Day 6 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon, Northwest Territories & Alaska!
Lupe was up early and ready for action! Moonlit Mountain (5,951 ft.), and with luck, maybe even Kispiox Mountain (6,877 ft.), both in the Skeena Mountains were on the agenda. SPHP let Loopster sniff around on the bluff overlooking the Bulkley River S of Moricetown for a few minutes before hitting the road. Beyond the river, Lupe could still see Hudson Bay Mountain (8,494 ft.) near Smithers. (6:32 AM, 57°F)
By 7:00 AM, after crossing the railroad tracks in New Hazelton, SPHP was turning R (N) off Hwy 16 onto Hwy 62 (Churchill Street). A sign said 5 km to Old Hazelton. Before getting that far, though, a single lane bridge appeared ahead – the Hagwilget Bridge over the Bulkley River.
After crossing the bridge, Lupe stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the river. The sharp spire of Stegyawden Peak, also known as Roche de Boule or Hagwilget Peak, was in sight.
Driving through Old Hazelton, SPHP looked for a R (N) turn onto Kispiox Valley Road. A second bridge over to the W side of the Skeena River came a few miles later. 12 miles from Hwy 16 a third bridge appeared. This one went NE over the Kispiox River into Kispiox village, but Lupe didn’t cross this bridge.
SPHP was following directions in a Peakbagger.com trip report by John Stolk. The “trailhead” to Moonlit Mountain and Kispiox Mountain was a long way back into the forest from here at the end of a logging road. This was the end of the pavement. Instead of crossing the bridge, Lupe was supposed to take Kispiox Westside Road continuing N along the W side of the river.
Kispiox Westside Road was fine for miles, but gradually deteriorated. Several side roads went off in various directions. Four miles from the pavement one of several minor bridges over small creeks had a sign for Date Creek. Two miles farther was a fork where the road to the R was signed for Sunday Lake. SPHP stayed to the L here, avoiding Sunday Lake per Stolk’s instructions.
Somewhere along the way, Kispiox Westside Road had become Date Creek Forest Service Road.
Another mile or two, and the road forked again. Both options were still good roads. An orange sign said only “1200”. Stolk hadn’t mentioned this junction. SPHP guessed and went R. Four miles later, another fork. This time the orange sign said “1800”. SPHP stayed R again.
Lupe was still on the correct route. 200 yards farther was a sign Stolk had mentioned. By an overgrown road on the L, it said Kispiox Mt. Trail, BC Forest Service.
Three more miles led to an area where the forest had been cleared. A sharp L turn went up a fairly steep slope. This was the turn S of McCully Creek, which was not in view. Stolk had correctly said that up to this point the road was fine for passenger vehicles. However, it was about to steepen considerably.
SPHP made the sharp turn and drove another 0.5 mile up the slope, but when the road steepened even more ahead and disappeared around a corner, that was it. 15 miles from pavement, the G6 was done! A small level area provided a spot to turn around and park. (10:05 AM, 63°F)
The actual trail to Moonlit and Kispiox Mountains didn’t even start for another 3 to 5 miles at the end of this logging road. Having to set out from here was discouraging. Lupes chances of making it all the way to Kispiox Mountain might well already be down the drain. Could still try. Maybe it didn’t matter, anyway? Sort of looked like rain. Even Moonlit Mountain might not pan out.
In any case, Puppy, Ho! Onward!
The steepest section of road lasted only another 0.5 mile. Really wasn’t all that bad. Fallen trees partially blocked the road, but the G6 could have gotten around them. When the road flattened out entirely, and continued on in good condition, SPHP was tempted to go back and give it a shot in the G6. Maybe should have, but didn’t.
Lupe trotted happily along the road, sniffing wherever she pleased. A wide swath of forest had been clear cut along both sides, creating room for bushes and beautiful stands of tall pink flowers to flourish. Every now and then, Looper passed long stacks of logs bleaching in the sun.
The road wound around quite a bit, but remained in good shape. Lupe gained elevation in short bursts separated by relatively level stretches or minor dips. Overall, she was gaining net elevation at a decent clip.
SPHP had printed out a satellite photo of this area. The photo had turned out too dark to see any details of the terrain, but it did show the road pattern, so it was still useful for navigating a number of junctions along the way. Often the side roads were overgrown, and it would have been easy enough to make the correct choice even without the photo.
Forest hid the views, but occasionally Looper could catch glimpses in one direction or another. 40 minutes into the road hike, the American Dingo got her first look at Moonlit Mountain.
As the road trek went on and on, and the road didn’t deteriorate, SPHP increasingly regretted not having gone back to retrieve the G6. Loopster could have started so much closer! Of course, the farther she went, the less sense it made to go back. Moonlit Mountain came into view again a time or two, before Lupe finally reached a critical point.
SPHP knew exactly where Lupe was. This was the final fork in the road. Straight ahead (SW), a road dipped then disappeared over a small rise. To the L (SE), an orange sign saying “2300 C” overlooked another road that went steadily higher. Both spurs were in decent condition. At the end of one of them was the trail to Moonlit and Kispiox Mountains.
The idea is to end up on the spur which ends just east of a creek drainage a couple of miles north of Moonlit Mountain.
That’s what John Stolk had written. SPHP consulted the satellite photo. The road straight ahead did appear to end E of a creek drainage that was difficult to make out on the dark photo. The road to the L looked like it did, too, somewhat farther S. It didn’t go quite as far W, but at least got close to the same drainage. The road to the L ended higher up and closer to Moonlit Mountain.
Hard to tell distances on the photo, but it was still a good march to the end of these roads. More than a mile either way. The road straight ahead was a bit shorter. Which way?
SPHP led Lupe L on “2300 C”.
For quite a long way, “2300 C” was fine. Lupe gained elevation steadily. She had gone nearly a mile before it became apparent this was not the right way. Gah! Another big mistake! Was Loop going to miss out on Moonlit Mountain now, too?
The thought of going all the way back down to the intersection to take the right road was disheartening. All that extra distance! And Lupe would have to regain all this elevation she had just gained again. Maybe it was better to simply keep going? Maybe this road went farther than the map showed? Even if it didn’t, perhaps Lupe could head W or SW from the end of the road, and still intersect the trail somewhere?
Right or wrong. Puppy, ho! Onward!
“2300 C” had already become rough and rocky. In someone’s opinion, not rocky enough. Lupe started coming to trenches dug at a slant across the roadbed. Soil from the trenches had been piled up next to them to create impassable humps for vehicles. Trees and bushes grew 4 feet high right on the road. Not a chance on earth John Stolk had ever come this way. Nevertheless, the Carolina Dog pressed on.
The road went exactly as the satellite photo showed. Every twist and turn. The big hope was that maybe “2300 C” would get high enough to reach the alpine, or at least close to it, before ending.
Didn’t happen, but the news wasn’t entirely bad. Lupe rounded a bend and “2300 C” started down a slope. The end of the road was just ahead. However, Looper could see open ground high up on a forested slope, and Moonlit Mountain was again in view beyond it!
At the end of “2300 C” Moonlit Mountain and the alpine territory were out of sight. Ahead was a thick, trackless forest, full of deadfall timber. Lupe waited as SPHP pondered the situation.
The alpine slope Lupe had seen was significantly higher, and perhaps as much as a mile away. Progress looked like it would be incredibly slow going through the nearly impenetrable jungle that lay ahead. Once Lupe had ventured very far in there, it might become next to impossible to find a way back to “2300 C”.
Still, Lupe ought to be able to head SW or WSW and eventually find the trail, or end up on that alpine slope.
Decision time. Better not make another bad one.
Abandoning “2300 C” Lupe and SPHP plunged straight into the jungle.
Not without trepidation. No useful landmarks existed the moment the road was left behind. Deadfall timber was stacked 2 or 3 high. Even Lupe was struggling to get through. Leaping over or up onto the fallen logs was exhausting work, although Loop could sometimes use them as Dingo highways. The forest floor was spongy with thick vegetation. Ferns and blueberry bushes grew in abundance. Moss, ferns, and even small trees grew on the rottenest logs.
The world was green. Plants everywhere, but not a sound was heard. No animals of any kind. Not a single bird. Except for the cracking of branches while trying to force a way through – silence.
Progress was pathetically slow. On and on, at a snail’s pace. Finally less deadfall was present, which helped a great deal. Lupe passed a low spot and the terrain started to rise. However, even the American Dingo was becoming concerned. Lupe started hanging back instead of leading. She stopped completely, keeping a steady, worried expression fixed on SPHP, but she would not move unless called.
For once, it was SPHP forging slowly ahead, while the reluctant Carolina Dog followed only when SPHP insisted. Evidently Lupe wanted to go back. This was crazy!
No going back. By now, finding “2300 C” again would be a long shot. Forward was the only option.
A 30 foot deep ravine appeared. At the bottom was a tiny stream. Loop got a drink, and even laid down in the stream before continuing on.
On the far side of the ravine, the terrain became much steeper. Lupe climbed hundreds of feet SSW up a long slope, but never reached a top that always looked only a little higher. After a while, the ground was clearly flatter to the W, so Lupe headed that way. Over here the forest was thinner. Progress was easier.
Now SPHP was getting nervous. The beautiful, amazing, trackless jungle gave no sign of ending. An hour had gone by. How much farther? Then suddenly, Lupe was standing on the trail.
Hah! It had worked! Lupe was now on a long ridge so broad it didn’t seem like a ridge at all, but this was the ridge that led SSW to the E end of Moonlit Mountain. The Carolina Dog followed the trail higher, as it wound its way up through the forest. This was so much easier! Yet it was still farther than SPHP expected before the forest finally began to give out. 20 minutes after reaching the trail, Lupe entered the alpine.
Although there had been plenty of clouds around earlier, the day had been mostly sunny. Now, though, clouds covered virtually the entire sky. Small patches of blue occasionally passed overhead momentarily letting sunlight stream through. Most of the time Lupe was in shadow.
It was a relief to be able to see. Beautiful mountains and ridges were in all directions, but on a vast scale. Most were far, far away. A long climb was still ahead. Lupe passed many colorful wildflowers, but that soon changed. Flowers vanished. Scattered stunted conifers and low, sparse tundra began to prevail. Eventually the conifers vanished, too.
Make sure to note the location of the trail once it fades in the alpine for your return.
Advice from John Stolk. The trail faded as Lupe was passing along the W side of a shallow drainage where the plant life was noticeably greener. This area was easy to spot from higher up. SPHP took note of it.
The broad ridge was narrowing fast as Lupe climbed a big open tundra slope. The sky was dark over Moonlit Mountain. Sprinkles of rain were felt. At 1600 meters, the ridge flattened, and became long and skinny. Back in the forest the air had been still, but it was unpleasantly windy here. The wind came gusting out of the SW, with brief periods of nearly dead calm between successive blasts.
A stand of short conifers clung to the N end of the 1600 meter ridge. The exposed, barren route Lupe had to take to Moonlit Mountain lay beyond them. Except for the wind, the 1600 meter ridge was a romp in the park. However, at the far S end, a steep climb up to the E shoulder of Moonlit Mountain awaited.
John Stolk had mentioned a goat/climber’s path up to the E shoulder, and it existed as described. This path became very steep near the top. With the mountain blocking the wind, Lupe scampered and danced her way up having a great time, while SPHP made a much more cautious ascent.
As soon as Lupe reached the top, she was again exposed to the full force of the gale. 40 mph, dead calm, 40 mph! The annoying cycle went on and on, but the brief respites did help. Light rain fell. A short distance to the SW, a skinny cairn sat out on an open slope. Apparently this cairn served to mark the approximate location of the goat/climber path for return trips back down to the 1600 meter ridge.
For the first time, Kispiox Mountain (6,877 ft.) was in sight! Kispiox had a pleasing reddish, purplish-brown cast to it. A bit of snow along the top, and a little glacier in a ravine along its L (NE) flank decorated the mountain. An easy open ridge led S toward High Point 5643 (1720 m) about halfway to the start of a serious climb up Kispiox’s NE ridge.
John Stolk had almost climbed Kispiox Mountain twice, first following the more direct NE ridge to a point near 2000 meters where the terrain forced a retreat. Stolk had gone clear back down to 1600 meters before finding it possible to head over to the NW ridge, which had ultimately proven to be a successful route to the summit. Lupe had a clear view of all the territory John had explored.
Despite the annoying wind, the weather wasn’t that bad. Intermittent rain hadn’t amounted to much so far, and patches of blue sky could still be seen. However, threatening clouds hung continually over Kispiox Mountain. Driven by the gusty gale, more sailed overhead from an apparently endless supply out of the gloomy SW.
So close, and yet so far! An attempt on Kispiox Mountain was clearly out of the question. Lupe had arrived too late. Maybe it hadn’t been meant to be all along? Conditions really weren’t conducive. The weather might take a nasty turn at any moment. Kispiox Mountain would be no place to be then.
Better get on with it, and at least go tag the summit of Moonlit Mountain while Looper was so close! No sense in giving the situation a chance to deteriorate further and deprive the American Dingo of success here.
Lupe hurried W along Moonlit Mountain’s vast summit ridge. Two high points, both along the N edge, could be seen ahead. The first was a steep prominent knob. Some distance beyond the knob was a clearly higher ridge topped by a small, conical blip – potentially the true summit.
The prominent knob could have been avoided, but Lupe climbed it. At the top was a patch of grass. The knob was a tremendous viewpoint, but the views were hard to appreciate in the gale. The Carolina Dog did not linger, but pushed on toward the higher ridge and its conical blip.
Pelted by rain and blasted by the wild wind on the way to the blip, Lupe was transformed into the ferocious were-puppy! Responsible for putting her in this situation, SPHP was repeatedly attacked. The were-puppy followed up by circling and barking menacingly. A couple of minutes were required to calm the were-puppy down before Lupe reappeared.
Sheesh! Puppy, ho! Onward!
A short scramble up the rocky ridge, and Lupe was there, sitting atop the blip! The fierce wind was unrelenting. SPHP congratulated Lupe on reaching the summit of Moonlit Mountain (5,951 ft.)! As if concurring, a rainbow suddenly appeared to the NE.
SPHP had initially been certain that the blip was Moonlit Mountain’s true summit. However, another smaller ridge off to the W looked like it might be in contention. Maybe the blip was only Moonlit Mountain’s E summit? The smaller ridge wasn’t far away. An easy few minutes stroll would get Lupe over there.
SPHP started that way, while Loop lingered briefly on the blip.
Lupe was soon up on top of the smaller ridge. Surprisingly, she could now see yet another high point farther W, although it definitely looked a little lower. This central summit, which had appeared perhaps a bit shy of being as high as the blip from the blip, actually seemed higher than the blip now that Lupe was here.
Who knew which was the true summit? If SPHP had to guess, perhaps this central summit was actually it, although not by much. In any case, this wasn’t quite as dramatic and charming a spot as the blip had been. Both summits were so close to the same elevation it hardly mattered. Besides, the Carolina Dog had now visited both.
Loop might not have made it to Kispiox Mountain, but at least she was able to claim a peakbagging success here at Moonlit Mountain! A few wistful moments were spent in the wind and rain gazing upon Kispiox Mountain hoping the American Dingo might return someday.
The weather hadn’t changed. That gusty SW wind kept battering Lupe. Dark clouds threatened. Raindrops pelted her from time to time. Under better conditions, lingering up on Moonlit Mountain would have been lovely. Not today.
Enough was enough! The long trek back began.
Lupe did not return to the blip or the prominent knob. She stayed lower, on easier terrain, skirting them to the S. The were-puppy attacked again on the way back E to the goat/climber’s path.
Once the steep down climb on the goat/climber’s path was over, the rest was easy. Even as the wild wind blasted Lupe, the trek along the 1600 meter ridge was joyful. Despite some bad choices on SPHP’s part, Lupe had made it to Moonlit Mountain! Yes, it was sad she hadn’t gotten to make an attempt on Kispiox Mountain, but at least she had seen Kispiox. Maybe someday.
From the 1600 meter ridge, it was down the tundra slope to the L side of the patch of green in the shallow ravine where the trees began. Lupe picked up the trail again here, and followed it all the way down to the correct spur of the logging roads where it began.
Nothing was at the end of the road. No indication that this was a trailhead of any kind. The trail started at the very end of the road up on an embankment toward the L (SE) next to a couple of fallen logs at the edge of the forest. And that was it.
The long road trek back to the G6 was mostly downhill. Light rain fell much of the time, but hardly enough to even dampen the roadbed. A pleasant, tired march, uneventful until near the end. 0.75 mile from the G6, Lupe suddenly stopped on the road staring intently at bushes on the R side. The American Dingo turned to see SPHP’s reaction.
SPHP saw nothing but a patch of black at the edge of the forest. It was gone in a flash amid a cracking of branches. A bear! Lupe barked once, but the bear had already fled.
The rain started in harder two minutes before Lupe reached the G6. (8:03 PM, 63°F) Steady. A wet night ahead. No reason to go anywhere. As the rain came down, Lupe enjoyed her Alpo up on her pile of pillows and blankets. She then curled up for a long snooze, as light faded early beneath the weeping gray sky.
No moonlight on Moonlit Mountain tonight.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
John Stolk’s Kispiox Mountain trip report
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