masterfully hit an approach shot into the center.
Cheers to Jim! Greeted by Ashley, Brian’s girlfriend and co-captain of ROAM, we made a 5 minute backroad drive to the Lodge where I promptly found the Okasaga Pale Ale on tap in the game room. Eric was still en route … his story …
With the bags for the four of us in the back, Brian and I headed out in the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser for Chilko Lake. The Land Cruiser is highly prized among the adventure seekers for its reliability and durability. This mid-90’s model had just 188,000 miles on the odometer and the desirable six cylinder engine. In the pecking order of Land Cruisers, it was not at the very top (those spots are reserved for the ridiculously hard to find diesel models) but it was near the top.
Leaving the lumber, cattle, and mining town of Williams Lake behind, we motored west into the Chilcotin. The Chilcotin is a high ancient lava plateau populated with fir forests and grasslands but few people. The Fraser river runs powerfully through it and its muddy waters were high from the snow melt and the recent rain.
Midway to Chilko lake, we fueled up at a station on the Redstone Indian reserve. The Redstone tribe have been in a decade long legal battle, following the 200 year long physical battle, with the government of British Columbia for the rights to the Chilcotin. The reserve looks lower-middle class, especially in comparison to the few enormous ranches we passed with their airstrips and large homesteads.
Continuing west and then south, the Land Cruiser absorbed the rumble of the dirt road. The road was dry and we were able to make good time at 40 km/hour as I looked over the edge into the ravines. It was one of those roads that you really hope you don’t meet someone going the other way. Earlier in the week, Brian had pulled a big trailer with the 1-ton truck around the twisty road just after the rains had left the red clay road slick and treacherous. Today was a piece of cake for him. After 3 1/2 hours we arrived no worse for the wear.
Location:Vancouver, Williams Lake and Chilko Lake, BC