Thursday, September 24, 1998

Light, drizzly rain. We started off at NSOR at 9:45, where I bought a tug-strap, and we found out that the road to Butterfly Lake (our original intended destination) was that little trail across the river at the end of the Paradise Valley Road. When we were there during the last trip (see Shane's trip report), the water was 3-4' deep, and flowing pretty good. Doh. So, we decided against doing it.

Headed up to find Starvation Lake. Encountered some foggy sections. Drove past where the trailhead should have been, although I thought I spotted a little hole in the bush. Went back to it, drove past it again because it still looked like a hole in the bush, and realized that that was indeed the start of the road. Finally drove into the hole in the bush, locked the hubs, and started down the trail.

Fairly easy forested terrain; rocky in sections, but no more than a 2 rating. Aired the tires down to 15 psi before a slightly rockier section. Drove a bit further, and stopped at the top of the steeper descent area. Walked down to the lake, checking out the terrain. Looked okay, except one spot which was rock steps, approx 1' to 1.5' high each. Figured we could do it, even though it was wet. Hiked back up to the trucks; it was steep walking back up; I had to stop 3 times to rest. (Shane: We're losing you, Greg!) When I got to my truck (FINALLY), I was too tired to pull myself into the cab. After another short rest, I dragged myself into the cab, and finally proceeded down the hill. The steps weren't too bad; the rocks were slippery and I slid a bit with brakes locked, as did everyone else.

Lunch at the lake, where Chris (driver) and Shane tried casting a twirly lure into the lake. Chris got a nibble, but it was not to be a fish-fry day. After lunch (2:00), we started back up the road. Steep, but no big deal.

We got to the steps, which had been extensively rock-stacked by perpetrators unknown. I picked my line, and got stuck when the front tires and rear tires were both butted up to steps at the same time. Tried a few different things, and ended up sliding sideways off my line into a trench, sorta like what Wil did at Blue Mtn when he dented his box and broke his taillight. I did the Ray manoever with the rear bumper, firmly planting it onto a large rock while backing up. This large rock blocked me from backing down the trail, and committed me to the line I was on, with the driver's tires in the trench. I tried several times to power my way up; tires spun but I didn't have enough traction. Tried turning the tires to enable the truck to pick a different line; did this a couple of times and suddenly I felt traction... I gave it some gas, spun the tires, and clawed my way up the stairs. Woo-hoo! Go Toyota!

Next in line was Shane; he took the same line I wanted to take, but got hung up on his rear diff. He made several attempts, then the front end suddenly slid sideways into the trench, leaving his truck sideways on the steps. At this time he elected to request outside assistance (the winch!). I drove up to the top of the steep section, turned around at the viewpoint rock, and drove back down. Hooked up the winch, blocked the tires, started winching, and my truck was getting pulled down the hill. Kept winching, and got Shane straightened out. Got Shane to apply power. Still unable to pull him up over the steps because I was sliding. We thought about Highlifting the rear of his truck to get the diff off the rock, but since he had the stock rear bumper, we were concerned about causing damage to the bumper and the sheetmetal where the top of the Highlift would contact it due to the angle. Shane placed his bottle jack under the right side of his frame, next to his gas tank, and jacked the truck up. We stuffed rocks under his right rear tire and his right front tire. This allowed the diff to clear the rock. Kept the jack in place, and I started winching again. When the truck came off the jack, it was enough to pop him forward and suddenly he was up over the steps.

Next was Chris. He made several attempts, but seemed to be revving too high to properly crawl. He was also unable to climb the first step as his tires kept slipping. We picked out a new line for him, and tried to get him to put his left front tire up on a dirt berm, then cut left around a rock, but he kept sliding off the ledge. Extensive rock stacking, and a new line. Made it to the second level, but was unable to continue. Winched him out; pretty easy since he was so light.

I got Shane and Chris to spot me, and I turned around in the middle of the trail. WHAM! I managed to slam the rear bumper into a big rock in the dirt hillside; I pushed the rock 1.5" into the soil, and only scuffed the bumper. Thanks for over-building the bumper, Richard! Put all our equipment away, and I picked up somebody's license plate (not one of ours) and dropped it into my garbage bag. I started unstacking all our rocks, and Chris joined in. In a few minutes, we had not only removed all of OUR rocks, but also all of the previously-left rocks as well. Consider Starvation unstacked! (I learned from the Master: Wil!) Easy drive back up to the top, where we unlocked the hubs, and decided where to head next.

It was 4:00 I think, and we decided on the roads across from Function Junction, so we drove up the road and tried to find something entertaining. Unfortunately, the roads were all well-groomed and very maintained. We drove up to the microwave tower, and had something to eat, and reminisced about things like high school. When we were ready to leave (7:00), the Chrises left to go camping in Whistler, and Shane and I headed to the Whistler Husky to air up for the drive home. On they way back by Brandywine Falls, I started getting tired as per usual, so I pulled over for a nap, and Shane continued on. Around 9:30, I woke up, drove for a while, but started getting tired again somewhere before Lion's Bay, and pulled over at a rest stop for another nap. Underway again around 11:30, and finally got home around 12:45.

Verdict: Starvation via Hwy 99 is easier than Upper Hut; it only has that one difficult stepped section. I think that if it wasn't wet, we would have had less problems and we may not even have had to winch. Also, pretty well no overgrowth, for those that value their paint. I will head back and re-attempt the entry from the Paradise Valley Road once my lockers and new suspension are installed.

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