After doing this last year, I suggest skipping Lodestone. Fortunately for us ATV were banned for fire hazard. Olivine to Blakeyes or Horse-guard. In Aug there was no water at Blackeyes though. We walked North to South.
I'm very glad I wasn't counting on staying at Lodestone. I'm surprised that Olivine ran out of water before Blackeye. They were both pretty low flow, but Blackeye was smaller. I'll pin this comment so people are aware that they might not get water at Blackeye's either. Thanks.
Nice video as usual, sad about the trash bandits. Way too funny with the tasteless curry meal. Your mouth said "6" but the expression on your face was yelling "3". Congrats to the Madman for winning the GAW and thanks for sharing.
what an awesome trail. I am so glad you added the early explorer info into this vid. If we could all do that about the trails we hike we would all be a lot more aware of our lands. Great video. Thanks for your honesty om the freeze dry foof. If more reviewers could be totally honest like that we could avoid surprises.
It did help that the folks who were building the trail set up kiosks with historical information :D at all the historic camps. They did an amazing job of keeping the history alive on the trail.
Cool, congratulations Carl! I'm over in Ontario. I just moved away from the Collingwood, Blue Mountain area after being there for 25 years. It's become a world class tourist destination. Dirty diapers, bagged dog crap, broken glass, water bottles etc. We also have a big problem with people leaving the area and tossing full garbage bags on the side of the roads on their way home after their big cottage parties. They don't want to pay dump fees. Often the worst messes are left by local upper middle class kids. Just plain selfishness I think. Great video, Carly :)
Thanks for sharing. Bagged dog crap is the WORST. The park I used to run in when I went to uni always had baggies hanging from the trees. Where do people get the idea that that is a suitable option. If you're too lazy to carry it out to carry it, flick it off the trail with a stick and it'll decompose. It's not rocket science.
So true. That's exactly what I thought. Makes no sense. I worked at an Outreach Centre for years and every once in a while we found bagged poop in our food donation boxes. Crazy but true.
lol, I agree that Backpacker's pantry needs to go to Kathmandu and taste the curry there:) I have been experimenting with a pressure cooker and making daal-bhaat (rice and lentils). It works well but the pressure cooker is heavy
You could dehydrate it pre trip. It's never the same, of course. I did a farmstay in Nepal, and despite watching and writing down what was happening in the kitchen, I haven't quite been able to replicate it in Canada. Have you been there?
Nah. I have in the past, but they are tooheavy for my liking. Bear spray has been shown to be more effective at deterring a charging bear anyway. Plus, a gun might lead to a rash decision. Most grizzly charges are just bluff charges, so I wouldn't want to shoot unnecessarily. I actually talked about why I don't carry a gun in this video, but edited it out because it was pretty long. I may do a video solely on gun vs bear spray later this season.
Ya, I ended up picking something up at three campsites on this trail. All the camps are brand new, so it was pretty disappointing. Thanks for watching.
Congratulations to Carl! He is one of my favorites, a man of many hats. I was just commenting on someone's video the other day that I'll bet park rangers are really disgusted with all the litter they have to deal with. ☹️ I loved your video! Cheers~Stella
Ya, packing out (and sometimes flying out) accumulated trash is annoying, but expensive for taxpayers too. I just can't wrap my head around outdoor enthusiasts littering.
beautiful area...great historical info.....the campsites themselves are really nice.....I hate the people who litter and spray grafitti.....I call them North American Knuckleheads, I thought they were only indigineous to the U.S.A, but apparently not!
Nice trail, I liked the history on it! Very Interesting!!! Congrats to Crazy man Carl LOL I could not agree more on the trash issue. The sad part is when we see it left by outdoors enthusiasts!!
Great video. I keep seeing your name pop up in comments to people I'm subbed too. Figured I give you a look see. :) Looking forward to checking out more of your videos.
Good job Carly. Looks like a beautiful place to backpack. I just can't understand people being so dis-respectable (STUPID) as to leave their crap for someone else to pack out. The only thing I found good about Backpacker Pantry is how thin the packages are. Other than that I haven't been impressed with the taste. I've never tried the brand you showed. I don't know where I was, or what I was doing when you did the GAW for the Giraffe headwear but that is a cool idea and your brand looks really good on it.
Thanks! I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I think I like the AlpineAire packaging a bit more. It's smaller and has the calories and the main protein (veg, pork, beef etc.) right on the front. Plus they usually taste better.
I see you started from the 74 Km point along the Tulameen river road and then headed west towards Hope. Anyway's I was looking at the old 1867 Alexander Caulfield Anderson map which show's the old brigade trails, this map show's the 60 to 74 Km. portion of the trail in a different ( 74 Km just across the river from Tulameen) location than what is currently being presented as the HBC trail, any idea why the current location is different from this old map. Enjoyed your video.
I started at that location solely for the purpose of the logistics of pickup and drop off. The 1970 rebuild only went to Lodestone, so perhaps their is some reason they couldn't build in the original location - private property perhaps. The current trail mostly follows logging roads (cutting off the switchbacks) through that section, so perhaps they just made it there for ease of access. Not everyone can get their vehicles to Lodestone Lake. I have a contact who might know the answer, if you'd like me to check.
Thanks for the great video on HBC trail. Just found out about it. Now I'm keen to hike it. It's mid-May now and I presume that is still too early. Anyone know when it is snow-free?
I sort of packed at the tail end of another trip, so I didn't get a chance to weigh it, but I would ballpark it at 25 pounds. I have a few bulky, but light items (warm stuff, mostly). 4 1/2 days of food was my biggest weight.
I am definitely putting this on my list for this summer. Can anyone tell me if either the last week of June or the last week of July would be good time to hike it? Would you still have much snow last week of June? And what about starting at Peers Creek? Which is the best direction to go in?
Most people seem to start at Peers Creek. I did it this way because it make the logistics of getting rides easier. I think the trail would be clear at the end of June. Some of the water sources at the Pemberton end were just trickles by the time I was there, so June might be better than July.
Can you tell me what shape the trail was in as you leave the Tulameen river on up to Loadstone lake, i was told there was a lot of windfall as you go up the north slope of Olivine mountain, has this been now cleared.
ProspectorFrank, are you planning on hitting the trail in the near future (or have you recently been on it)? Looking to do it myself, but finding it hard to find resources for what the conditions are like this early in the season.
Oh, I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall ... err tree trunk ... had you been able to bust a back-country litterer! To the stockades, I say!
Bahahaha. I should have done a stake out. What drove me even more bonkers was garbage in backcountry pit toilets. A garbage free pit in a low use site will last for years, but it doesn't take much garbage for it to fill up. Somehow I don't think a pit toilet stake out would fly though.
After doing this last year, I suggest skipping Lodestone. Fortunately for us ATV were banned for fire hazard. Olivine to Blakeyes or Horse-guard. In Aug there was no water at Blackeyes though. We walked North to South.
I'm very glad I wasn't counting on staying at Lodestone. I'm surprised that Olivine ran out of water before Blackeye. They were both pretty low flow, but Blackeye was smaller. I'll pin this comment so people are aware that they might not get water at Blackeye's either. Thanks.
Yeah, Olivine was a trickle, and a ways to get to it too.
Nice video as usual, sad about the trash bandits. Way too funny with the tasteless curry meal. Your mouth said "6" but the expression on your face was yelling "3". Congrats to the Madman for winning the GAW and thanks for sharing.
Haha. I spent a bit of time in the Himalayas and lied the food. I had some high hopes.
Beautiful place for a hike.
Thanks Nathan!
what an awesome trail. I am so glad you added the early explorer info into this vid. If we could all do that about the trails we hike we would all be a lot more aware of our lands. Great video. Thanks for your honesty om the freeze dry foof. If more reviewers could be totally honest like that we could avoid surprises.
It did help that the folks who were building the trail set up kiosks with historical information :D at all the historic camps. They did an amazing job of keeping the history alive on the trail.
very well done video.
Beautiful place to hike. Too bad about the trash. Congratulations Carl!
-ATB Adam
Ya, it's a nice area for sure. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for taking us along your hike. Love the lake and nice camping sites with fire pits & sitting benches all set up. Wonderful!
They were all really nice. I know a few of the people who worked on the trail. They did an amazing job.
I've wanted to do this hike for a while. Thanks for putting it back on my radar!
I recommend it. Hope Mountain Centre did a great job on the campsites.
enjoyed the video, and congrats to the winner. A well deserved and wonderful person.
Agreed. He doesn't know much, but Beaver Sam knows how to draw a name. Thanks for watching.
great idea with the bandana
Great video Carley! That looks like a really nice trail surrounded in history! Congrats to Carl the Madman too! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks. They did a great job with the historical kiosks on the trail.
Looks like a great hike Carly! I would hate to lose the bear spray!
Me too. The few people I passed on the trail had all seen at least a few bears. I never saw any, but I definitely happier to have it on me.
Great hike for sure . Very lovely under taking
Thanks, I really enjoyed this hike.
Cool, congratulations Carl! I'm over in Ontario. I just moved away from the Collingwood, Blue Mountain area after being there for 25 years. It's become a world class tourist destination. Dirty diapers, bagged dog crap, broken glass, water bottles etc. We also have a big problem with people leaving the area and tossing full garbage bags on the side of the roads on their way home after their big cottage parties. They don't want to pay dump fees. Often the worst messes are left by local upper middle class kids. Just plain selfishness I think. Great video, Carly :)
Thanks for sharing. Bagged dog crap is the WORST. The park I used to run in when I went to uni always had baggies hanging from the trees. Where do people get the idea that that is a suitable option. If you're too lazy to carry it out to carry it, flick it off the trail with a stick and it'll decompose. It's not rocket science.
So true. That's exactly what I thought. Makes no sense. I worked at an Outreach Centre for years and every once in a while we found bagged poop in our food donation boxes. Crazy but true.
A hiking and camping video! Sweet!
I've got a few coming. Now that it's dark when I get home from work, it seems like it's time to edit summer footage. Thanks for watching!
I really enjoy watching the backpacking videos. I also hate the trail slobs! I see way too much trash in the woods. Congrats to Carl!
Thanks for watching. Their will be a few more backpacking videos coming this winter. I am finally getting the time to edit all my summer footage.
Beautiful area to hike, Looking forward to the rest of it :)
Thanks! The next two days were the best part of the trail, I think.
That was an excellent video as always Carley. I'll keep that awesome bandana away from Chris the Chicken lol.
You'd better. Nothing is safe with Chris.
lol, I agree that Backpacker's pantry needs to go to Kathmandu and taste the curry there:) I have been experimenting with a pressure cooker and making daal-bhaat (rice and lentils). It works well but the pressure cooker is heavy
You could dehydrate it pre trip. It's never the same, of course. I did a farmstay in Nepal, and despite watching and writing down what was happening in the kitchen, I haven't quite been able to replicate it in Canada. Have you been there?
I did the Annapurna circuit in 2008 and base camp in 2 weeks. Loved it, it's been a while, need to go back.
at least i finally beat Chris Towerton here! Great stuff, you really got a great teaching style
salt and chutney..... lol serious question do you roll out there with a gun ?
Nah. I have in the past, but they are tooheavy for my liking. Bear spray has been shown to be more effective at deterring a charging bear anyway. Plus, a gun might lead to a rash decision. Most grizzly charges are just bluff charges, so I wouldn't want to shoot unnecessarily. I actually talked about why I don't carry a gun in this video, but edited it out because it was pretty long. I may do a video solely on gun vs bear spray later this season.
im w/ u on the bear spray
Looked like a nice trail. Too bad there are people out there who will not clean up after themselves. Thank you for the video, Carley
Ya, outdoor lovers littering just baffle me. Thanks for watching.
Damn litterbugs. Nice video. Seems like every one of your videos has you giving some sort a food a middle-of-the-road review haha.
Well, if I go around giving every tasty food a 9 or 10, then what will give the truly spectacular (and yet to be reviewed) foods :D
Great video. You don't want to forget the bear spray. I run into bears frequently, but not like the ones you have up there.
Grizzly's are definitely not the friendliest of creatures.
congrats Carl
looks like a nice trail Carely,just a pitty people don't take out there garbage
atb
steve
Ya, I ended up picking something up at three campsites on this trail. All the camps are brand new, so it was pretty disappointing. Thanks for watching.
Congratulations to Carl! He is one of my favorites, a man of many hats.
I was just commenting on someone's video the other day that I'll bet park rangers are really disgusted with all the litter they have to deal with. ☹️ I loved your video!
Cheers~Stella
Ya, packing out (and sometimes flying out) accumulated trash is annoying, but expensive for taxpayers too. I just can't wrap my head around outdoor enthusiasts littering.
beautiful area...great historical info.....the campsites themselves are really nice.....I hate the people who litter and spray grafitti.....I call them North American Knuckleheads, I thought they were only indigineous to the U.S.A, but apparently not!
Nah, they are here in Canada too. Garbage aside, I was very impressed with the campsites.
Nice trail, I liked the history on it! Very Interesting!!! Congrats to Crazy man Carl LOL
I could not agree more on the trash issue. The sad part is when we see it left by outdoors enthusiasts!!
I know right? It just drives me nuts.
Great video. I keep seeing your name pop up in comments to people I'm subbed too. Figured I give you a look see. :) Looking forward to checking out more of your videos.
Thanks and welcome!
Good job Carly. Looks like a beautiful place to backpack. I just can't understand people being so dis-respectable (STUPID) as to leave their crap for someone else to pack out. The only thing I found good about Backpacker Pantry is how thin the packages are. Other than that I haven't been impressed with the taste. I've never tried the brand you showed. I don't know where I was, or what I was doing when you did the GAW for the Giraffe headwear but that is a cool idea and your brand looks really good on it.
Thanks! I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
I think I like the AlpineAire packaging a bit more. It's smaller and has the calories and the main protein (veg, pork, beef etc.) right on the front. Plus they usually taste better.
I see you started from the 74 Km point along the Tulameen river road and then headed west towards Hope. Anyway's I was looking at the old 1867 Alexander Caulfield Anderson map which show's the old brigade trails, this map show's the 60 to 74 Km. portion of the trail in a different ( 74 Km just across the river from Tulameen) location than what is currently being presented as the HBC trail, any idea why the current location is different from this old map. Enjoyed your video.
I started at that location solely for the purpose of the logistics of pickup and drop off. The 1970 rebuild only went to Lodestone, so perhaps their is some reason they couldn't build in the original location - private property perhaps. The current trail mostly follows logging roads (cutting off the switchbacks) through that section, so perhaps they just made it there for ease of access. Not everyone can get their vehicles to Lodestone Lake. I have a contact who might know the answer, if you'd like me to check.
Thanks for the great video on HBC trail. Just found out about it. Now I'm keen to hike it. It's mid-May now and I presume that is still too early. Anyone know when it is snow-free?
I'm not sure, but I sent a message to someone who would know. Will let you know if I hear back.
A friend of mine that helped develop the trail says it should be clear by the end of June.
Pack it in Pack it out, a great rule of nature, & always leave your site as if it were undisturbed. :)
Ya, too bad someone seemed to think the bear caches were garbage cans. Garbage aside, they were pretty nice campsites.
Nice hike! I'm afraid to ask how heavy your pack was. Looked heavy! I'm a gram weenie. 😂
I sort of packed at the tail end of another trip, so I didn't get a chance to weigh it, but I would ballpark it at 25 pounds. I have a few bulky, but light items (warm stuff, mostly). 4 1/2 days of food was my biggest weight.
wow! did u do urself?
Ya :) It was fun, but a little lonely. I think the part we did in July was by far the best part.
I am definitely putting this on my list for this summer. Can anyone tell me if either the last week of June or the last week of July would be good time to hike it? Would you still have much snow last week of June? And what about starting at Peers Creek? Which is the best direction to go in?
Most people seem to start at Peers Creek. I did it this way because it make the logistics of getting rides easier. I think the trail would be clear at the end of June. Some of the water sources at the Pemberton end were just trickles by the time I was there, so June might be better than July.
Can you tell me what shape the trail was in as you leave the Tulameen river on up to Loadstone lake, i was told there was a lot of windfall as you go up the north slope of Olivine mountain, has this been now cleared.
ProspectorFrank Ya, there was quite a bit. Most of it was pretty easy to get over or around. This winter would have just added more though.
ProspectorFrank, are you planning on hitting the trail in the near future (or have you recently been on it)? Looking to do it myself, but finding it hard to find resources for what the conditions are like this early in the season.
Oh, I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall ... err tree trunk ... had you been able to bust a back-country litterer! To the stockades, I say!
Bahahaha. I should have done a stake out. What drove me even more bonkers was garbage in backcountry pit toilets. A garbage free pit in a low use site will last for years, but it doesn't take much garbage for it to fill up. Somehow I don't think a pit toilet stake out would fly though.