Shuswap, British Columbia

Glorious snow

Shuswap excitement stays fresh in the memory

Sled in the snow

Back at the lodge: Grizzly Lodge on Mount Pukeashun provided a deluxe staging area. —photo by Dwayne Brandly

By Dwayne Brandly

Bob McKinnon and I had been invited to stay at the Grizzly Lodge, a backcountry lodge that is being constructed on Mount Pukeashun. Our host, Adam Trainer, greeted us and showed us where to park our sleds for the night.

The lodge is a large, open-beam building, with eight guest rooms on the main floor and room for eight more and two suites on the upper floor. A wood stove in the middle of the huge living room warmly greets all who enter the building. With a full kitchen, plenty of hot water, two beds and a bathroom in each guest room, satellite TV, a great drying room and two large generators providing the electrical needs, this lodge is a unique jewel in the middle of the wilderness. The cook, Gwen, made sure we had plenty to eat for dinner.

After a comfortable night’s sleep, Adam took us up the short trail to a ridge overlooking Mount Pukeashun. What a view and what glorious, untouched powder snow! As far as we could see there were rolling hills just at or slightly above the treeline. I say rolling hills because this is not straight-up highmarking terrain, although that is not too far away. This area has wide, deep bowls, mildly steep slopes up to the next ridge, well-spaced trees and lots of deep powder snow. Because we were there in early March, the snow had set up with a good crust about 18 inches below the snow line and we were able to go almost anywhere. If we broke through the crust, we had to be prepared to dig ourselves out. Several times I jumped off my sled, only to drop down chest-deep before I grabbed the running board.

Playtime in the powder

All that day and the next, Bob and I explored each valley, creek bottom and rocky ridge that we could find. We played in the never-ending powder, and by the end of the day we were glad to get back to the warm fire and comfort of the lodge and Gwen’s very fine cooking. I think she tried to outdo herself each day, because the meals were absolutely fantastic.

On the third day we were introduced to Adam’s new assistant, Ken, who had just arrived for his two-week tour of duty. Ken guided us to a completely different area on the opposite side of the valley and up Lichen Mountain. On the way, Bob and I spotted several very large, clean cut-blocks stretching up the side of the mountain. Through a bush trail and up onto Lichen Mountain we went.

Once on the ridge at the top, we were struck by the beauty of the far-ranging vista all around us. The few trees were caked with blown snow. As we wove our way between them and on to the next open play area, I couldn’t help but think this is as close to paradise as it can get. Lichen Mountain is not as big as Pukeashun, but for those who like more of a challenge, there are lots of steep drops and climbs off the side of the ridge. The trees are spaced far enough apart that you can manoeuvre your way up and down.

Route-finding adventures

With Ken guiding, we made our way to the far end of the ridge and looked for a trail that would lead us down to the valley below. We couldn’t find it, so Ken began to pick his way through the trees, and we followed. Partway down the mountain we found the narrow, winding trail that took us to a cut-block and finally an old forestry road that led to the valley that led back to the lodge.

We travelled down the snow-covered road, following some old sled tracks, until we came to a point where a power line crossed the road. From there, we saw the Seymour Arm of Shuswap Lake. We knew we had gone too far. Ken checked his topo map and I checked my GPS and we marked the spot where we wanted to be. Our gas was getting a bit low and we couldn’t afford to be wrong again. Partway back up the road we turned off to another cut-block and found the trail. On we went, twisting and turning on the narrow trail through the trees, and came to Grizzly Lake, not far from the lodge.

Safely back, we again enjoyed one of Gwen’s great dinners. We were tired and happy when we got back to the comfort of our beds that night. The next day, we left the lodge early, sledded down the trail and began the long trek home to Alberta. Pukeashun is absolutely great for those who want to play in powder, and for families who want to go riding in beautiful country.

Kootenay Rockies contacts

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