The Rover-Landers of BC

It's time to start planning our trek to Alexander Mackenzie Trail, one of out longest trips for this year.

This is out third time as a club to visit this remote and beautiful part of BC , for those of you who are not familiar with Alexander Mackenzie trail here's a link to a great description of the trail and it's heritage

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/ex ... almack.htm

Here's a great write up by Dave which should give you some idea of what the trip is all about :

http://newmedia.typepad.com/landblogger ... befor.html

Although the dates have been set for August 4th to August 15th, this is still in planning stages and were looking for your suggestions and input.
The previous two times it took us a week and a weekend to complete the trip with some time to spare. This year however were planning to head to Bell Colla after the Mackenzie trail and take the ferry to the island .
This is why were planning on two weeks, but it's possible for anyone wanting to do just the Mackenzie trail to head home from Anahim Lake which is where we end up after the trail.

Kris

This is a list of people who are interested in joining us on this trip:

Kris Maksymiuk, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 110
Mark Maksymiuk, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 110
Pete Lembesis, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 110
Phil Armstrong and Debbie, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 90
John Barge and his son, Calgary, 90 - 200TDI
Karl Nylund and Shane Annandale, Lower Mainland, Range Rover
Bill Inch, Edmonton,D110 200tdi pickup
Dave and Pamela Blair, Interior BC, Series IIa 88"
Dave & Pete Tebbutt, Mission/Vernon, Range Rover
Ryan Ulansky, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 110
Greg Pollock & Bob, Lower Mainland, Land Rover 109

Thanks Kris for championing this great trip.

After being so enthusiastic it looks like other commitments will preclude us this year....enjoy!!! :D

hi kris, Dave mentioned this trip a while back while he was over here in Edmonton and it has got a lot of interest from the alberta club.I was wondering if you would not mind 4 or 5 of us joining you.

I've been hoping to do this trip but it looks like I might be spending the month of Aug working out east near Moncton NB.

No, not at all ,
anyone is welcome to come along,
the more the better !

Kris

Hi guys,

I would like to attend, but likely only the one week version.

Ryan

:D

Dave Lovelock has been keeping our gang informed on this trip and since Dave Blair came to visit with his slide projector I've been waiting for the invite. I'll be there with Bell's on!!! We'll wait and see who will be in the passenger seat though....

cheers,Bill

Hi Peter,

To answer your questions...

In my opinion, this trip is as close as you're gonna get to a Camel Trophy on north american soil in the 21st century. It may not be as out and out tough, but it is very long and can be quite grueling. My wife and I took our border collie with us last time, and there was one other dog on the trip. Both were exhausted every day from the constant bouncing around, and I don't think we'd bring him along again, although he goes with us on virtually every trip we go on.
Wives, yes, there were almost as many women as men on the 2005 trip. Kids, well you be the judge. One of our club members has brought out his son to virtually every run since he could walk and the kid fits right in. But he hasn't done the AMT, only weekend runs. I think an easy going child that enjoys off-road would see it as a big adventure.
Don't forget you'll also have to be carrying around 4 or 5 jerry cans of fuel and all your supplies for 5-6 days in the bush, so room in your truck is going to be at a premium. Also, in my experience, you don't want to overload your roof and leave the lower level of your truck empty as it will make you top heavy which is very stressful with numerous side-slopes and low hanging fallen trees... last time I had to do exactly that to accommodate our dog, and it resulted in many white knuckled moments...

You can browse our photo gallery here for photos of the 2005 trip.

cheers, Dave

I'm trying to figure out if I can swing the time off... sounds like a great trip.

Is this trip a Land Rover exclusive event or would a very well equipped Toyota driver be welcome. If it helps I used to own a landrover. :lol: Well technically it was owned by the company but they let me drive it.

As a general rule we don't restrict Rover-Landers trips to Rovers only or to members only, although we'd like you to be both a member and a Rover owner. :lol:

So, if you can put up with the occasional ribbing, we won't have any problem putting up with your non-Rover truck.

cheers, Dave

Well fortunately for me I have fairly thick skin. The member part I could probably do but I'm pretty attached to my Toyota. Too much into it now to switch anyway.

Well then I would like to sign up for this trip. It's a ways off but I don't foresee any problem with being able to do the whole 2 weeks. I should be unemployed for the summer.

Did I hear some mention of video footage from one of your last trips????

cheers,Bill

Here's a link to the video from our first trip, 2002. It was done by several of us, obvious amateurs, but it gives an idea of what to expect...

http://roverlanders.bc.ca/videos/AMT2002.mov

A caution, it is a big download — 320 MB, so even with high speed expect it to take 20 minutes. You will need to download Quicktime player to view it.

Dave

For those interested in this trip, some good reading, if you go to your local used book store, is the series of books by Rich Hobson Jr., Grass Beyond the Mountains, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy & The Rancher Takes a Wife. Some of these stories were also made into a series on CBC about 20 years back. The focus on the stories is almost exactly halfway along the Mackenzie Trail. The hero of the stories, Pan Phillips, still has several children living in the area, and one runs the Pan Phillips Fishing Camp, which we stopped at last time we were through.

cheers, Dave

Hi Dave, Thanks for the link to the movie! Unfortunately I'm having a heck of a time downloading it, even with high speed. I may have to wait until later this evening when the traffic slows a bit.

The TV series "Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy" you mentioned...I used to watch that?!? I got a real kick out of it and enjoyed it a lot. Now this put's a new light on the trip in August too! Thanks!

Thanks muchly for the vid link dave. Watched it last night and will be taking it to our montly "Gathering" on Wednesday, to share with the guys.

Thanks muchly :D

This was probably mentioned somewhere that I can't recall but how many km does this cover. Just the offroad "no services" portion. Trying to determine how much extra fuel I might need to bring.

I think it's somewhere in the 400 km range.

We will have a meeting in a month or two to throw some ideas around and come up with a plan.

Kris

I'm in!!!! The Range Rover WILL be ready!!!!!!!!!!

Is it recommended that ALL trucks on this trip have a winch? After reading Dave's account of the last trips ending through the bog...

JD

While there were a couple of trucks in both of the trips we did without a winch, they did end up quite regularly on the end of someone else's cable. We work as a group through stuff like this, so obviously everyone made it through, but having a winch is going to take the pressure off you depending on someone else's winch, and putting the resultant wear and tear on a piece of equipment that you didn't pay for... If I recall correctly those that didn't have winches before the trip, now most of them do.

I would also like to caution those that think this is just another camping trip to bring the wife, kids and pets along. This is, in my opinion, the closest thing most of us will ever get to a Camel Trophy, and as such isn't really the place for kids, and only for wives and pets if they're really into getting grubby, muddy, sweaty, oh and did I mention muddy? There were several days where we rolled into camp in the dark, spread tents out on wet muddy ground and just fell into our beds. This takes a toll on all parties. We've decided that while our dogs love the outdoors and rovering, it is a bit much for them as well.

So if your wife is game to be your winch monkey, go out into a mud pit this spring and get stuck a half dozen times and have her drag the winch cable, tree strap and shackle out for you. Then see how you feel about going on the Mackenzie Trail — it may sound so, but really, I'm not being facetious.

Dave

Dave,

You don't sound facetious at all. That was the information I was looking for. Exactly.

JD

Hi Kris , Gerry B here from Prince George . My northern wheeling side kick [ Mike Allan ] and I took the opportunity yesterday to do some exploring . We headed up the Batnuni FSR to the Alexander Mackenzie Trail head ; the snow on trail is still approximately 2 1/2 feet and melting quite nicely as the nights here are warming up [ -2 c ] to + 8 c during the day . Mike Drives a 92 Toyota Forerunner and I was driving my 1996 7000 lb + 3/4 ton Dodge Ram [ with Rover-Lander decal affixed ] . Both vehicles are equipped with double bead lock wheels which enabled us to air down to 6 pounds and 9 pounds respectively . I would imagine my 90 [ with chains ] would have performed equally as well . Off we went . We covered approximately 30kms of the trail effortlessly [ despite the snow depth ] ; did the Titetown river crossing and back and proceeded towards Kluskoil Lake . We plan to do the complete trail over the next 6-8 weeks [ based on availability of free ' being retired ' time ] . To me , the trail/scenery is as beautiful as ever with the geese returning . Lot's of moose , grouse and ' white rabbits ' abound ; NO BUGS ! Great for spring time camping . Not much pine beettle dead fall accross the trail as far as we went ; we will see .

It's amazing to me that a 7000 lb + vehicle aired down to 9 pounds just floats atop the snow in 4x4 low . I will be trying my 90 with chains very shortly for comparison .

Gerry B [ living in Northern Lights country ] :D

Gerry, your info is worth it's weight in gold! Great news, thanks.

Regards,
Pete

Hey Gerry,

Glad to hear you get to enjoy Northern BC,
So does this mean you will be able to fit our August trip
into your busy retirement schedule?

Kris

Kris , I'm sure going to try to fit it in . thx . Gerry

Hi again from PG ; Mike Allan this past weekend managed to get to Poplar Mountain from Titetown covering 9 kms in 3 hours . Poplar Mountain is approx 3700' above sea level . There is still a lot snow [ 2-2 1/2 ' ] here . The trail to this point is dead fall free . Getting to Kluskoil Lake from Poplar Mountain [ another 9+km ] may be a different matter as we do anticipate dead fall in this section . We will see .

On another note , we plan to visit Nazko and take the Baezaeko and Coglistiko FSR's to another entrance of the Mackenzie Trail head [ the Kluskus Wagon Trail ] . Mike Allan has informed me that a 50 km gravel road was built [ fall of 2006 ] as a branch off the Baezaeko FSR to the Klukus village bypassing the Klukus Wagon Trail . The old Kluskus Wagon Trail has not been used in 2 years ? and surely will be dead fall alley and a bit over grown . To me , having driven this trail , this was a fantastic 4x4 trail and test . We plan to ascertain what the current state of this part of the trail is actually like .

Gerry of PG .

Thanks Gerry for the advance scouting!

Dave

Dave , the ' scouting ' is on hold till it warms up . This am is cool [ -5c ] with blizzard like conditions that are off and on up here in the Hart . The veteran locals tell me this is worst winter in 15 years in terms of snow conditions ???? All I know is that we still have 2'+ of snow in the yard and need Vancouver weather-like conditions here for a week or 2 to eject winter's strangle hold on us . Other than that , Prince George is all good ; winter clothing is fashionable and having no traffic here compared to the Lower Mainland is a positive .

Gerry B

I don't think you need Vancouver's weather right now as it has just snowed all day here in Abbotsford
Andrew

Does anyone have GPS tracklogs they would like to share of the trail?

I could put together a Garmin compatible overlay map that is fully routable. I've picked up a copy of the trail guide so that should help me a bit.

Are there any good printed (or online) maps of the area that have more up to date road data than the Federal Topographic maps? Does the BC government do maps? I have all the federal topo maps plus the national road networks so can include whatever roads are on them, but I assume they are out of date. They sure look it.

http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/sites_trails/f ... ve_map.htm

Try that. Once you move into a specific area you can put in topographical overlays, and view all forest service roads and such. Interesting to look at.
Not sure if you've seen it before.

It's plotted out a few trails for me. :)

After I posted, I did some digging and found that. It should help. On first glance the roads look the same as what I have. Once I get into the project , I'll go through it carefully to see if there are any useful differences on there.

If I get a GPS track, I'll have a better idea what route you guys took. Waypoints of any interesting locations would be of great help on the map as well. These will be searchable on the GPS.

Unfortunately, it looks like the BC government data is all a pay (a lot) service. And there I thought you guys had a socialist government... :wink:

I should note that a free Garmin compatible topo and road map set for the whole country will be available online very soon. This will contain all of the information on the federal topo maps plus up to date roads. Just a little teaser....I'll post a new topic when it gets out of beta testing.

I do have a full GPS track from last trip, however its hard to post here due to its format, so if you send me an email with your email address, I'll be happy to send them out to you.

cheers Dave

daveblair [at] blackpress [dot] ca

Thanks Dave. I sent you an email.

For anyone else red90 at shaw.ca

Thanks, John

Dave sent me a very comprehensive and well documented list of waypoints for the route. It looks great and with the mapping I have available, I can hopefully estimate the track you took fairly well.

If there is anyone else with data, please send it on over. The more I get, the better map we end up with.

I've also had a brief look through Woodworth and Flygare's guide book. It has quite well detailed maps of the original route. I may "try" and sketch that out on the map in addition to the driving route as I think it might prove interesting during the trip.

I had a note from one of the AMVRA people that there has been quite a bit of Pine Beetle damage and the associated logging along the route which may impact route finding.

These were Kris' Waypoints from our last trip through. Kris will undoubtedly be leading us along a similar route this time as most places there's only one road.

Dave

Here's the plan,

Meet at Whatcom Rd. on Sunday afternoon as several people need time to make it over from the island.
From there we will take high way 1 to Cache Creek where we can meet up with people coming from Alberta,
OR any one who wants to drive to our final meeting destination in Extra Foods parking lot at a crack of noon on Monday , August 4th..
This will be our last chance for last minute grocery shopping and last fuel stop till we get to Anahim Lake hopefully six days and 400 km later.
We will camp at Kluskoil Lake that night.
From there on we will push on thru and take it as it comes till we make it to Gatcho Lake and from there take the Beef trail to Anahim Lake where we will get our first glimpse of civilization.
From here on some of us will take Hwy 20 towards Williams Lake and return journey home.
For those of us who will continue on the second leg of this trip we will take Hwy 20 to the end ! Bell Coola about 140 km .
Camp for the night and board ferry on Monday at 8 am for an all day journey arriving in Port Hardy @ 9 pm that day.
If for any reason we wont be able to make it in time for Monday morning ferry departure , the next ferry will leave
on Wednesday night at 7:45 arriving in Port Hardy the next morning at 7:45.
We will try very hard to make it for Monday as a day trip would be much more enjoyable and the Wednesday schedule is only a back up plan.
Here's link to the ferry schedule
http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/disc ... rrent.html
We do have to make reservations for this route and I will find out all the details .
The fare for this ferry ride is $288.55 for a vehicle and vehicle only.
Plus $143.30 for an adult.
here's link to ferry fares
http://www.bcferries.com/fares/Discover ... _2008.html

From Port Hardy we will make our way to Nanaimo which is about 400 km away .


This plan is still in works so if you have any concerns of ideas, this it the time to speak up!

Sounds like things are coming together well. Ferry costs haven't come down any in the past 10 years hhahhahahahhhahahhah

Question to ponder (and I'm sure you are considering it already)... if we make the reservations, which I assume we'll have to guarantee with payment are we committed to that schedule or do we have an out if we are late getting off the trail?

Many thanks for making all the effort to organise our sorry asses!


cheers,bill

The last time when we did the trail and took the ferry out of BellaCoola, we booked the ferry on Sunday the day before it sailed and had no problems getting on. The trip during the daytime is well worth it.

Good Luck and have fun
Bernie

Checked with the ferries today,
If we make a reservation and we don't show up, we lose $30 .
Full payment must be made at the time of reservation.
Maybe we should just wait and see what happens, If we can't make the ferry on Monday at 8 , we should just drive home .No point in a ferry ride at night at this price.
I would like to go and visit Bella Coola regardless of the ferry.

What do you think?

Although regrettably I will not be able to join you this year, I thought I would chime in with some info.

Two years ago my son Scott and I did the backroads from Lilloet all the way to Bella Coola and back. Went through the gang ranch crossing, and back roads most of the way to Anaheim Lake, then the run down the "Big Hill" to Bella Coola.

Theres not a lot to see in Bella Coola...It really just is the end of the road. The campsite in Tweedsmuir just at the bottom of the hill, is a great place just to hang out. It's right beside the Atnarko RIver....otherwise known as the Grizzly Bear Highway to the coast.

Fishing is great in August (cutthroat and the occasional salmon), and you can be sure to see at least one of two bears per day. They wander down the river (and sometimes through the campsite) an their way to the dog salmon runs coming up from the end of the inlet.

As long as you practice "no trace" camping (that is don't leave food stuff around your campsite) the bears will leave you alone. I did pack bear bangers and had bear spray wherever we went as a precaution. Siing little songs, take a bear bell or just make noise as you are wandering through the scrub by the river. If you see one approaching huddle up, wave your arms, look big and they'll just walk away...they are generally pretty full of salmon.

I may see you all there as Scott and I had such a good time, that is where we are heading to mid August time frame.

Pics of our trip and our big fuzzy friends are here...for your viewing pleasure.

http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n167 ... 0Coola_06/

Guest password is Fluffysnow

Any questions feel free to ask.

Cheers and hope to see you all up there in August.

Hey Kris,
I would like to go all the way to Bella Coola either way but agree that there's no point in taking the ferry at night if we miss the first one. Based on Bernie and April's experience, I think we should not make advanced reservations either, just do it the day before as well. If we make it, great, and if not, no worries, we just drive home from there, I'm sure we can find another interesting route.

Pete

Hey no worries you guys will make it out on sunday and get on the ferry monday
I have a good feeling about this
Have fun see ya all at the ABFM
you to Kris
Bern

Speaking of the ABFM,
it was suggested that while attending the show we should have a meeting regarding Alexander Mackenzie trip .
How many of you would be interested in coming to the show for this meeting?


Dave,
Would it be possible to get a sign up form set up like we did last time.
It would be nice to have an idea how many people are planning on attending this trip.
Thanks

Kris

Hi Kris,

The forms take a bit to produce so I don't know if I'll get one done any time soon. but for now, if you could edit your first post to show a list of those that have indicated they'd be coming that would be great. You can then add people to the list as others let you/us know.

cheers, Dave

That will do.

So, anyone interested in coming on this trip could you let me know your name, where from, how many people in your party and what kind of a vehicle.
I will keep updating the list as I get new names.
You can find the list in my first post.

Have you received a list from ALRE?

John Barge
Calgary
2 people. Myself and my 11 year old son.
90 - 200TDI.

Hi John,

You are the first one to reply with regards to my last post.
Who is ALRE?

Kris

Karl Nylund, and Shane Annandale. Lower Mainland. Range Rover.

kris wrote:You are the first one to reply with regards to my last post.
Who is ALRE?

The Alberta Land Rover club.

kris wrote:So, anyone interested in coming on this trip could you let me know your name, where from, how many people in your party and what kind of a vehicle.

Bill Inch
ALRE - Edmonton, AB
D110 200tdi pickup
(only me for now. Will update later if need be)

I would like to attend with my 90 but I'm still waiting to see if it will work out for time off of work.

No worries Andrew,
Let me know when and I will be more than happy to add you to the list.

Gerry B here in PG .

This past week [ 12-15 May ] . Mike Allan and I took the opportunity to explore several areas , one of which was part of the Alexander Mackenzie Trail from Euchiniko to Titetown [ approx 39 kms ] with a campover at Kluskoil Lake . We took the Kluskus Forest Service Road [ south of Vanderhoof ] and turned left onto the Blue Forest Service Road [ at km 99 ] . At km 119 , we turned left towards Euchiniko and at km 12 entered the Alexander Mackenzie Trail .

Current conditions of the trail this mid May 08 .

With snow melt still happening and frost still exiting the ground , this is the roughest we have ever seen this section of the trail [ having driven this section of the trail 2 times in the last 3 years during mid summer and the fall ] . The trail has become a bit overgrown in sections with evergreen trees claiming some of the width of the trail . There was still a lot of h20 of the trail which made the rocky parts of the trail more interesting ... where were the rocks ? My 90 trusty skid plate reminded me all too frequently .

H20 levels are high at this time of the year and several creek crossings on the trail were exciting [ especially the one approx 2km east of Kluskoil ] where the h20 was 4+' high and at least 25+' across ; h20 movement was extremely fast . With movement both forward and sideways , the 90 made it across with h20 cresting the hood .

On this trip , we chain-sawed 42 pine beetle dead falls ; being the 1st to do this trail this year has it's rewards . If it wasn't us , it would have been someone else . There were no bugs [ yes !!!! ] . All I can say , this trail smells of history ; no 4 legged animals were spotted , however the grouse were plentiful . Poplar Mountain is extremely unique and beautiful as ever . There were several identifiable CMT's [ Culturally Modified Trees ] ear-marked by Forestry . Interesting . The amount of pine beetle kill around Kluskoil Lake was alarming to me .

As you folks you will be taking this trip in the summer , the trail conditions will have significantly improved with the h20 levels greatly reduced . There most likely will be more dead fall [ perhaps a few more trees ] . There will be bugs ... don't forget your therma cells !!!!
For an old timer like me , I found power steering to be an asset ; horse power is not . 64hp is just fine . My 90 has a mild lift of only 1 1/2 " . The 90 escaped with only trail cosmetics ; it certainly was not walking wounded on exiting the trail .

For interest only ; we also did the Messue trail at km 146 [ off of the Blue Forest Service Road ] . Once we reached the Blackwater , we had to back track as the river was too high to cross .
Also we went into Walt Lambert's farm [ exit km 167 off of the Kluskoil Forest Service Road ] . His driveway is 10 km long . Our goal was to get to the Home Ranch . After being pulled out by his tractor from his driveway , and discussions with him on road conditions past his ranch , we had to back track .

Sometime in June , we plan to head to Nasko and visit the Kluskus Wagon Trail [ which now has been replaced by a Forest Service Road to Klukus ] .We will see .

Gerry B

Go ahead, rub it in! Not only do we have wait many more months, but with no bugs and a challenging trail you're excursion is really making me jealous...

Kris, any chance we can move our date up, like way up? :wink:

Hello Peter and welcome on board,

Our final meeting destination is in Quesnel on Monday morning , August 4th which is a holiday.

Kris

Hey Colin
You're on the list now.

1 month to go.

A month from today, most of the group will be gathered in the vicinity of Quesnel for a noon Monday, August 4th departure. Please don't hesitate to contact Kris or I direct if you have concerns, questions, need directions, etc.

I can be contacted by email: daveblair [at] blackpress [dot] ca or phone 250-546-3606

You can send an email to Kris by clicking on the email link by one of his posts.

Any stragglers, please let us know your intention to attend so we don't end up leaving anyone behind in Quesnel.

Finally could those attending, please send me an email including your phone number and pertinent contact info in case there are last minute things we need to contact you directly for?

thanks, Dave

I've made arrangements today with a friend that lives on Dragon Lake, a few KM south of Quesnel, to allow all of us to camp on their property (several acres) on Sunday when we arrive from wherever you're coming from. That way no one has to search too hard for local camp spots...

The departure point remains the same -- Extra Foods parking lot, crack of noon, Monday, August 4th.

Still waiting for home phone numbers and emergency contact details from a few of you...

Dave

Thoughts on how much fuel a TDI was using on the trip in the past?

Ouch and I see fuel is 15 to 25 cents more expensive in BC...

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_can_gastemperaturemap.aspx

Maybe I should bring a tanker and sell fuel at the trailhead.

Ha! You can tell by the lack of replies that the price of fuel is no laughing matter out here...

Anyway, I think Phil in his D90 200tdi took a full tank plus 2 jerry cans last time. I'm planning on my tank (40 L) plus 3 jerry cans this year, just to be safe. Last time round I still had the 2.25 gas engine and I used 5 jerry cans plus the full tank. We came out in Anahim Lake with about 1/3 of a tank left, so that would be something like 115 litres of fuel... even at todays prices that makes for a pretty cheap week of holidays.

cheers, Dave

But then there is the cost of getting there from Calgary ;)

I was planning on doing this trip but my wife will not be able to make it so I'm going to hold off and wait to use my vacation time with her later.

Hope you guys have fun.

Well sorry to hear it, but there'll be other trips... I'm hoping to do a Canol trip next August...

cheers, Dave

I'll take you off the list. Sorry to hear you aren't able to attend, but it sounds like you've been having a good summer anyway!

Dave

The first group is out of the bush and beginning to trickle back... Details to follow.

Dave

GREAT news Dave, look forward to hearing all the tales and looking at the photos .....
I was starting to think the mosquitoes had eaten you all alive :shock:

Well, they did try and carry us off. Bugs were definitely as bad if not worse than other years. Black flies and deer flies were worse than mozzys, in my opinion.

Our old blue truck was put through the wringer...

Day 1: broken short rear axles shaft
Day 2: dented and ripped right rear box
Day 3: snapped inner left front spring shackle (although not discovered till later in the trip)
Day 4: dented right front fender, and several crossmember hits
Day 5: redented right front fender, broken right front lenses, broken left rear lenses, bent right rock slider, bent right rear corner of roof rack, folded backward both lower door vents

All of the above was either fixed in short order or can be easily remedied. Compared to earlier trips, the trail was generally drier, except for the final mud challenge. Hard to compare as it was midnight last time and early afternoon this time. It was a messy challenge, though. Rocks along the entire trail seemed to be sticking up more, due to further erosion of surrounding dirt, and frost lifting them, so that made for a few (hundred) challenges. And the trail was so overgrown that in a number of spots we had to get out and scout ahead just to figure out where the trail was supposed to be.

What a fun way to spend one's vacation!

The rest of the group are in Williams Lake at the moment awaiting parts for Anne's Range Rover. I'll let them all tell their own stories...

Dave

Sounds like it was interesting and no real damage to the Series. How did the others make out in comparison of damage.

-- forgot to add on Day 5, punctured fabric on top, and lacerated my hand with the chainsaw. I'm a lucky guy cuz it only went through the skin layers, but I heard the bells chiming...!

D

Just got back to town.

Great and fun trip. Words can not do it justice. A great big thanks to all the Roverlanders for putting it on. A really fun group of people to spend the week with and it was wonderful to meet everyone.

Hopefully we can try and get a trip together next summer to encourage a few to come and see our part of the country.

Damage?? I'll have to look at it tomorrow after a snooze, but nothing serious... Bent the track rod (as usual..), some body damage here and there, lots of crossmember dents and the front shock bushings are no more.

For your viewing pleasure, I have posted Ryan's photos of the Alex Mac run in the Photo Gallery. I will post more if the rest of you will jar loose :roll:
Bill

Dave wrote:Anyway, I think Phil in his D90 200tdi took a full tank plus 2 jerry cans last time.

Just to note for future reference. I used 54 liters (200 TDI 90 / military LT77 / 1.4 LT230). binch used 60 liters (200 TDI 110 / R380 / 1.6 LT230).

Phil used more but he towed a RR for the last while....

The trip was 433 km between gas stations with around 200 km in low range.