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Bankier Boonie BashingWest Okanagan AreaSeptember 20-25/05 Written by Paul Mitchell 
Where is Bankier, you ask? I’ll tell you, but first an intro about how this trip got started. Last June, a group of us from Quads.ca got together at Davis Lake for five days of riding. The only no-shows were Oweee and Ozark girl as their kids were involved with school functions and they just could not get away. That trip was very successful, and it was decided we would do it again in the fall. Included in this trip were Owen & Barb (aka Oweee and Ozark Girl), Mike & Darci (aka TheHouse and TheHouseWife), Dave (aka Bambam) & Jeannie, Jeff & Melanie, Bruce & myself, and some new guy named Clive (aka Rumrunner) who Owen assured me would fit in nicely. More on Clive later! Eric & Linda were planning on attending, but unfortunately a close family friend passed away suddenly. We missed you guys!Tuesday was departure day for Bruce and I, but Dave and Owen had already left on Sunday with Clive. We arrived about 11am after a short stop in Chilliwack to pick up a new set of trailer springs for Owen, as he had snapped a set on the drive just before the lake. Bankier is located opposite Link Lake (where we were camped), and between Osprey Lake to the east and Chain Lake to the west, on the Princeton - Summerland Road. As we were setting up camp, we could hear some quads in the distance and kinda figured it was them playing on the hills behind the lake. Sure enough, they eventually showed up looking like they had been put through the wringer. It turns out Owen spotted a trail, and it soon turned into "the goat trail from hell" as they called it! Loose rock, off camber, very tight goat trail. Just the kind of thing Greg likes, but this trail ended and they had a tough time exiting the hillside. They did take one picture of the slope. After a short introduction, I remembered I had met Clive and given him some Quads.ca stickers at the LMATV poker ride. The guys said that they met the owner of the local store which was reopening, and told him we would help him move some coolers into the building later on. After much struggling, the units were in place, and he rewarded us with a 24-pack of beer. He is setting up a General Store / Restaurant, and also an ATV rental and guided-tour business called Kettle Valley Scenic ATV Excursions. We filled him in on who we are at Quads.ca, and hopefully some advertising will come our way. This is a very ATV-friendly community, and we wish him well in his new endeavor. So back to camp we went, and there was no riding this day as we polished off the beer. 
Wednesday dawned clear and very crisp, with a frost covering the machines. After breakfast, we decided to go to Teepee Lakes as the others had not been there yet. The road is approximately 10 kms to the lakes, but it dead-ends with a "no trespassing" sign. Clive was in front of me on the way up, so I got a chance to see his riding skills. A motorcycle accident when he was younger left his right arm paralyzed. After surgeries, the doctors were able to give him thumb control, and by pinning his shoulder he is able to grasp the handlebars, and turn by pushing in with his right side and pulling back with his left side. His throttle lever has been moved to the left side of his handlebars for use with his good arm. He had no problem on the road, but I was curious as to how he would manage the tight trails that were ahead. At the private-property signs, there's a snowmobile trail which cuts through and then exits the private property that encompasses the three lakes. It starts off by going across a 4-5 foot wide, 50-foot long bridge. A lot of effort went into the construction of this bridge, which crosses a low, boggy area. Beyond this point the trail opens up and the lakes come into view. Last time we visited this area, we could not find a through-trail and had to backtrack out, so now Owen’s uncanny ability to find his way around paid off as he found a track that carried on past and out of the lake area to the north. Bruce and I both commented that this guy has to have a built-in GPS, as he always seemed to know where we were and which trails to take, even though WE were the ones that had been to this area before. After exploring a few trails that led to some small lakes, we had lunch and decided to try a trail that again Owen thought should take us in the direction of home. Off we went through the bush on a snowmobile trail that took us about 3-4 kms south with a mud-hole at about the halfway point. Crossing at 90-degrees to the hole was the way to go, but Dave tried attacking it straight on. What he didn't realize was that under the mud was a corduroy track, which he promptly fell off, burying the right side of his machine. Bruce and his winch went to Dave's rescue, and we were quickly on our way again. We carried on down some fairly steep grades which ended at a hunters camp. It was also the start of an old skidder road heading eastward, the direction we wanted to go. We emerged on the Trout Creek Rd, then headed south and then past the KVR to a trail that ended up coming down the mountain directly behind Link Lake and right into our camp. Total trip time was about six hours and about 50 kms. Clive amazed me with his riding skills and his ability to cope with some pretty nasty sections. That night we planned our next day's ride, which was to go east to Thirsk Lake, then north up into the hills as this whole area is honeycombed with trails. 
Thursday was another great day, clear but cold, and we were off at 10am to explore some new trails. We headed east along the KVR to a detour around a bridge that had long-ago been destroyed, but much to our surprise was being rebuilt. I guess this is all part of the Trans Canada Trail System which is being upgraded. Hopefully it will remain a shared trail system and open to ATVs. On to Thirsk Lake where again there was another surprise in store for us. Last time we were there was the Spring of 2003, and the lake water was right up to the camp area. You can imagine our surprise as we rounded a corner and gazed at a lake that someone had literally pulled the plug on. It turns out that this is a draw-down lake for the Okanagan area . It seemed strange to ride on the beach that used to be under twenty feet of water. After this it was up and onto the KVR, where we took the first trail north to access the hills. After a steep climb we came out at a fairly recent mine site, and Owen figured it was gold they were after as they had posted respirator signs for the hydrochloric acid used in the mining process. Further on we came out on a new FSR so, we took it and traveled north-east until we crossed a familiar trail, got our bearings, and decided to follow a power line that crossed to the next mountain. Up again we went, where we had lunch huddled in the trees as the wind was brisk and COLD! After the break we headed back down the mountain to the KVR, arriving about 10 kms east of where we had started. On the way back we stopped at Thirsk Lake again, and checked out the dam. We arrived back at camp around 4pm. I prepared an appetizer of grouse fingers which we got that day, that I must say goes really well with beer. After happy hour and dinner were over, we settled in by the fire and waited for Mike and the “Sisterhood” to arrive. In they came around 8pm. They set up the trailer and waited for Jeff and Melanie. And waited. Aaaand waited... We figured they either broke down or got really lost. Well, lost it was as they arrived next day while we were out. There is a tricky and badly marked three-way split just out of downtown Princeton, and they got on the wrong road and ended up going north to Missoula Lake. 
Friday's route was back up to Teepee Lakes to show those who had not been there, followed by some more exploring. On the way up, Owen left the road and took a trail marked "The Raspberry". Again his intuition kicked in, as this trail took us to near the lake cut-off we wanted. Consulting his Backroad Mapbook, Owen planned a route west, down Siwash Creek, and back to KVR near Chain Lake. This was another beautiful ride, with a great spot for lunch that we found by the river. At this time Clive departed for home, so we said our goodbyes then headed up to Westmere Lake. Near the lake the trail heads into the forest and then narrows down, so I decided I would turn around and look for some grouse while they were in the bush. I radioed Bruce as to what I was going to do, but did not realize how far they had spread out. Dave, who was in front of me, had no idea what was going on and was looking for me. A lesson learned here, I think! Always let the person in front of you know your plans! That trail took them 90 minutes, and one big mud hole later they came back out near Teepee Lakes again. The day ended well, with a nice fire, Dave roasting popcorn in a Dutch oven, and of course, beer! 
Saturday’s trip was going to be a run up Mount Kathleen, as Bruce and I had been there twice before, and the view is definitely worth the ride. Heading east I spotted a familiar truck and camper, and sure enough it was Dan and Terry Bott in their 5th-wheel toy hauler. After a short discussion, it was decided they would lead as they knew a different trail to the summit that they promised would be exiting. This new trail started after a few kms up the hill, and took us to an old abandoned mine site that had several old log buildings that we will explore more next time. At this point Dan advised us to put the quads in 4-low as the trail narrows down to a path in some areas and was very steep in others, with a little off camber stuff thrown-in for fun. Going around a tight uphill turn, Darci caught a root and rolled off the trail. No injuries as it was grassy, and small trees broke her fall. Once the quad was back on the trail, she got back in the saddle, took a little different line, and carried on up the mountain like the trooper she is. Exiting this trail we took an FSR for only a few minutes, then headed then back into the bush where the guys had some fun playing in a good mud hole. The next section got really steep, and Dave had to jump on the front of my quad as I was wheels-up on some rocks and needed a little help to get over the top. Not a hundred feet past this, we came out on a trail and were totally surprised that we were within shouting distance of the summit. After having lunch and taking some photos we started down on the trail that we normally take, but again veered off and onto another trail that Dan had found. It was another neat trail that came out under the power line. We followed it north for a while, then descended off the mountain to the Trout Main Road. The group carried on to Pennask Summit, while I turned back to do some bird hunting. I was tired-out and had a nice snooze back at camp until they showed up an hour later. That evening we had a great potluck dinner with Dan and Terry joining us. It was a good thing that Melanie had made a big pot of chili, as the salmon I had brought wasn’t ready in time. 
Sunday arrived much too quickly, and it was time to pack up, say our goodbyes, and head for home. Oh, I almost forgot! There was a church group camping at the lake playing survival games, and the "brilliant" leaders decided to cruise through camp at 2am and rouse the kids. People should think about others, especially if they have expensive equipment about. If this were the States I’m sure the shotguns would have appeared, fearing a thief was outside. Anyways, it was another great trip, and lots of fun as these trips always are. |
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