In July Gabe and Erin headed north to the Spruce Lake Protected Area, or as it’s better known: The Chilcotins. Fabled for the rugged remote alpine riding we were looking forward to the treat that isn’t readily available here in Oregon. Just the drive to Tyax Lodge that serves as basecamp for float plane drops or self supported trip is harrowing. Whether you take the longer “paved” road or the “4×4 recommended” route expect to do several hours of 25mph crawling into the remote wilderness north of Pemberton, British Columbia. It’s truly in the middle of nowhere.

The Chilcotins are a big place. There are so many more routes I’d like to go back and do, but for this trip we chose to ride in and basecamp at Spruce Lake and then return to the lodge over Windy Pass and Cinnabar Trail. “Trail” is certainly an exaggeration for much of the area too. We found a few groups of riders that had been dropped by the plane service but once out of the range of day-trippers there was very little human traffic. The brush, scree, and snow slides take their toll without regard for our winding tire tracks. It’s an untamed place. If you stop to listen for that bear noise you’re instantly swarmed by no fewer than 7 biting insect varietals. As soon as you shift out of that granny gear, you’re forced back off the bike and another steep, loose wall of a climb. The quiet still vastness of the place reminds you how long it took to drive out here—and how long it would take to get to the nearest hospital and perhaps you should stop riding like a complete jackass, keep your eyes on the trail, and quit daydreaming Gabe!

But it’s hard not to daydream, the Chilcotins are a place of fairy tales. Big. Scenic. Snowy peaks. Flower-clogged meadows. Ecstatic baby trout frothing the surface of the lake outside your tent. Gradiated rolling slopes of ancient rock in mesmerizing shades of purple and yellow. It’s worth the drive, as they say. And it’s worth the effort too. As the old timer we ran into on horseback who’s been exploring these hills since he was a lad told us: “Now that’s an okay way to do it. No airplane here. Taking your own way, carrying your own stuff. You’re seeing this country right.”