B13: Ghostpass Lake Traditional Cache
Hidden : 6/9/2013
Difficulty:
5 out of 5
Terrain:
4.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Ghostpass Lake is a BIG adventure either way you approach it.  Both times we have attempted this quiet lake hidden in the Cascades have turned out to be way more than we bargained for.  This cache is for the hardcore cacher with a BIG sense of adventure!

You can hike in starting at Marmot in West Gate.  The first portion of the trail follows the Dewdeny trail and the trail to Mt. Outram, you continue walking past this turn off until you reach some flagging tape (I will include a waypoint because the tape is very hard to see) where you leave the Dewdeny trail and start to hike.  We had researched this trail and were expecting it to be long, slightly boring and around 18km.  It turned out to be over 20 km - which is disheartening when you think you are near the end only to find you still have another km to travel - part of which was down a steep hill through snow to get to the lake. There are 3 creek crossings, the first one adding to our BIG adventure:  we had to cross in yelping cold water that was thigh high - and on the Hope side of the creek there is a fresh avalanche which has covered the creek bank.  It made shoes and pants removal a little tricky.  Good thing the dogs are small and were easy to carry across.  From here our adventure continued up, and up and up.  There are two more creek crossings but there were lots of logs over the creek so we didn't have to wade through.  There weren't many views and the trail has lots of windfall to get around - and the trail is rapidly growing in.  I am sure it will be harder to follow as the bushes leaf out this summer.  We bushwhacked through a few avalanche chutes and although there was quite a bit of flagging tape to follow we still lost the trail more than once.  Once you are near the top you follow a ridge before dropping down into the lake, which I am sure is lovely in the summer time but it was full of snow when we were there.

The other way you can get to the lake is by following the Sowaqua Creek FSR and then we used the BC Backroads Mapbook to navigate our way along a narrow road that takes you within a few hundred metres of the north end of the lake.  We tried this route one October and it had started to snow.  The road was getting a little narrow for the suburban and suddenly the back tire slipped off of the road in the snow and was hanging over the edge of the bank by a few feet. As the crow flies we were only 300 metres from the lake but we had a big corner coming up, making the distance longer. Luckily we had been gathering firewood on our way up and were able to build up a stack under the tire and inch forward a little bit at a time while restacking the wood so the tire had something to rest on.  Finally all four wheels were on the road again and we were able to back down to a creek that we were able to turn around in.  We never made it to the lake that day and have been planning the hike in ever since.

So take your pick of BIG adventures:  a long, drab hike or a 4x4 trip that probably shouldn't be done in a full sized pickup - with probably a little bush bushwhacking at the end because I have no idea whether or not there is a trail from the end of the road to the lake.  Either way it will be a BIG day that will leave you with a BIG feeling of acommplishment.  


FV



            
        

        
        
        
        

            
                Additional Hints
            (Decrypt) 

            Haqre n oebxra ybj oenapu ba n ovt gerr gung unf n fznyy fant jvgu na benatr gncr gvrq nebhaq vg.  Gurer ner ybgf bs trbfgvpxf naq gur gerr vf jrfg bs gur ynxr naq pybfr gb gur uvyy.  Frr fcbvyre cubgbf sbe zber uryc.

            
 
Decryption Key
 
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
 -------------------------
 N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
 
(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

        

        

        



        
    

    
    
    

        
        
        
        
        

        
        
        

		
            
            
                      
           
            
            

            

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