Flash - Stein Valley Run

We conquered the Stein!

A cool adventure was had by one and all. Thanks to all of you who have flooded my InBox and called today for an update!

We have some spectacular photos to come and an adventure story that ranks right up there with some of the biggest adventures Colin, Geoff, Desmond, Bill or I have ever had. Hopefully, each of us will contribute a perspective... but be forewarned, some of what goes on the trail, stays on the trail. =;-)

Some highlights:

- we were on the roof of the world and saw many breath taking sights
- the weather was exceptionally good
- we will lay claim to being the first runners to ever conquer the ridge route from Blowdown Pass to the junction of Cottonwood Creek and the Stein River. (Boys, maybe one of you can confirm the distance and time? I think it took us 10.5 hours and we covered about 25K.)
- the first group arrived at the Lytton trail head at 01:30 on Sunday morning. The second group arrived around 10:00
- we all got scraped up from sharp rocks, blowdown, etc. and Colin could probably have taken a few stitches, but glued his wounds back togehter on the trail. I think everyone got at least a couple of blisters
- we survived bush parties at both the start and finish.  Best to bring wood if you want a campfire
- both trucks made it to the Blowdown Pass trailhead and back again with a few pushes and no noticable damage. I wouldn't take my Subaru Forrester there.
- it gets dark early in the Stein at this time of year
- there are a lot of bears in the Stein, but we didn't "run" into any
- space blankets are useful things to have
- we won't do La Haute Route (the high trail that is not a trail along the ridge line of the Cottonwood Creek watershead). The record is 10.5 hours. Go beat it.

More to follow in a few days. We will post photos on the CFA Flickr group.

The boys just called. Everybody is accounted for and fine...they are almost back in Vancouver. "The Wife's" are a bit flabberghasted about the story they were told...but I'll let the guys recall their adventure once they recovered!

No news from the runners or Tom since last night.  Kirsten (Colin's wife) and I a starting to wonder if we should start to worry.

Different scenarios why we haven't heard a beep...

1. They made it out late last night and didn't call because of the time.  Then they tried to call this morning and I was on the phone with various people who are wondering what's going on and family calling to congratulate my daughter to her b-day.  Now they are on a dirt road back to the Duffy Lake road and don't have cell coverage. Doesn't explain why they are not using the sat phone (unless of course they called and my line was busy...see above)
2. The ferry over the Fraser isn't running, and Tom is on the wrong side of the river (does not explain why he hasn't called me)
3. They didn't make it out last night, hunkered down on the trail and now are still running....Tom is waiting at the Lytton trail head and does not have cell coverage.  He does not want to leave his post to call because he doesn't want to miss the runners coming in.  This does not explain why the runners are not using the sat phone to call me.
4. Something more sinister has happened.  The've been all eaten by a Grizzly or cougar. Or not all of them have been eaten by a grizzly or cougar, but the sat phone has been devoured...

Just got a call from Tom and in turn called all the "waiting wifes" ;-)

The runners are all in good spirits and feeling well. They have arrived at Cottonwood Creek.  The alpine traverse took much longer than they anticipated and the ETA at the Lytton trailhead is around 21:00.  That's the official story...

My take is that from Cottonwood Creek to the trailhead they have to cover about 30km.  They are loosing light fast and are getting tired (apparently, they are roaring to finally run after lots of tough trail finding sections in the alpine).  I am hoping they be out by 21:00, but doubt it. Kirsten, Colin's wife, seems to have a hunch that Colin might not be back home tonight.

Tom, the good soul, has been waiting in Cache Creek all day, as there is no cell coverage in Lytton.  The runners are carrying a satellite phone, headlamps and emergency gear.  I trust they will be fine.

The 5 runners and 2 crew for the Stein Valley Run left North Vancouver this afternoon at 13:30.  I just talked to Tom and Ean. They were heading up the Duffy Lake Road.  Hope they get camp set up before it's pitch black...I suspect the got delayed over a brew or two at the Pony (or whatever that quaint pub/restaurant in Pemberton is called). 

Given the great weather and a good forecast for tomorrow the runners decided to take the more challenging alpine route.  In on the fun are Colin Freeland, Geoff Palmer, Bill Dagg, Des Mott, Ean Jackson.  Des, friend Pat and our friend, Tom Mills (of Sunshine Coast Run crew fame!) have been kind enough to offer their vehicles, time and support for the weekend.

Unfortunately, I am still at home.  The car is packed and we were all ready to go this morning, all but my daughter, who fell sick with a nasty stomach bug.  She hasn't moved off the couch all day. Earlier I was still hopeful to be able to get to Lytton tomorrow morning, but as it stands now, I am having doubts that will happen :-(

i'm not going to do the trip since taking friday off will not be possible. instead, i will probably do the howe sound crest trail towards month end.

Hey Rob and guys, I'm planning on doing the Great Lake Walk and Ultramarathon around Cowichan Lake this weekend. Some friends from work are doing it and I thought that I would join them. I'm still interested in doing the Stein Valley trip some time, maybe next year. Maybe I'll organize something for us slower folks from group 2. Thanks Curb for getting the wheels going and hope you all have a great and successful trip this weekend.

Thanks

Len

is anyone able to fit me into a car pool for rides on this run? i'll be coming in from victoria on friday and will, if possible, leave my car on the island rather than driving over to vancouver. we can meet up @ park royal or londsdale quay. cheers.

Several of the confirmed crew got together for a pint just after the Mountain Highway Madness today. There exists the possibility of two groups starting this epic next weekend. Anyone is welcome to join us for the bush party, but regrets that Group #1 is full. I'd like to suggest that anyone out there in cyberspace who is interested, identify themselves here so we can take care of details offline.

Group #1

- Curb Ivanic (may be out due to appendicitis!)
- Bill Dagg
- Geoff Palmer
- Desmond Mott
- Wade Repta
- Tracy Garneau
- Colin Freeland
- Ean Jackson
- Tom Mills (crew)

Group #2

- Ben?
- Rob Clark?
- Len Soet
- mspagnut?
- other?
Note: how this group gets to the start and from the finish to home needs to be determined within the group

Group #1 will make the go/no go call on Thursday evening based on weather and aims to leave my place in North Vancouver at 15:00 on Friday. Given the construction on the Sea-to-Sky highway and an obligatory beer stop in Pemberton, our ETA at the Blowdown Creek exit is around 17:00. Our aim is to camp at Blowdown Lake and leave camp at roughly 7:00 am on Saturday. The decision as to whether we take the alpine or valley route will be made by the campfire.

Hi Curb I'am planning on running the fatass event on sunday. We could meet up after that at the pub. If that dosen't work mon.or tues. evening any place would be fine I'am easy .We could meet at my place here in N. van if you like. We really need to get this all sorted out as it is getting close to the run. There are still alot of details to work out ,such as transport ,when we leave, who is actually running ,etc. Also I 'am not sure if everyone who expressed intrest is getting these updates if they haven't posted a comment, such as Bill , Chris and Geoff. I'll try and phone some of these people .So all who are intrested in running or helping with transport please speak up des

By the way, Blowdown Creek road conditions and directions are summarized and periodically updated at the bivouac.com website at: http://www.bivouac.com/RoadPg.asp?RoadId=1254 (I don't know if you have to be a paid subscriber to see this particular screen.)

I'm still interested in this project. I roughly estimate my time at 9 hours, which would definitely put me in the slower of the two groups. Has anyone else come forward yet to be in this group? I see Len Soet expressed some interest awhile ago. I know him slightly from the Alpine Club and would be pleased to run with him if he plans to participate and do a slow run. If I do join in, I would have room for up to 4 passengers in my 4Runner. Will the run be postponed if the weather is poor?

Hey gang, can we set up a meeting this week or weekend to finalize plans for Sept. 15? I can meet after 6:30 p.m. weeknights or sometime on the weekend except Sat. night. We could meet at my place in Kits but since most of you live in North Van. I'm happy to come over there as well. cheers, Curb

I would be interested in running the stein with the group. can't use the kk as a benchmark but i used to out hike someone with a sub-7 hour time in this race. anyways, i will probably run the juan de fuca trail as a warm-up to get a better idea of my fitness. the faster group is hopefully more appropriate. never hiked the stein myself. could be alot of fun.

I can't make it on the dates you have in September as I've got a mountaineering course that week and weekend. 
I'd love to join you if it was in late August maybe the first weekend in September?  Sept 1-2.
Keep me posted. 
I know that Rob McDonald has travelled in that area a lot and could probably give some very good advice.  He also has wanted to pull off the whole route in one push.

Cheers,
Mike

Hi Curb and Ean,

Last August, myself, Randy Rankin and Pat Walsh ran/hiked the entire Stein Valley from the Lizzie Lake trailhead to Lytton in 27hrs travelling time with one night under the stars at Stein Lake.  Therefore, we travelled about 40km the first day and 60km the next.  We did it without crew support so carried all our needs with us.  The blowdown section is extreme - it took us about 5.5hrs to travel 7km.  However. all was not in vain as we had a chance encounter with a naked young lady at Cottonwood Flats!  Our wives still think we were hallucinating!  If you would like more information or to view some pics, Randy and I will be at the final KK training run this Sunday.

Neil 

  

I got back last night from 4 days of surfing in Tofino so couldn't reply sooner.  Let's meet tomorrow (July 4) at Casa TJ in North Vancouver.  8 pm for a few beers in honour of our American neighbours and to nail down a date and route.  

see you there.  For those that want to join the run but can't make the meeting we'll post details on CFA.  

cheers,

Curb 

I can't make Wednesdays right now due to my work schedule (I doubt you are interested in meeting up after midnight), but I'm still in for the run.  Let me know what you decide.

Ryan 

 

Jackson and I were thinking it would be good to get anyone interested together for a pow-wow to discuss possible dates, routes, etc.  Looking at either next Wed. July 4 or possibly the week after July 11 at  8 pm.  If the weather cooperates, Ean grasciously offered Casa Tinsel-Jackson, having a few cold ones on the deck.  The Mosquito Bar & Grill is an alternate location.  Contact myself or Jackson if you're interested.

cheers,

Curb 

Ryan Conroy and I met with Murray Comley of Ecospirit last night.  Over a few cool ones we discussed the feasibility of doing (note I did not say "running") the Indian Arm Trail.  As the night wore on, I learned that Murray had fast packed the Stein Valley.  Murray proved to be a wealth of information.

Feedback regarding our plans to run the Stein:

1.  Taking the route from Lizzie Lake and the Gates of Shangra-La now seems like a bad idea.  It's apparently very technical at the start and quite slow going.  Given that it is over 70K, Murray discouraged me from even thinking of running it in a day.

2.  Blowdown Pass.  Even at 50-odd kilometers, it wouldn't be a lark.  There could be a lot of blowdown to deal with.  Given that there's no crew access, if anyone gets hurt, they are looking at a helicopter ride home.  Murray recommended we have someone with emergency gear sweep so that if any of the faster, light-traveling runners comes to grief, someone with a sleeping bag and emergency gear will be there in hours rather than days.

Murray mentioned that he had snow in August!  Yikes.

Looks like we should rally the troops and crew for a beer and a logistics discussion sometime in early July. 

   I've just dug up my Stien valley guide book . It gives all the different trail sections in detail with kms and est. time for hiking,also comes with a good map that folds out quite large.There are 2 main ways of doing a traverse , one from Lizzie lake which is about 75 km to the trailhead in Lytton and the other from blowdown pass which is about 52km . The one from Lizzie lake is covered in snow late in to the year ,maybe even all year in parts. Getting a car or truck  to Lizzie lake is not easy, as Ean mentioned. The last time I tried it was impossible to get to the parking spot at the lake because of the trenches that were dug and even if you could it's a long way in from duffy lake road. Blowdown pass was easier but still not that easy .I would want a good high clearance vehicle on either road.Both are a long drive from Vancouver . As Curb said it would be alot easier from west to east but once in you are committed to the end. There it is no easy way to bail ,not like the Juan De Fuca . Coming down from the pass should be real nice ,good views but once down into the valley floor it follows the river to Lytton . I don't think the run back along the river should be that tough ,not much elevation .Maybe some downfall,so it shouldn't take that long. My guess is that it should be easier than the Juan de Fuca,but around the same time . So for me around 8 to 8:30 hrs if things go well.The best way to carpool would be to have the person dropping us off meet us at lytton the following day. There is alot of driving involved in this run . I think having some radios would be a good idea. And if I'am elected navigator I'am doing it from behind . I don't want to be bear bait.We should get intrested runners together and go over the logistics of this one there is abit of planning involved
    des

Wow, how tempting. If there are others my speed interested in doing this run please let me know as I'd love to do it. What time do you guys anticipate doing it in?

Thanks Desmond, sounds like you'll be the navigator

Anyone have any idea as to an approximate time it would take to run this?  I think the west to east route is best since there's a net elevation loss but I'm open to anything.