We left our little boondock spot on the Watson River and made a quick stop at the Carcross Desert which is the smallest desert in the world.
We then made our way to Atlin Road and headed south. We checked out a campground on Snafu Lake but it was packed and not what we were looking for. We followed a Forest Service Road on the road leading to the campground and were happy to find a little boondock spot with a nice view. We decided to hang out there for the rest of weekend.
The tires needed to be rotated and there were 3 WNBA games on Sunday that I was excited to watch. We had beautiful weather and even had a campfire Sunday night.
Monday we headed into Atlin which is a small isolated community in the NW corner of British Columbia. The drive down was beautiful! Atlin Lake is a glacial-fed lake and is the largest natural lake in BC at 4 miles wide and 85 miles long. The generally accepted source of the Yukon River is the Llewellyn Glacier at the southern end of Atlin Lake.
Atlin’s current population is approximately 400 full-time residents. During the Klondyke Gold Rush of 1898, the population was 10,000! Many buildings from that era still remain. We drove around this quaint little town and then continued south.
Craig always looks for roads that lead to further places and he saw on satellite views that the road continued quite a ways south of Atlin. We got to the “Road Not Maintained” sign and we kept going on O’Donnel River Road. It was basically a rough two track through the woods with a few creek crossings.
It finally opened up to a beautiful valley with views of the mountains. We passed some old mining equipment and continued on. The trail eventually got really narrow and a little muddy. We almost made it to the O’Donnel River but decided to turn around when the trail became really rocky and off-camber. Craig walked the rest of the way to the river and didn’t think we had a good chance of getting across the river. There were no trees around on either side to winch out if we needed so we decided it was time to head back. Rain was supposed to be coming so we got out of the valley and found a spot to camp for the night.
The next morning we made our way back to Atlin. We were at the last creek crossing when we saw a family of 4 sitting on their hiking packs on the opposite side. We gave a wave and and were flagged down by Bart. Bart, his wife and two adult kids had been hiking and camping for the past 10 days but he had developed a toe infection and was in pain. Their car was parked at a recreation area 7 miles away. As we talked out what to do, we decided we would make it work. We fit their 4 packs and 4 of us in the camper. If you don’t know what a pack looks like when you are planning for a 10 day trip, they are very large. Craig and Bart were in the truck and Craig did his best not to go too fast along the bumpy road. It was a little rough at times but we were so happy to be able to help this sweet family out and enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them.
It continues to amaze us how we are so fortunate to cross paths with amazing people. Bart and his wife are originally from the Netherlands but now live in Atlin. He was a soldier and adventurer and after his military service ended, he returned to the wilderness of Canada. He has traveled thousands of kilometers on foot with just his backpack. He organized trainings to teach others the skills needed to travel and survive in remote areas. He and his family love to get out on foot and explore together.
They told us about moose and caribou walking through their camp and picking a hat full of berries. The kids were here on holiday and would be heading back to the Netherlands soon to go to University. We got back to their car and exchanged information and hugs before it started to rain! What timing! We are so thankful to be in the right place at the right time.
We headed back north and since it was still raining, we decided to stay at our nice little boondock spot again.
We made our way to Watson Lake and took showers at the recreation center, did laundry, grabbed groceries and went to a gravel lot boondock spot just north of town. It wasn’t a pretty spot but it was quiet and it worked for the night.
The next morning, we headed back into town. We had placed our sign at the Sign Post Forest in 2018 but didn’t really document where we had put it. As of 2022, there are over a 100,000 signs!
This is such a cool sight to see and it was fun wandering around seeing all the places people have visited from. We had known about this place from Craig’s Aunt Karen. She and Uncle Eugene had put their sign up in 1995 so we were ready with a sign in 2018. It is quite obvious that some people were not prepared. It was funny to see baking pans, tops to sterilite containers, and cutting boards marked with a sharpie marker hanging from the wooden posts and trees. Aunt Karen said theirs was a piece of wood from the visitor center and red nail polish! Most are wood signs or a license plate but the creativity of all the signs was pretty cool.
Craig found our sign and we added our sticker. We looked around and even called Aunt Karen to see if she remembered the general area of their sign and we just couldn’t find it. Heck we couldn’t remember where ours was 6 years later but we tried really hard to find theirs. We enjoyed our time there but had to leave as the rain started.
And then we were heading south on the beautiful Stewart-Cassiar Highway which is a scenic route through some the most isolated areas in B.C. We had another day of rain so we stopped early after finding a great little spot on Simmons Lake.
Our next stop was in Dease Lake for fuel and snacks before heading to Telegraph Creek. Craig had heard good things about this drive and we were excited to get to another further place. The 70 miles of gravel road from Dease Lake to Telegraph Creek follows the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. Following a First Nations’ trading route and path of early gold prospectors, the road winds along Stikine Canyon with dramatic views of the sheer walls cut by the river through layers of volcanic lava.
We hadn’t traveled far when we met a truck pulling a small camper that flashed their lights at us. Their truck and front of their camper was completely covered in thick mud. The man said that they had gone down a slick muddy hill and then learned that there were 20% grades on the road ahead. They had turned around and decided it wasn’t worth it and they barely made it back up the muddy hill. He just wanted to warn us so we thanked them for the heads up and continued on our way. We got to the slick muddy section and just took it slow. We could see how pulling a trailer might be difficult but that was the worst section of the road. The rest of the road was in great condition and the 20% grades went just fine for us. The views as we got closer to Telegraph Creek were amazing.
The Stikine River flows west and south for 379 miles and empties into various straights of the Inside Passage near Wrangell, Alaska. It is known as the fastest flowing navigable river in North America. It’s called the K2 of white-water challenges and has only been run by a handful of expert kayakers.
We made our way to the small town of Telegraph Creek and just did a drive through as it was getting late in the day and we needed to find a spot to camp. We continued toward a boondock spot on the river closer to Glenora. The spot was just a boat ramp on the Stikine River but we were able to tuck ourselves out of the way and enjoy the views.
Craig had studied the map and saw that a road continued south so we had to drive it of course. It was a two-track that was in pretty decent condition that climbed up and down and through creeks and mud holes.
We were hoping it would end at a beautiful campsite on the river, but it didn’t. It brought us through the woods and we occasionally got a peek of the mountains.
We passed through what appeared to be an abandoned mining operation. We aren’t really sure but there were pallets of samples of rock dating back to 2001. You could tell the now defunct buildings were once a kitchen, a green house, outhouses and bases probably for tents. It was interesting and we wondered why all this stuff was just left out there.
We continued on and the road eventually ended at a gate with a sign stating it was an active mine. We were bummed but it was still a fun drive.
We headed back and decided to continue back north to a rest area we had passed on the way in that had awesome views.
We continued back toward Dease Lake and were happy that the road was still in great condition and the slick muddy section was now dry. Our truck was still a muddy mess so we headed to the spray wash to get all the gunk off.
Our truck had started to make some growling noises that were concerning us. We were hoping that it was just the mud in all the crevices but even after the spray wash the noises continued and seemed to get louder. We ended up with more rain so we stopped at a rest area by a lake to camp for the night. As we pulled in, we both recognized it as the same spot we camped when we were here with Gus in 2018.
Craig made a few phone calls and the only mechanic that was kind of on our route that was willing to take a look at the truck was in Prince Rupert. We got up Monday morning and headed 2 km north to get gas before heading back south. We pulled out of the gas station parking lot and were almost back to the rest area that we had slept at and the truck was clanking and scraping and making awful noises. We could see the rest area in view but Craig had to put on the 4 ways and we limped it to the parking lot.
He took off the front passenger tire and could see that the caliper was wonky and rubbing the rotor. He pulled the caliper off and tied up the brake line hoping that was the issue but after driving just a few feet it was obvious it was not the problem. That’s when he knew it was probably a front wheel bearing. We called every mechanic within 200 miles. Many were short staffed or were booking out until mid September. Wild Country Truck & Auto in Two Mile admitted he was extremely busy but said if we could get the truck there he would fit us in.
The next chore was finding a tow truck. I think we called about 6 tow companies and they were either also short staffed or did not have a truck large enough to transport our truck. Thankfully, we got a hold of Paul at Northern Lights in Kitwanga, B.C. He was willing to come out the next morning and his truck had a bench seat so we could all fit.
We hung out in the parking lot and soon a truck and trailer pulled in and parked in the lot. Craig ended up talking to the guy and they had just pulled in to use the bathroom when he noticed he had a flat tire and a broken spring. Thankfully, he had a replacement spring with him. He had some tools but Craig was able to help him replace the spring and plug the hole in his tire. They felt bad that we were stranded but there wasn’t much they could do. He offered Craig money but our motto is always to just pay it forward. They were thankful for Craig’s help and were on their way in the morning.
Tuesday morning, Paul arrived around 10 am. He got the truck all secured and we were off on our 3 hour drive to Wild Country Auto. It was a really clear day so the views were great and Paul was fun to talk to. The ride was not the comfiest of rides but we survived.
We were so happy when we pulled into Wild Country. The owner was so laid back and kind. He had no issues with us camping in the lot until he could get to our truck. He even had a bathroom that he left open for us to use.
After the long uncomfortable ride, we were ready for a walk. We walked into Hazelton for dinner and back which ended up being a 6 mile round trip walk.
Our night in the lot was uneventful but we were ready for showers and some creature comforts. Our parts wouldn’t be in until Wednesday afternoon and the truck would be fixed Thursday if all went well. So we walked 2 miles the other direction to New Hazleton and got a hotel room for the night. It wasn’t fancy but it was clean and comfy. We grabbed some food and beers to go and watched movies and basketball.
We walked back to the shop at noon on Thursday and were disappointed to see our truck had not been worked on. The mechanic was a super nice guy and it was obvious that he is well liked in the community as people stopped in throughout the day to chat with him. He finally got the front passenger side torn apart and realized that the seal was damaged too.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t ordered a replacement just in case. He ended up sending his father-in-law to get a new one for us so he could get us back on the road that day. The repairs got done and we were back on the road at 9 pm Thursday night. We were ready to put some miles on so we were good to drive a little bit. We found a boondocking spot in the woods just north of Terrace and called it a night.
We woke up to rain and headed into Terrace for water, groceries and gas. We grabbed a quick lunch at a wings place and stopped at Sherwood Mountain Brewing for a quick flight of beer. We were there right when it opened and the brewer needed to get rid of some short pour beers. He gave us a free six pack and a 20 oz bottle of beer!
And finally, we were ready to get on with our next adventure. We are going to drive the Telkwa Pass Trail which goes from Terrace to Telkwa. Apparently not a lot of full size vehicles drive it but we did a little research and think we’ll be just fine.
We ended up taking a side road up to Trapper Mountain cabin, which appears to be a public use cabin. It is surrounded by lakes and is so beautiful up here. When we arrived it was really overcast and felt like we were camping in the clouds.
We had a nice quiet night and decided to hang out here for the weekend. Hopefully the rest of the trail won’t be too busy when we leave on Monday to complete it.
Off to Telkwa Pass…