The 4Runner slowly starts to move as the whine from the winch shatters the quiet air. It’s a steep incline and the suction of the mud does not want to give up. I add a touch of throttle to aid the winch in recovery but the deep lugs in the tires have long since been smoothed over and forgotten by the thick, wet, clay mud.
1 Week Earlier
As I was sifting through my topographic maps on the Hema Map App looking for a good weekend trail, a small icon of two crossed axes caught my eye with the words “Mine (abandoned)” written over top. Being naturally curious, I followed the dotted trail back to a forest service road that I was familiar with. Looks like we’ve found our adventure this weekend!
Current Day
Checklists are complete and the gear is packed. Lights are off and house is locked. Soon enough, we’re on the highway headed south to meet up with one of our favourite forest roads. We’ve never been as far as this abandoned mine before. Excitement and anxiety rise as we get closer to the highway turn off.
We pull over to let pressure out of the tires soon after pavement turns to dirt. This service road is riddled with deep corrugations and pot holes, some the size of basketballs. I like to set the pressure at 18psi to start, then reduce further if needed. Even with the reduced tire pressure, the vibrations coming through the 4Runner are enough to drive us crazy after a few short minutes. Being an older vehicle, it has its share of squeaks and rattles that are only amplified by vibration.
40 kilometres later and with a slightly sore back, we arrive at the head of the trail. It was odd, most of the other trails in this area were well marked including numbers and icons to show if it was a quad or vehicle trail. This one had no markings and looked slightly overgrown. Unmarked trails in Alberta mean you are allowed to use them if your vehicle fits. The trail did not appear on the paper map we had of the area, only on our iPad GPS app. We decided to push forward with the strong ambition to see this abandoned mine.
Right off the bat we were met with a small water crossing of the Old Man River. Nothing too technical but I was thankful for diff breathers. This would not be the only water crossing to confront us on the trail. What I understood from the map was that the trail would crisscross back and forth over the river several times before reaching the mine. I had the feeling we were in for a wet day.
Beautiful views of Mt Rourke and Mt Gass came into view as we made our way through thick forested area. The trail led us through steep, shaley sections and even surprised us with a few marshy bog areas. For the most part, mud tires and a rear locker seemed to do the trick when it came time to get through the soft stuff, but right as I was getting a little too confident, the tires sunk and all forward progress was lost. I had attempted a tricky line that involved a short but steep 45 degree incline through soft mud. The front tires were up and out of the way but the rears were buried deeply.
I realized my door wouldn’t open as I tried to get out and assess the problem. The 4Runner was wedged in-between two walls of dirt. Alison was not able to open her door either. It seems we’re trapped! Remembering my grandparents always having a Nascar race on tv when we would visit made me remember the drivers would always remove themselves by crawling out the window. It was worth a shot!
Once free from the vehicle, I went around back to grab the recovery gear. The back hatch was leaned into the ground making it almost impossible to open as well. Learning the hard way not to keep your recovery gear buried in the back of a drawer, I manage to clear some mud away and get it open. As soon as the door opened, equipment came tumbling out the back due to the steep angle the 4Runner was on. Another lesson learned about securing equipment in the vehicle.
With the winch rigged up to the nearest tree, I reverse my Nascar moves to get back inside the vehicle, quite the charade if you ask me! The recovery takes place with little drama but I could hear the winch working hard to get us the rest of the way up the incline. The suction power of mud is something to behold if you ever get the chance. Several wraps of the winch line on the drum and a loud suction POP! later, the 4Runner breaks free.
As we carefully make our way further towards the mine, the track is becoming increasingly narrow and overgrown. It’s obvious we’re the only vehicle that has been through this area in some time. Horse shoe prints scatter the track and I’m beginning to realize that this must be a favoured equestrian trail. We’re concerned about the occasional tree clearing that needs to be done to continue forward progress because our only approach is an axe and the winch. So far, all the trees have been manageable, but it’s quite possible to reach a forced turn around resulting from a larger, unmanageable tree collapse.
We round the next corner coming face to face with another water crossing, the biggest one on the trail so far. It’s intimidating but exceptionally beautiful at the same time. Seems like the perfect place to stop for lunch! In my experience, having a simple meal prepared for a day on the trail is a big contributor to keeping team morale high. Grumpy attitudes and sarcastic remarks can be sign that its time to stop for a bite to eat. Our go-to choice for a quick lunch falls under the burrito category. Bringing pre-made burrito mix that you can throw together in a tortilla is a fast, simple, delicious and filling solution! After lunch was finished and packed away, crossing the stream turned out to be much more tame than expected with a firm base and relaxed flowing water.
Our maps show another 5 kilometres of thick forested trail before reaching the base of mount Gass which is where the mine should be located. Every hundred meters or so, the trail further constricts around the 4Runner which is now being harshly caressed with branches and other unwanted items. We’re beginning to think we may have to pull off and walk the last 3 kilometres, even a quad would be struggling through this trail.
Now on foot, we are more determined than ever to reach this mine. It’s 3:00 in the afternoon, we’re hoping to arrive before 4:30. We prepared ourselves with bear spray, a litre of drinking water and our Garmin inReach sat phone in case of emergency. After only a few minutes we were stopped dead by an uncrossable marsh just 500 meters from the parked 4Runner that spanned roughly 800 meters in length with no way around. To be able to cross this would mean having at least 37-40″ mud bog tires and a much more capable vehicle than ours. Crossing on foot would mean trudging through deep mud, grass and whatever else was growing in there.
With all signs pointing to mission failure, the time to turn back would be now. It was difficult to keep our heads up, but in that moment, the old saying that goes something like “it’s not about the destination rather the journey and what you experienced along the way” came to mind. After all, both Alison and I had a spectacular time exploring and enjoying this trail. It leaves us with stories to tell for years to come.
Adella Trillana