It’s an old saw that Chilcotin trips usually involve at least one day with doubtful weather and today was the day. We woke up to overcast skies and were out on the trail by 930. Travel today was on familiar trails and soon we were back down from our Manson camp to the Tyax trail junction. From there it was follow-the-trail through the Bearpaw camp and on to the Deer Pass junction. Then straight up from 1550m approx 600m to Deer Pass in 2 hours.
Our plan had been to ditch the bikes at Deer Pass and hike the ridgelines towards Mt Sheba. Unfortunately weather was coming in. With darkening clouds already blanketing our alternate days line of Fortress-Relay-Cunningham we figured we were on borrowed time and enjoyed the 45 minutes of so of dry weather that we had. The clouds then broke and rain then came in. Showers were light but one doesn’t mess around when exposed on high alpine passes. We scampered down to treeline where a small lake had been our intended campsite but the rain wasn’t letting up. So off we rode down and down again to Trigger Lake where BC Parks had done something useful and provisioned the site with lots of wood.
With our day truncated by rain we had ample time to use up firewood to dry out wet kit. Dinner that night was the rest of the cheese smokies and boil-in-a-bag Mac and Cheese – not quite so sexy but it did the trick.
Day 4’s route – Manson Creek – Deer Pass – Trigger Lk. Pretty much a rest day
Our camp spot and its magnificent views
High quality ride down the Manson Crk drainage
High quality views
Manson Crk fossils
I have no idea how people miss the Deer Pass junction.
Deer Pass – 700m straight up
Incoming weather
Its a clearing shower
Trigger Lake is well stocked with firewood
Trigger Lake clearing – looking NW towards Warner Pass