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TitetownPrince George AreaMay 2-3/07 Written by Mercenary I had spent a considerable amount of time at Titetown Lake when I was a kid. A family friend owned a large cabin right on the lake and I was invited there frequently during summer vacation. To a young boy with a dirt bike, Titetown is a haven. Mornings were usually spent exploring the many trails in the area, while the hot afternoons were spent swimming in the lake. Evenings were set aside for visiting as we sat around the camp fire and told tall tales well into the night. Often we would entertain other cabin owners who happened to be there at the same time as us. Fast forward 20 years...I had been wanting to make it back out to Titetown with a bike or a quad for many years. Oftentimes, life would get in the way and plans that were carefully made were set aside for other priorities. Fortunately this year the stars aligned at an opportune moment and I jumped at the chance to take the trip. Friends who owned the cabin long moved away from town so a tent would have to suffice... I loaded up my quad and some camping equipment and hit the road from Mackenzie at 7 am Wednesday morning. The weather looked great and the day was warm. I was hoping that the good weather would hold until my return. After gathering up some last minute supplies in Prince George I hit the Pelican Lake FSR just south-west of town. The road had been punched out in places due to the heavy logging traffic the road sees in the winter. Fortunately for me I have a bush radio so I can hear if there are any logging trucks coming my way. I was suprised to find not many people out and about so the trip in was uneventful. I decided to stop and camp at Pelican Lake for two big reasons. One: The Forestry rec site has pit toilets. Two: There was a healthy supply of firewood located right at the site. No need to spend time gathering wood. I was happy to see that Pelican Lake was free from ice at this early time in the spring. 
I quickly set up camp. I was eager to hit the trails and do some exploring. 
I decided to forego taking pictures at this time because I was too excitied. I had been waiting many years to get back out here and just wanted to ride. I rode straight to the upper crossing to check the level of the river. Not suprisingly the river was near flood stage. Crossing it on my quad was out of the question. I rode around the area for a bit longer but hunger was beckoning so back to camp I went. My intent was to have a quick lunch and go straight back to riding. I was out of luck... 
With a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder, I watched as this storm rolled its way into my little piece of heaven. Riding would have to wait... 
I huddled in my truck for two hours while the rain lashed down. The wind was so fierce that it took my rain fly right off the top of my tent. Unfortunately for me I didn't notice this little detail in time and as a result, my sleeping bag and spare clothing got completely drenched. Too late for my gear I chased down my wayward rain fly and perched it back on my soaked tent. What a disaster. It rained from 3 pm right through to about 9:30 pm. During one of the lighter drizzles I managed to get the camp stove up and lit. I enjoyed a hearty meal of freeze dried Beef Stew which was suprisingly good. Back to the safe and dry interior of my truck, I spent the evening reading a newspaper and a book I happened to bring along. After the rain let up I managed to get a small campfire going and proceeded to try and dry out my clothes and sleeping bag. The clothes we alright but the bag was still too wet to sleep in. During this time I wanted to take a bit of a night ride so I hopped aboard the Suzuki. Afterwards I sat around the fire and listened to the Loons and Owls begin their evening serenade. Apparently Pelican lake is a popular spot for our feathered friends. With a wet sleeping bag and no other options I slept fitfully in the front seat of my truck. At least I was dry. Dawn broke the next day to sunshine and more wildlife. A moose decided to make an appearance on a ridge just north of my campsite. He was a ways away and didn't looked too concerned about me being there. The picture doesn't do it justice... 
Farther down the ridge I spotted two more moose doing their moosie thing. What a spot. The lake was alive with Loons, Geese, and ducks. The forest around me was filled with the calls and cries of other woodland creatures. I felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary. Breakfast of Rice and Chicken went down quickly as I was eager to take advantage of this sunny day. I was just cleaning up my breakfast dishes when I heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. I was suprised to see a guy on a well outfitted dual sport BMW motorcycle ride his way into my camp. The biker introduced himself as Paul. It seems that he had been out riding for two weeks and was making his way back to his home in Vanderhoof. We discussed his trip as I drooled over his 650 BMW Dakar motorcycle. I have wanted one of these bikes for some time and it was great to see it so far from civilization. Paul was doing a quick jaunt around the province and managed to put 5000 kms on the Beemer in that time. Eager to get out riding, I bid Paul farewell and hopped on my quad. The Pelican Lake FSR meets the Batnuni FSR about 4 kms south of my camp at Pelican Lake. I rode this short distance quickly and turned west on the Batnuni road. If one was to turn east, Quesnel is about 100 kms distant on the very well maintained Batnuni FSR. Titetown Lake sits at about KM 118 on the Batnuni FSR. There are two trails between Titetown Lake and the Pelican-Batnuni Junction that I wanted to tackle this morning. Both the Upper and Lower crossing trails lead down to and across the Euchinko River and both trails follow the historic Alexander Mackenzie Heritage trail in portions. The lower crossing trail is first on my list to explore this morning. The trail head is just off the Batnuni FSR... 
A short jaunt down the trail quickly brings you to the Lower Crossing. When the river is low, one can cross here and continue exploring on the south side of the river. The trail makes its way to Kluskoil Lake which is on the Blackwater river. With the river so high, I was unable to continue past... 
There is a nice open grassy area for folks who like to camp... 
Back to the Batnuni FSR, I made my way to the Upper Crossing trail head. Like the Lower Crossing, the trail head is located right beside the FSR and is marked by a Tourist poster describing Alexander Mackenzie's progress through the area. 
The trail here is wide and suitable for trucks. I got some good speed and riding through the poplar stands makes like a tunnel effect and enhances the senses... 
The trail follows a ridge beside the Euchinko River for a while... 
Again the Upper Crossing was too high to make a fording attempt. 
I spent some time soaking up some sun at an abandoned campsite by the Crossing. The day was getting warmer now and I could afford to remove one of my jackets. I had a snack but the trail soon beckoned once again. Back down the trail towards the FSR there is a junction of sorts. One way brings you back to the Batnuni FSR, the other brings you to Titetown Lake. Guess which one I took... 
This route is considerably narrower. The forest canopy is denser and, as a result, there is snow on the trail. Nothing that a well equipped 4x4 quad couldn't handle... 
This trail also had quite a bit of deadfall blocking it. With the population explosion of the Mountain Pine Beetle in the last few years, many of the pine trees in and around the Titetown Lake area are either dead or dying. Many of the dead trees can be easily felled by a good breeze. If you go, keep this in mind if you are travelling on windy days. Some "kind soul" saw fit to mark the trail head on the Titetown side with his burned out van. I am continually amazed that people are so inconsiderate and feel the need to spread their trash around. This blight will be here for years to come unless some enterprising soul can come up with an economical way to remove it. 
The end of the trail pops you out back on the Batnuni FSR right beside Titetown lake. There is a penninsula on the lake that has a number of cabins and some folks live there year round. I often thought about trying to buy a cabin out here because I enjoy the area so much. However I think I will let that dream pass as a truck and camper outfit might be more practical in the long run. With that, I headed back to camp and packed up. This is by no means the only trail in the area however. Half the fun here is exploring some old trail just to see where it ends up. There are miles and miles of roads and trails to explore if one has the time. Once past the Upper Crossing, your opportunities abound and you could find yourself heading towards Bella Coola in the footsteps of ol' Alex Mackenzie. History abounds here too as the Aboriginal peoples inhabited the area long before the white man showed up. many of their trails cris-cross the area and are waiting to be rediscovered and explored. I recommend you go in late August or early September when the water level in the rivers has dropped sufficiently enough to cross the Euchinko river. I plan on heading back in late September for that exact purpose. 
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