West of Williams Lake, between the Fraser River and the Coast Mountains in the British Columbia interior, the landscape is a gently rolling plateau with a mix of forests and grassland. It's called "the Chilcotin" and is about the size of Belgium but with 1/1,000 the population. It's used for ranching and forestry and is known for it's natural beauty. The only access through this region is the 460 km long highway 20 which connects Williams Lake with the coastal town of Bella Coola.
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| Looking west on highway 20 |
I planned to walk highway 20 from my house to Bella Coola, pulling camping gear and supplies in a borrowed "Chariot" child carrier. The weight would be on the wheels, not on my back. This would be my first time doing an extended walk along a highway as well as my first time pulling a trailer.
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| Trying out the empty Chariot |
I've done a lot of walking in the form of day hikes and backpacking trips so walking an average of 22 km (13.7 mi) per day for 3 weeks seemed possible. There would be breaks from tenting thanks to a few commercial accommodations and gas stations along the way. I had arrangements for getting re-supplied at two points so I would only have to carry a week's supply of food.
Due to unpredictable autumn weather, I packed quite a variety of clothing. I also made a bear-resistant container in which I kept all food and cooking utensils for storage away from my tent.
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| Food for one week, cook stove and bear resistant container, 12 pounds empty, 23 pounds loaded |
Clockwise from bottom centre in the left photo:
- 7 breakfasts - rolled oats, powdered milk, dried fruit, cinnamon
- Miscellaneous - matches, instant coffee, spices, cook stove and fuel canister
- Bear resistant container
- 7 lunches - survival bars, chocolate, beef jerky
- 7 dinners - commercial and home made instant dinners
Right before departure, the fully loaded Chariot weighed 100 pounds.
To be continued...
