Moose Trophy Overland Rally 2017

July 7, 6 trucks and 2 bikes headed out on what can only be described as prepared chaos.  The best plans were thwarted by roads that had changed drastically due to the late spring but the heavy run-off... one thing we could not change, but we were prepared for anything, and so we went in search of it.

The original mission of the Moose Trophy Overland Rally was to visit a few fire towers around the Okanagan area. The unpassable (for us) road conditions prevented that, but our mission to get out together and see some really cool things and explore the backroads of BC was a huge success.




Day 1.  July 7 2017.

First family meeting

We met up around noon in Lake Country for some seating arrangements and some photos and were off about 1:00.  What a sweet convoy.  Anyone who saw our trucks loaded with shovels, gas, jacks, roof-top tents and awesome must have been jealous.  We followed the beginning map up through familiar to some of us Beaver Lake road and then north, along the Creighton valley and to Cherryville for what we thought would be the last gas stop of the trip.

The 2 wheeled heros

As soon as we turned onto gravel the first thing we noticed was the crazy dust.   It must have looked cool from the air, but from the ground, well... it was really dusty.  We ended up cleaning air filters every night.

Leaving Cherryville we headed north along Sugar Lake and up to the first tower on Sugar mountain. This is where things started to go a bit unplanned.  The original (and correct) road was barely a trail, and there was no way our group would all make it up there.  Brian suggested an alternate route, so off we went.  Lots of drainage trenches tested the clearance of the vehicles and got us into 4low.

The "road" ended abruptly at a massive boulder filled trench of a deactivation.  We debated hiking the 6km to the top, but it was later than we expected so we headed down a kilometer or so, to the first and highest camp of the trip.  Also possibly the best and definitely the scenic.

Here we got to see Kevin's new rooftop tent and also marveled at the capable rig he turned his Subaru into. He's got some cool plans and I can't wait to see it's new form next year.

The rest of us had our tents, and that wasn't bad either.

We cooked over a bbq that looked like it'd been through a war by the time we got home. There were ribs and chicken and other meats.  Kris made burritos.  There may have been some veggies.  I can't remember what Kelsey made, but I think it was bacon wrapped egg bombs for breakfast. She can cook for sure.





We spent the evening watching the sun go down over the mountains with sugar lake way below us. True story that you can measure the amount of daylight left with your out-stretched hand.  There was no way to measure the stunning full moon though.  Lets keep it like that.

Day 2.  July 8 2017.

In the morning, we packed up and left Sugar Mountain Lookout unvisited.  Too bad, but we were all having a blast so it was alright.  Next was Joss Mountain.  North of us, just south of the Trans Canada.  The map indicated what looked like a trail up and over, from Sugar Lake to Mable Lake, so we headed in that direction.

IT didn't take us long to reach our turn west, and away from the Sugar Lake.  The night before we could see the valley we would be travelling through.  now we were there.  Off we went, an expedition on a mission.  Most of us had Backroads Map's sd card in our Garmins, and also the good old paper copy.  Our route used both the Thompson-Okanagan and the Kootenay books.

Sugar Lake and our campa dn target from yesterday in the background

Our plan to hike up Joss that evening went south when we couldn't get west through the valley and onto Mable Lake.  The trail had degraded to the point that we all would have needed quads to continue.

Scott making the road

We tried every option and made several u-turns, but could not get across.  We headed to a bit of a meadow and had one of many family meetings.  It was about 2:00 and now faced with heading down to Cherryville again to catch a road west then north, we decided to try something different.  Camping on Mable Lake would be totally doable time wise, and we were all looking forward to a cold swim after dusty hot driving days.


Eureka Mountain was not on our original itinerary, though it almost was.  It was a place a few of us had been, and one of us as early as the week before.  It's really cool up there, and it would allow us to spend the night in a fire tower, though not the originally planned one.  It was also an idea that came to me as we headed down to Cherryville, with the intention of spending a night somewhere on Mable Lake.

We had another family meeting in Cherryville, and it was decided to head to Eureka, so we went off confident in the fact we would be sleeping in and around a fire tower under a starry sky.

All went well until the 4th of 6 kilometers up to the tower.  The road was a disaster.  A washout narrowed an already steep road, and ruts that were drive-able very recently became a big challenge.  It was too steep and rocky and eroded.  In the end, only 2 trucks made it up, and Jonah, Ross and I were the only ones to see the tower, where we hung out for less than 15 minutes.  Many didn't even start up, and those that did had a heck of a time turning around.  We met at the bottom and I was very disappointed.  Family meeting time.

3 of us saw the tower.  Here is proof!

After our meeting, the Christian Valley and the Kettle River became our next destination.  Southeast instead of our original northwest.  We know there would be swimming and good camping, and I had a plan brewing in my head that might save the original mission of the Moose Trophy.

Our spot on the Kettle River was excellent.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Right beside the river, and no washout roads getting there.  We all got wet and cleaner in the river.  We had grass under our tents and wings to cook.  lots of chicken wings.  Ross cooked shrimp.  It was amazing.

Day 3.  July 9 2017.

Today was the day to deploy my secret weapon.  Goat Mountain Fire Tower.  It was on the way.  The new way, not the old way.  it was a fire tower, we could all drive to it.  It was perfect.

Along the Kettle Riv

So after we packed up and headed south on the dusty road, I was feeling confident.  The long drive along the Kettle River was chill but dusty.  Around 1:00, Mary directed us to one of the best swimming holes.  We held up there for a few hours and all got wet and clean and refreshed.  Ross and Wayne did a bit of fishing.  A sweet little break before back to the dust.  We'd be at the tower around 4 or 5 I figured.

 Our next stop was another unexpected opportunity in Rock Creek to get gas and ice.  Also for Nathan to randomly meet his parents who were visiting from Dubai.  I guess we were being led a different direction on purpose.

Then up to Beaverdell and up the road to Goat Mountain.  A steep but not too steep switchback road up from the main drag.  We stopped a few kilometers up to check out an old mine.  I'd been there before and knew people would find it as cool as I did.  The floor of it was still lined with ice.
There was one more quick stop to check out another mine, then off to the top.

As it turns out, no.  The road was very washed out about 4km up.  The barely quad-able kind of washed out.  The kinda of wash-out that destroys all hope of the Moose Trophy Overland Rally all seeing even 1 fire tower.  I died inside more than a little.









What to do besides another family meeting.  We had no choice but to turn around.  It was time to stop driving but we were nowhere.  We had no choice to turn nowhere into somewhere.  We turned around and stopped back at the first mine.  A great view of the valley all below us, but another unvisited fire tower above us.

Kevin and Kelsey parked there Subaru as only Kevin can.  Evan and Tony were on bikes and travelling light, so they strung up their hammocks in another sweet spot, and the rest of us camped along an old grassy road leading to the mine.  All except Wayne, who pretty much put his tent in the mine.  The cold wind blasting from the mind made sure he was never overheated.

The final night of the Moose Trophy was a great celebration of food and friends and a great view.  we stayed up late, ate and drank most of what was left and went to sleep happy and full.

Day 4.  July 10 2017.


The unavoidable end to the Moose Trophy.  We ate the last of the food in a cast iron pan heated over the now race proven bbq.  Kevin and Kelsey left earlier to catch the ferry back to Victoria.  The rest of us delayed our inevitable departure.  I topped up my tank with some of the fuel I had on the roof.  I think a few others did too.

The group pretty much split from there.  Some took the highway back to Kelowna while Ross, Jonah, Mary, Kris, Wayne and I took the gravel as far as we could.  We crossed the Kettle Valley Railway a few times and stopped at Hydraulic Lake for one last swim.

While we did not see the fire towers, I believe we would all consider the event a roaring success.  We got on new roads, saw some really cool stuff and ended up camping at places we otherwise would have just driven by or not seen at all.

While I was initially disappointed that my organized plan fell through so spectacularly, I was glad that every wrong turn and u turn and unexpected turn resulted in a great trip.

Moose Trophy Overland Invitational 2018  is in the works.  Stay tuned.

A special thanks to Backroads Mapbooks for the swag.  Hope to have you guys on board again next year.  Check out their paper and gps maps, definitely the most valuable tool we brought along.

Thanks again to BRMB

Also, a massive thanks to all those who contributes these photos, like Nathan at Halfnine Media, Kelsey and Kevin and their amazing photos, as well as Jonah and Wayne for some being in the right place at the right time for some awesome photos too.



Official list of participants and vehicles in the Moose Trophy Overland Rally 2017

In the FJ
Ryan Klassen
Wayne

In the Subaru
Kevin
Kelsey

In the Pathfinder
Mary
Kris Anderson

In the Tacoma
Scott
Brian

In the other Pathfinder
Nathan
Brian

In the 4Runner
Ross
Jonah

The two heros on Kawasakis
Tony
Evan