Coastal Mountain Circle Tour - Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

Coastal Mountain Circle Tour - Dec 14, 2003
(Vancouver - Whistler - Pemberton - Lillooet - Vancouver)

This time my quest for snow took me through the coastal mountain range north on Highway 99 (Sea-to-Sky Highway) through Whistler and Pemberton and then on the Duffy Lake Road to Lillooet. From there, I took Highway 12 south to Highway 1 and then home again. The entire trip was about 600 km (370 miles) and, with stops, took about 9 hours. It was only lightly snowing is some areas and the roads were mostly bare--except Duffy Lake Road which was partly covered with snow. This was the weekend for Christmas decorating because everywhere I went there were people in their SUVs hauling away trees they had chopped down in the forest.

The first set of pictures were taken near the entrance of a forest service road just south of Whistler that was popular with snowmobilers and snowshoers. I wasn't about to travel up a snow covered mountain road in my grocery-getter, so I took a level side road that followed a river. Just past the log pile where I took the first picture, there was a loop in the road and I decided I would turn around since the snow was getting deeper. And that's where I got stuck. I was in 4x4 High mode with the center differential locked and I couldn't get out even when the rear wheels were clear. I shifted into 4x4 Low, the front wheels spun, the ABS system vibrated, and with a little bit of wiggling I was able to back out.

Then, I somehow got the bright idea(!) that all I needed was a little momentum to get me through so I could turn around and head back. Unfortunately, momentum only got me further stuck and this time I had to bring out the shovel and clear the snow from behind the front tires before I could humbly back out the way I came.

The frustrating thing was that even though the snow was deep (up to the undercarriage) it was only the front wheels that were slipping. The rear wheels were clear but wouldn't spin (forward or back) to help me get out of trouble. Maybe there wasn't enough clearance and the skid plate acted like a sled to hold the front end up, but that kinda sucks on a 4x4 vehicle

. It also would have been nice to be able to turn off the traction control because the ABS system was going like crazy. I was worried that I would overheat the brakes like I did in my Passat. I guess it will be better when I dump the stock all-season tires I have on right now and get some all-terrains.

The second set of pictures were taken in the parking lot at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park near the top of one of the mountain peaks on Duffy Lake Road. You can see from one of the pictures how deep the snow was.

sequoia_snow01.jpg Up a short distance behind this log pile was as far as I would go	sequoia_snow02.jpg This is where I had to dig myself out	sequoia_snow03.jpg The ruts created by the front tires
sequoia_snow04.jpg	sequoia_snow05.jpg Backing up in defeat	sequoia_snow06.jpg Scenic river

sequoia_snow07.jpg	sequoia_snow08.jpg	sequoia_snow09.jpg	sequoia_snow10.jpg
sequoia_snow11.jpg	sequoia_snow12.jpg	sequoia_snow13.jpg	sequoia_snow14.jpg