Princeton Hunt

Laura, Madigan and I stayed in the Princeton Municipal campground.  I unloaded the Adventurer camper on site with the city water and electricity.  There was a portable honeypot I was able to use a few times in the week to unload the black and grey water central sani dump.  I used the Ford 350 to tow the trailer with the Honda 420 Ranger quad up into the mountains or into the valley.  Laura stayed with the camper reading, doing cross words, napping, drinking coffee, doing cross roads, making sandwiches.  Madigan I were hunting

I should sit in ambush or walk more in the woods. But the camp opened their gates at 7 am. Sunrise was 630 to 700 and it took a half hour to get to any hunting area.  At best I was in the woods at 8 am.  Not the before dawn start my mentor Bill Mewhort, Obi Wan Hunter would have insisted on. But most morning deer I have shot have been around 10 am or evening at dusk. The grouse I shot this trip were anytime from 8 am to 1 pm.  

I saw a couple of bucks and saw other guys get a couple of deer. In the town there were dozens of doe. I say I’m on a grouse hunt and if I were to shoot a deer it would be an ‘enhanced grouse hunt’ or ‘grouse hunt with benefits’. 

The fact is the weather was splendid.  One day of rain which is good for hunting and another day of bone cold chill despite long johns and fleece coats and scarves.  The scenery was so inspiring, evergreen, and changing autumn colours with explosions of gold and orange.  I loved the blue sky and cloud formation with views of hills going for miles. Fog filled the valley a couple of mornings.  

I am afraid of walking much in the woods as I’ve become older and less stable on my feet. Once called ‘Billy goat gruff’ for running down mountains, Laura joked and called me “Biden’ when I stumbled climbing steps.  Frankly I’m afraid of slipping and breaking a limb out in the wilderness something I never even thought of a few years back.  Also the last deer I shot a few years back was only a hundred yards off the road but pulling it through the debris and stumps and over logs was brutual.  I just don’t have the strength so I have become the road hunter I made fun of younger. I don’t stray far from the trails and logging roads.  It’s humbling but I still enjoy the glorious outdoors. The fragrances of foliage and autumn were exquisite. The sights were so uplifting. Nature at its best.  Having my trusty companion along was great fun too. He loves hunting and loves riding on the back of the quad.  He was especially proud when I’d shoot a grouse and he’d run off to fetch it waddling back carrying a bird half his size.  He’d drop it at my feet. I’d dress it and give him the heart and liver as a treat. The grouse breast is a delicacy I enjoy mostly with rice fried with butter and marmalade or just barbecued.

It was dark by 630 and I had loaded the trailer with the quad , locked my Ruger 3006 and 20 guage shot gun in the truck and headed back. I’d be with Laura around 700 to 730 pm after dark and barbecue steaks, pork or chicken.  I picked up pizza one time and A&W burgers and fries another time as I had to travel through town.  It’s a bit like Glamping, fairly comfortable with both propane and electric heat.  In the morning the sunrise was mauve and at night deep Halloween orange colours. 

I had the star link wifi up and did some work respeonding to calls in the afternoon. I mostly enjoyed reading.  Madigan was so exhausted he curled up asleep right after dinner. We weren’t long after, climbing into bed between 9 and 10 and reading ebooks till falling asleep.

We’ve really enjoyed the camper and camping away from the city, off with nature. It’s healing. I joke saying I’m a summer pagan worshiping the sun and outdoors and winter Christian enjoying church services when winter shuts down summer.  I once enjoyed the winter with cross country and down hill skiing, ice fishing, and winter camping but now I’m afraid of the icy roads and simply don’t like cold so much.  I ache in cold’

This trip I had a moment of scare. I had parked the quad on a slight up hill to walk into the woods and sit in ambush looking down over the a great slash at the top of Copper Mountain.  The only trouble was I was stiff unsaddling and slipped and grabbed the handle bar to steady myself. I still fell but falling I’d also released the brake on the handlebar.  Struggling to get up I saw the quad head backwards slowly down the hill headed for the cliff on the right hand side of the road.  I got up and tried to jump on the quad, this is a guy who mounted horses as a youth by straggling them, but no more. There’s a major disconnect between my ideas of myself and reality so all that happened is I banged into the side of the quad smashing my shin rather than getting my leg over the saddle. Worse I fell again and was rolling down the road having landed hard on my hip. Thank god for fat at times like this. My butt cushioned the impact. I had successfully changed the direction of the quad so it smashed and rolled into the right hand ditch.  It didn’t flip but almost coming back onto all four while the keys had been throw out of the quad on the tilt.  I thought the keys had been lost on the roll and was concerned as I limped about thanking God finding the keys under the quad.  No big deal getting it out of the ditch and settled in park and brake on a flat stretch.

I hurt and I was shaking and I was not happy but I was thanking God for saving me and Madigan and the quad and my rifles.  Madigan had jumped clear.  I couldn’t find Advil but was thankful for the coffee I had.  A while later a couple of young guys passed in a truck and I wondered if they hadn’t seen what had occurred from further up the mountain and were just driving by to check if I was okay.  They stopped said , “Hi’ and carried on.  Leaving me with some face.  

It reminded me some of the time the truck began to slide backwards on an icy hill when I was getting the winch line out to run to a tree to help me up.  I jumped in the truck and with gassing it forward and pumping the brake and turning the tires saved myself and truck going off a cliff.  Pretty scarey and one of the more dangerous of winter hunting stunts I’d partaken in.

I am much more risk averse.  I was glad to get down the mountain early and get some ibuprofen and lie down.  Laura made soup and sandwich and commiserated with my kerfuffle.

I made a log fire with wood I’d carried in the trailer since August but not been able to use because of the fire ban which was finally lifted. I enjoyed sitting watching the fire and enjoying the smell of woodsmoke. Coming across logging operations in the back woods I’d enjoyed the scent of fresh cut timber.  Years back with a sinus infection and antibiotics I’d lost half my sense of smell so am so thankful when I can appreciate fragrances.

Other than that event the whole hunt was glorious . Even being saved by God had its appeal. Often I am just thankful that my truck is where I left it and often that I find my way out of where I’ve gone getting turned around on side logging roads.  I’ve spent hours trying to find my way back out of the unmarked trails of some maize.  The logging mains are numbered so I’m always happy when I find I’m on one and going down hill.  There’s many downhill roads so it’s easy to come in on one and come out somewhere else.  I’ve even lost my truck once when I first came to BC and didn’t have a clue about the way logging roads were distributed. I’d come from the east grid pattern and got lost a bunch early years.

We were sorry when the hunting trip was done. The fall happened on the Sunday and I chose to skip the evening hunted , too sore and stiff despite ipuprofen and rest. I loaded the camper on the truck so in the morning packing up went well.  We stopped at A&W on the way home and made sure Madigan got a burger while we had bacon egger , hashbrowns and coffee.  It was an easy ride with little traffic back to where we stow the camper before driving home to Burnaby.  It’s a day travel and set up and take down with any trip. For many years we’d do a three day weekend then a four day weekend and now it’s just great to have 10 days to justify all the travel, loading and unloading. We’ve become good at it too.  

What a wonderful vacation with Laura and Madigan.  Thank you Jesus. Thank you God. Thank you Creator!!!!

BC Hunting and Glamping along the Similkameen River,Riverhaven RV Park

Laura and I and Madigan love it here.  Riverhaven RV Camp is so well managed. Quiet, clean, friendly.  There’s a beach by the river which we didn’t use this time.  It was really cold when we arrived but warmed up the next day with sunshine and blue sky for our stay.  The sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular. Their colour and the colour of autumn trees have been golds and oranges.  The pinks in the sunsets have been priceless.  

I have actually been getting up before dawn and most days made it out on the Honda Ranger 420 as the light came up. I ride the ATV from the camp and up a trail to the logging trails so I like some light to see my way safely at first.  Once I’m on the logging trails I don’t need the light so much. One morning it rained so I waited till it let up and was out at 8 am.  

The highlights have been the beauty of nature.  Such glory in autumn.  I didn’t shoot any game.  The deer were spooky and though I saw several I couldn’t ascertain if the two I thought were bucks had horns before they were gone.  Really exciting moments using binoculars and scope trying to confirm the sense.  I actually saw only one grouse. In my attempt to get Madigan involved, unleashing him from his three point restraint on the back of the ATV, the grouse took off. I did shoot a grouse like bush one evening. A vegan hunter. I didn’t eat my bush but continued home for barbecued smokies that night.  I saw one rabbit but again it was too spooky to stay and let me get my rifle.  By law you can’t have guns loaded on a vehicle so I have to stop, put the ATV in park, take the rifle from the carrier, load it, and hope the game I’ve sighted further up the trail waits for me to shoot.  The rabbit had no such patience.  It’s easier when I’m walking with Madigan to shoot game as I’ve a loaded rifle with safety on. The game was all too smart for me this time. 

The other highlight was a wolf crossing. I saw a cougar up in the hills the last time I was here. This time it was a big grey wolf.  Close encounters.  No so long I could get a picture but long enough for me to look into the eye of another predator.  I had a hawk swoop low over me too and saw lots of whiskey jacks and a few magpie as well as chickadees.

Madigan loved riding around on the ATV.  Whether we were going 40 to 50 km on the logging main or creeping along at 5 - 10 km/hr on the trails he was just the most enthusiastic puppy.  

We’d go for a walk and he’d be so keen to get back on the ATV and up on his seat.  In the morning he was ecstatic when I put on his sweater, jacket and harness on to get going.  We found an old loggers cabin in the backwoods along a stream. These finds are interesting.  I wondered if it might also be used as a skidoo warm up stop now though the construction is rather classic trapper construction.  The wire bed frames make it look more like a trapper cabin.  Some one else had a shack off the main. Looked more like a squatter, lots of mess and poor construction with scrap building materials.   Like something we’d see in town in Stanley Park.  Off the grid for a winter.  The trapper log cabin was a classic though. 

While Madigan and I are up in the high mountains, Laura is back in the camper sleeping in, reading, having coffee and toast.  The Riverhaven has city water hook up and the Adventurer camper has a hot water tank and heater.  There’s grey water and black water sewage hook up.

She likes the clean and easy to keep clean shower and toilet arrangement. I had the most luxurious hot shower in the evening, washing shampooing and conditioning my hair.  The propane heater worked just fine but we also had a little electric heater, 250 versus the normal 500 space heater.  It takes little electricity but is back up for the propane.  I wasn’t sure how long our two propane tanks would last but as it turned out despite being used for warmth and cooking we hardly used a half tank over 4 days. 

 Each night I barbecued. Our propane and electrical refridgerator and freezer keeps everything so well.  I barbecued boneless chicken the first night and had them with finger potatoes, sour cream and butter.  I had the same potatoes when I barbecued steaks.  We had Caesar salad as well.  The last night was barbecued smokies. One afternoon I came home and Laura made bacon sandwiches and scrambled eggs. The Camper propane stove does everything though I’ve not used the oven much. One of these days I plan to make some bread. 

Again we were stationed by the river. Laura loved looking out on the Similkameen watching fish jump and the occasional duck swim by.  While we were away she’d walk around the park and down to the beach. She always felt safe and liked the family who run the camp.  Each evening she’d have some comments on the eccentricities of neighbours.  We’d share stories over dinner. 

Today we’re dropping off the Honda Ranger for storage at Chilliwack RV storage and carrying on with the Adventurer Camper to leave it at Frazerway in Abbotsford, the dealer where I bought it, where these campers are made.   A few weeks back I hit a pothole or a boulder and the tie down to the camper broke when the back end of the camper lifted and smashed down doing some damage to the corner. The insurance appraiser for Guardian came by and now I just need to leave it with Frazerway. It was a fluke accident on a dusty road only going 30 km with a train of trucks behind me annoyed with my slow speed.  I’ve arranged with a hitch place to fix the truck connector which broke at the welding. I’m going to ask if they can come up with something better to avoid a future problem. Harrison East logging road is a main but it’s a particularly hard road because of the traffic.  

We’ve had a terrific time.  ATV’ing on logging roads with steep precipice drop offs to the side requires focus and concentration.  It’s a marvellous distraction that keeps one’s mind on the present.  I normally with work have so many things and many unpleasant on my mind so just atv’ing with the great companion dog is a wonderful relief.  I loved the photography. The nose candy scents were sweet. Cut wood smells where they’d been logging, hemlock and pine, the musky scents by river.  Here and there a real fragrance like a man’s cologne.  Old spice or Navy scents that the best French perfumer have yet to capture.  Beyond Chanel.  I just stopped often and breathed.  Madigan and I also had great coffee breaks with the hot coffee thermos when we’d share a granola bar.  Funny guy likes coffee and granola. I share the granola but he licks the thermos or cup if I’m not careful. 

I would have liked to have shot some game but still I can’t complain about a fabulous wilderness vacation spot with a glamping Riverhaven RV park juxtaposed with the ultimate backwoods wilderness trails. In the summer there were hikers and cyclists.  Laura said one couple took off after me on electric bikes.  There were a few hunters with ATV like me and we admittedly competed as to who would get going first in the morning.  A lot of the other rigs were just here enjoying camping, sitting around fires at night. I’ve been coming here for decades but it’s best now with the new management. 

People who care make all the difference.  When I’m out here in the woods I love my fellow man because things like the smooth running and upkeep of this campground depend on a family that cares. My Honda keeps me alive. Ruger makes the rifle I can depend on. Frazerway makes the Adventurer camper that gives us a home away from home experience with all the amenities.  I was able to use my iPhone 12 from the top of the mountain letting Laura know my lat and long when I was up Evans road. Though I had my Nikon most of my pictures are taken with the iPhone 12 skookum camera. Every piece of equipment shows the care and love of conscientious workers and thoughtful people.  I have a lot of gratitude when I’m camping. In the city I can take things for granted and the stupidity of politics and administrators can obscure the amazing feats of progress. William Shatner was actually in space last week.  Meanwhile I was looking at a trappers cabin, the kind that have been used in the Canadian wilderness for three hundred years or more.  

It’s been a great long weekend end. Thank you, Creator god.