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Snowheeling Solo at Osprey LakePrinceton AreaMarch 20-30/08 Written by Cabin Fever PrefaceAs some of you know, my cabin is for sale and I am at the brink of losing it if I don't come up with an investment or time-share type option. With this in mind, I am in "use it before I lose it" mode. Realizing that Easter long-weekend was approaching in 3 weeks and recalling sunshine and no snow last Easter, I decided to head up and invite some Quads.ca folk to join me (Easter moves every year, check calendar before planning). Due to a combination of schedule conflicts and poor clarity and delivery of e-mails on my part, only Rich was going to join me. A week to go, I checked the Osprey Lake webcam and saw lots of snow, ice on the lake and very cold temps. I called up there and was advised that quadding would be limited to low-level and KVR due to snow pack. Not wanting to drag Rich up to sit around in the cold doing flat stuff, I put him off until another time. Figured I would still take my ride up for chores on the property and some community socializing. How much trouble could I get into on my own? Part I: Winch Works (March 20-23)Wednesday night I picked up three large subs from the Sub Nazi, preloaded everything and programmed a SPOT help message that I was at or near Osprey Lake and either stuck, broken or lost. I put in the name and number of a friend that is a full time resident so that somebody from Quads.ca would see it and call him (check that people are actually going to be home before doing this). Bolt after work on Thursday and in Princeton for fuel by 7pm. Didn't fill quad or bring jerry cans as I had a new manual siphon hose and pump that I wanted to try out (test new things before you rely on them). Arrived at the cabin by 8pm, good thing I had the driveway plowed yesterday. 
Unloaded and out riding until midnight. Trails are a blast; it's –10c and the trails are packed well in the center from sled use all winter, just stay in the middle. Got back and actually went inside to unload and found shredded Kleenex, paper towel, and couch stuffing on the floor. Haven't been up since early November and guessed that a mouse gotten in. No carcass, so I hope it's gone. 
Up at 5am on Friday; fresh snow during night. –12c. 
Riding by 6am, low level trails and the KVR to the west and east to the washed-out trestle detour. Has been a fence up since I bought up here, the gate was open so in I went. 
A government grant was given to the Society that has stewardship of the KVR, from the east end of Osprey Lake to east of Summerland, to replace this trestle. The beams were set in but apparently they spent the deck and railing money to build a park near the KVR in Summerland. They are NOT motorized-use friendly at all. However, the Vermillion Trails Society, which has stewardship from Osprey to Brookmere, IS motorized-use friendly and works hard so that all users can share the KVR. It is a main transportation artery in this area during summer and winter. After lunch and some Internet time at the Three Lakes Store, I headed out to some of the higher, steeper trails. Also found out that my SPOT help contact was away sledding for both days, so decided to be a bit cautious on my own. Trails are excellent until a momentary lapse of focus finds me in 2 feet of soft powder. Easy winch out; first actual use of my winch for a recovery and it worked fine. Tried going up a long, narrow, steep shortcut that I usually do in 2-high. Made it a third of the way then nothing. Wishing for the aftermarket separate front and rear brake levers as I tried to back down. Made it intact and headed over Rickety Bridge (which isn't rickety anymore thanks to Snowheelers and generous locals; name sounds good though) and up the steep left off of it. Looked at movement to my right, deer? And hooked into the soft left at the edge of the drop into the creek. 40' give or take. As I bailed off to the right, a small tree held my quad. Winch, again no problem. Low on fuel so I head back to try my siphon out. Siphon is garbage; no fuel around except old 50:1 from last summer and that is NOT going in my quad. Call it a day. Saturday; up way to early again and still no gas, except some that Rich could relate to. –12c so I started a large bonfire to continue my ongoing 6.5 acre cleanup. Four hours of burning and a major hair singe incident later, I swapped a case of Bud for some fuel. A few more hours of good riding and then headed out for Tamahi to hook up with the Explorers. As I left the Crowsnest for #1, ABS, parking and ign lights came on. Truck ran ok so I continued to Chilliwack and did a stop/restart test at a gas station. Started, so continued to Tamahi, arriving just before Dollhouse was recovered and brought back to camp from her dirt bike incident, 2 wheelers (bah). Visited for a couple hours with no offers of a spare warm spot for my sleeping back so I headed home. Part II: Winch Woes (March 27-30)Due to the fact that I haven't felt this good since June, I decide to return this coming weekend. Booked Friday off for another long weekend and put out another invite. Couple of potentials for Saturday from the Okanagan, looking good. Thursday; Up at 4:30am for work, Sub Nazi on the way home, and a seminar til 9pm in Surrey. 
Being sensible, I would have headed home and packed for the morning, but NO, gotta go now. Left at 11:30pm, arrived at 3:30am and asleep by 5am. Up at 7am and riding. Warmer than last weekend, -10, overcast with loght flurries. Plan is to map trailheads with my SPOT and Google Map them at home. Did the South side of Osprey and back road to Link Lake Forestry Site. 
Snow is still good to ride on; still cold enough. Checked out lots of little back trails and headed back for food and to crash. Hadn't done 24 hrs for a few years. 2 hr nap, lunch and ready to go. Took the truck as I wanted to go way out for some connecting roads and trails to Peachland, Headwaters, etc. Explored for a while then decided that my truck could make it up Trout Creek Main in the snow. No Problem, until I tried to turn after SPOT marking a trail. Sunk deep into an old rut. Shovel and tow strap are in my quad box of course and there is nothing moving. Start the 3 km walk to the main road. Two large cow moose pop out ahead of me and I manage to snap a pic of one of them as it stops. 
Camera battery is dead (got electricity and an empty truck, remember to pack charger and extra battery. DUH). It's 4:15pm and I don't want to do this in the dark. Walk run 3km to the Princeton/Summerland road and immediately get a ride toward cabin. Bolt the rest of the way, get quad (lucky I brought an extra quad key as the other is in my truck still) and head back up to dig. Leave note at neighbors to give me a hand if they arrive. Get it dug out and moving quick. Don't want to leave truck or quad now so I put truck in 4-low and L and let it drive itself with me correcting steering from the bank on my quad. Bad idea!! Next I just let the truck go and followed; too slow. Found a spot where I could safely leave the truck on the side and rode back and brought my trailer (which I should have brought the first time); loaded and parked by 6pm. Saturday; Up to Tepee Lakes in the morning. Sunny and –8. Snow is getting a little softer. Try a new back trail to 16" Lake that continues out to Trout Creek Main near Headwaters. Too soft and deep after 200 yds. Headed back down and hooked a soft spot, dumped me on the side into 3 ft. of powder. No camera battery so no pic. Has to be the only wide spot with no close trees. Thinking of a snow anchor I had seen at an outdoor show, I scrounged a 10' pole from under the snow and wedged it a a steep angle into snow and ditch on the opposite side of the road with my winch cable attached to the bottom. Cable won't come in (crap!). Cable goes out but not in. No warning lights so I guess it's not in limp mode, not that I could move anyways. Shut it down and start digging. Can't lift it, 700 lbs and soft snow. Restart and winch works. Three replacements of my anchor and I am out, 2 hrs later. Back for lunch and got a dinner invite for next door at 6pm. (Telliers Fishermans Cove, great quadding folk with cabin and trailer rentals, Saturday campfires, and a wicked New Years bash). Good, no more canned chili. Figured I would take the quad for an easy ride up Trout Creek Main and actually make it to Headwaters or Whitehead Lake, then back for dinner. No need for snow boots, ski pants or extra gloves; it's sunny and warm and an easy FSR (FSR's are boring, don't assume anything). Less than a km and I head up Pelly access towards Yellowgate. Much softer than last weekend and a little tricky at the top. Get up and start SPOTing trailheads. Run into a snowmobiler and tail him for a while. It's getting real soft up hills so I head down to Trout Main. 55 mph on hard pack, no problem. Camera worked for a shot. 
Up the entry to 16" Lake, still lots of time before dinner. In about 3 kms and suddenly sunk. Another spot with few close trees. 
Got it turned halfway around with the winch then the winch died again, completely. Limp mode this time. Shut down and dug and lifted and dug etc. Reached another tree; winch sporadic. Finally out and home for dry clothes and a rest before dinner. 
Sittting on couch and a squirrel pops out of the bathroom and stares me down. Aha, it wasn't a mouse last weekend. Camera is dead again, and the only other thing handy is my 30.06. Not appropriate for use in the cabin being on the market I guess. Opened the door and it ran back under the sink and into the wall. Trap next time. Another squirrel visit and off to dinner. Sunday; Riding in the sun and stuck again somewhere. It's a blur. Winch sporadic again. Headed out after cleanup and lunch. Beautiful and sunny, then snow to Hope Slide. Idiot lights all came on the same as last week as I exited Hwy 3 for Hwy 1???? This is weird. Thanx for the "reset" tip from Sean at the Explorers campout last week. Stopped at Herrling, as I have never been there, to finish a sub, and met CanAm Brad. Home and thinking Part III will be in a couple of weeks. For more info on this area, read Paul Mitchell's Bankier Boonie Bashing trip report from 2005. |
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