Callaghan - Brandywine Traverse (2007.06.30)
Written by <a href="http://gettingthereishalfthefun.blogspot.com/">Evan Morris</a>:
TR: Steve, Jason and I started the trip with a very rough alpine start of 4...PM. Actually, we started quite early, but a <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8495.JPG.html">flat tire</a> in Steve's truck up the Brandywine logging road started the trend of the day of minor setbacks. Problems started when the spare tire was different and the lug nuts didn't fit, resulting in two stripped nuts and a wheel that wouldn't stay on. So we drove to Whistler to every auto parts store. The earliest they could get the rare type of nuts would be Tuesday, and they didn't deliver up logging roads. So we drove back up the road to get the flat tire we should have brought down in the first place.
Our next setback happened on the second trip down. I scraped my exhaust on a rock, causing it to sort of drop out. The next little while was spent wiring it up with coat hangers supplied nicely by Blackcomb Snowmobile. After waiting 90 minutes to get the flat fixed, having my tail pipe fall off again on hwy 99, and driving back up and down Brandywine a third time to change the tire, we finally found ourselves at Callaghan at 4pm. It also must be noted that we almost got my 2wd truck stuck in the snow but left it there hoping the snow would melt over the weekend.
There was enough snow to ski right from the car, but our progress was quickly stopped by the Callaghan River. We walked the banks for 100 metres and didn't see any possible crossing spots. It was late and we really wanted to ski, so thinking of the Snowspider guys we stripped off the bottom layers and <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8497.JPG.html">waded</a> barefoot across the snow and <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8499.JPG.html">through</a> the lake, which was covered in ice half way across. The water was almost crotch deep in parts. We knew it was cold when a min
TR: Steve, Jason and I started the trip with a very rough alpine start of 4...PM. Actually, we started quite early, but a <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8495.JPG.html">flat tire</a> in Steve's truck up the Brandywine logging road started the trend of the day of minor setbacks. Problems started when the spare tire was different and the lug nuts didn't fit, resulting in two stripped nuts and a wheel that wouldn't stay on. So we drove to Whistler to every auto parts store. The earliest they could get the rare type of nuts would be Tuesday, and they didn't deliver up logging roads. So we drove back up the road to get the flat tire we should have brought down in the first place.
Our next setback happened on the second trip down. I scraped my exhaust on a rock, causing it to sort of drop out. The next little while was spent wiring it up with coat hangers supplied nicely by Blackcomb Snowmobile. After waiting 90 minutes to get the flat fixed, having my tail pipe fall off again on hwy 99, and driving back up and down Brandywine a third time to change the tire, we finally found ourselves at Callaghan at 4pm. It also must be noted that we almost got my 2wd truck stuck in the snow but left it there hoping the snow would melt over the weekend.
There was enough snow to ski right from the car, but our progress was quickly stopped by the Callaghan River. We walked the banks for 100 metres and didn't see any possible crossing spots. It was late and we really wanted to ski, so thinking of the Snowspider guys we stripped off the bottom layers and <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8497.JPG.html">waded</a> barefoot across the snow and <a href="http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/ecmorris/callaghanbrandywine/IMG_8499.JPG.html">through</a> the lake, which was covered in ice half way across. The water was almost crotch deep in parts. We knew it was cold when a min
