April, Bette, and Meghan walking past Jeff M. and Blake's FJ Cruisers
What an incredible trail run at McLean Creek. This was our June 1Day Trip (formerly known as the Easy Run) with spectacular views and excellent company. We started the day out at 8:30 AM at the McLean Creek General Store where we met up with April, Meghan, Bette, Jeff M., Blake, Gary, Will, Justin, Shayne, Daryl, and Keith.
The venue for the 1Day Trip consisted of going up through Fisher West then climb to the peak of Quark Ridge which is about a 1,000FT elevation gain. Justin had joined CT4WD on Friday, took the Trail Ethics & Safety Course, and joined us on the trail Sunday. If you see his FJ Cruiser, you'll notice his license plates aren't the Albertan variety as he's come all the way from Texas! Justin wasn't the only new attendee on the Official Trail Run as he was joined by April, Bette, and Daryl. Meghan has been on the trail quite a few times mostly riding shotgun. Now that she's a 4Runner owner, this was her first full day behind the wheel on the trail as well.
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April, Meghan, Jeff M., Blake, Daryl and Gary in that order! Photo by Daryl
It was nice to see the trails had dried up from our previous rain episodes which made provided us the ability to leave less impact from a Tread Lightly! perspective. Keith was our Trail Leader for the day with Will and Nathan midpack and Gary as Tail Gunner. After the Tail Gate meeting headed by the trail leader and everyone sorted out their garbage bags we were set to head out. The trail starts quite mellow which narrows down into the thick trees and bushes as it winds it's way up to the first rocky hill climb. The first set of hill climbs consist of loose rocks and a few rock shelfs which can provide new 4WD'ers a good bit of adrenaline!
Blake making it to the top of Fisher West Photo by: Meghan
With a severe amount of clear cutting at the top of Fisher West, the view is changing rapidly with sections of forest completely missing which can sometimes be disorienting! The last obstacle on Fisher West is a large trench which has deteriorated quite a bit since last year, picking the line carefully through or taking the narrow bypass are the two only options. There's one line in the trench and with the erosion from the spring run-off, this line is becoming more difficult as it almost put Nathan on his side which gave Will and Meghan a little scare! Gary with his SAS'd (Solid Axle Swapped) Tacoma made it through without any drama.
Gary making short work of the trench on Fisher West Photo by: Meghan
The group found a spot at the entrance to Quark Ridge trail to have a BBQ lunch. Hot dogs were supplied by Meghan and Nathan for the whole crew with potato chips and home made cookies from Bette! Will cooked up the feast on the BBQ which were done to perfection! Blake supplied some really good iced apple cider to help wash it all down. Thank you everyone for the great feast!
Lunch time with Will on the grill Photo by: Daryl
The several kilometres of dirt road to get to Quark Ridge gave time to digest all the goodness before making the climb to the peak. This is one area that hasn't really been touched by mud-boggers which makes for incredible views in it's pristine state. The marsh is quite delicate which we hope will stay this way for many decades to come as recreationalists become more educated in backcountry practices and treading lightly. The initial part of Quark Ridge can provide some challenges with a off-camber switchback and decent sized ruts. The remaining climb is fairly straight forwards with a steep drop off on one side.
Keith catching some IFS air Photo by: Shayne
View from the passenger window which is a bit of a drop.
View from the top of Quark Ridge
At the very top of the climb is a spectacular view of the valley below and the rocky mountains in the background. Elevation according to the Suunto watch indicated we were at 6,140Ft. Incredible views, incredible people, and an incredible experience! We hope to see more of you out on the upcoming trail runs as it was something we'd love to share with all of you.
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