Not owning an ATV, and not having the time to add on an extra 2 days that the cycle in and out would require, I opted to plan our route via the cattle trail up Siwhe Creek. The approach is from the West Side Road between Lilooet and Lytton, then through the Hance Farm where there is a gate and a few houses. Here we asked the native family for permission to cross their land and to park our vehicle for the 5 days of our trip. They were extremely friendly, saying also that not more than one party per year used this route via their land.

......click to enlarge

We were pretty surprised at the size of the Texas Creek road - you can see in the photo at right what a tiny, narrow ribbon it is as it threads through the narrow chasm. We'd always just assumed it was one of the typical wide & brutal BC logging roads. Maybe it turns into just that, we only went up to the first bridge just around the corner.

For generations the Hance family has been taking their cattle to Cattle Valley (which lies within the Stein boundaries) along this route. So it was only fitting that we would not only see plenty of evidence (i.e. pancakes), but some cows as well.

We "herded" her and three more all the way to Devils Lake!!

In the mid-afternoon we entered the gradually opening valley and crossed larger boulder fields. We took a break in some trees near the base of one of these and noticed this bear-marked tree -------.

About 30 minutes from the lake we were forced to layer on our goretex jackets and hats as the skies billowed in dark clouds and gave way to a cold and heavy rainstorm.

Fortunately, just as we neared the lake, the storm blew past down the valley (a trend we would see repeated dozens of times over the next few days) and blue sky opened overhead.

"Devils Lake is an area of powerful spirits according to Indian legend. Even today, native people blacken their faces when passing by the lake in order to avoid being recognized by the devil who lives in the lake. One story reported by Judge Thomas Meagher of Lillooet tells of the devil, an old woman with long hair, floating around the lake on a alog chanting strange songs. Other accounts tell of herds of goat truning into stone, young maidens dying while swimming, and a bull with a dog on its head attempting to swim the lake and disappearing about halfway across."

Hungry for breakfast, we journeyed over to the cluster of trees where we'd hung our food. Only, it wasn't hanging anymore! Our bright red & yellow paddling throw rope (which doubles as our food rope) had been chewed in at least a dozed places! The packs, however, were thankfully untouched. Luckily only about 8 feet of rope on the beginning section were wrecked, so we left that piece along with an extra bottle of bug repellant at the camp spot for us to retrieve on our return.

After the rain let up, we headed up the ridge northeast of the lake. An easy, but spectacular goal for the afternoon, the ridge afforded grand views of the Texax Creek Valley, the Skimath Creek Valley, Rainbow Ridge and Siwhe Mtn.

The wind howled and whipped around us as we hiked to the high point on the ridge, and thick clouds rolled in, obscuring what views we had.

Having had a few too many encounters with bears (including but not limited to one bluff charge and one predatorial stalking), Andre now packs not just one, but two "camp-size" cannisters of 'bear spray'. This video is a demonstration of one method of dealing with a bear encounter when "armed to the teeth" with pepper spray (note the sound of the wind and imagine what the spray might do when airborne!!)

We awoke to mixed rain & hail, which quickly turned to snow. A thick fog blanketed the alpine, obscuring all but the nearest hills.

Fortunately, by 9:30 the snow had stopped and melted and the clouds had lifted enough for us to venture out for a day of exploration.

We hiked down to the Stein Divide where we could see into the quiet, pastoral Cattle Valley - complete with a herd of cattle!

The ridge begins as a wide, gradual slope, but the final climb is fairly steep, rocky, narrow and not for those timid of heights or pricipices. Not being overly fond of the latter, but driven by a great desire to reach the top and see the lake with my own eyes, I followed Andre's lead and actually found this last short, but seemingly rugged, climb to be of no matter.

The sky became overcast as we descended, and we were struck how there was almost an eerie silence surrounding the lake. Even the once well-used trail entering the meadows from the NW is being reclaimed by the mountains.

Tired after another day of much hiking, we crashed in the meadows for an hour on the shore of the lake. During lunch dark clouds once again closed in around us and rain threatened. Having left our goretex jackets, pants and various other items in a stash on Rainbow Ridge, we figured we'd better get moving before being caught on the open ridge.

On our descent through the meadows, we spooked a lingering herd of cows. Not wanting to 'herd' them 14 km's back to the farm, we quickly detoured below and around them before they were able to get on the trail ahead of us.

We retrieved our extra bottle of bug spray that we'd left behind, but there was no sign of our bright red & yellow piece of rope! No doubt the little critter that had been chewing our food rope the first night was more than delighted to find our little "present"!

Hiking down the narrowing canyon was a long journey, and about 1:00 we settled in for a lengthy lunch break on a gravel clearing next to the river. A cautious deer came up behind us, slowly walking into the bushes by the creek for a drink.

We crossed the first bridge about 3:00, and the second about 20 minutes later. We stuffed ourselves on Saskatoon berries along the narrow farm road and were back at our trusty syncro by 4:00.

Despite the cold, rain, hail, snow, fog and wind, we had an amazing adventure. We felt very thankful that we hadn't been completely sopped in for several days and that we were able to hike to all the "features" exactly as I'd originally planned! This area has such a remote and pristine feel - we will most definitely be back for more!