The team that makes up Rocky Mountain are based in Quebec, North Vancouver and remotely across North America and Europe. Right alongside our riders, we also live and breathe bikes. So, unsurprisingly we escape the desk on occasion to chase big objectives and get our hands dirty.
This summer, a small crew from Rocky Mountain’s North Shore office teamed-up with our partners from Tyax Adventures for a three-day bike trip in the backcountry of the Chilcotin range, and we couldn’t have asked for a better crew to take us through the remote and rugged terrain.
Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the wonderful staff, who provided us with all the information we needed for our multi-day adventure. We felt in good hands with our guides: Bobbi, who has been guiding since she was 14 and knows the area like the back of her hand, and Paige, who brings extensive experience from her background in backcountry guiding.
Here’s what we got up to, as captured by our Brand Manager, Nina Harmon, who documented the whole experience:
Day 1: Lorna Lake to Bear Paw Camp
We boarded the float plane and landed on Lorna Lake with Bobbi’s father as our pilot who told us cool old stories of the region. Lorna lake was an electric blue. I remember thinking I can’t believe places like these are just existing while we’re going to work in cars and doing mundane daily tasks.
We kicked the trip off with an icy cold plunge in the lake. Because, why not?
The start on bikes was slow and swampy. Nice chats with the crew after not seeing them in the office for a while. There were lots of deep river crossings. I learned to keep my bike down river side while crossing to avoid falling.
First point of interest: Graveyard Valley. It did not disappoint, a place where ancient First Nations bands would battle. The meadow was beautiful and surreal.
It wasn’t until we started our hike-a-bike up Graveyard Pass that the scree slopes and the rolling shelves of green grass and rivers left me speechless.
Rubbing my eyes in disbelief.
The descent on Elbow Pass was stellar through tree islands of shade and meadows of wildflowers. Elli reminded us to follow our noses and smell deeply as we wove in and out of flowers and trees. Multiple paint brushes, dandelions, blue bells and a new one to me: stonecrop that’s a succulent. Very cool.
Bear Paw Camp was an oasis after one final river/log crossing. The guides shared a bit of history with us: the camp is Tyax’s deepest and oldest wilderness camp. It was built almost 70 years ago. Little paths through tall fields of dandelions directed us to canvas tents and a main gathering hut.
Dreamy.
We were greeted by very friendly camp hosts who served up a smorgasbord of snacks, perfect fuel to re-fill after a big day. Beer chilled by the river nearby, sparkling water…
Heaven.
One of the hosts showed me a fossil with seashells in it from the nearby slope. Super cool. We soon found ourselves sitting down by the fire in the main cabin eating a well earned dinner.
Ready for sleep.
Day 2: Bear Paw Camp to Spruce Camp
Woke up early after a deep sleep. Had a nice coffee, bundled up for a bit before the fire was started. The sunrise was pink and milky. I’m delightfully caffeinated now and ready for another big day.
Some of the most enjoyable riding I’ve ever had in the Chilcotins. Flow, fun and endless barreling in wildflowers. Had a challenging climb into camp but rode out front with our guide Bobbi and had a blast trying to make tough sections.
We arrived at camp to some heavy heat, threw on our bathing suits and walked to the lake for some sunbathing and doggy paddles.
Blue dragon flies everywhere. Brilliant.
That afternoon...
Our guide Paige and I saddled up for one more bonus ride up Open Heart trail. Lots of lovely chats hike-a-biking up singletrack in early evening golden light. Turned around after 45 mins to shred some of the best trails of the trip. Narrow, sandy, and a bit loose. Found loads more fossils, including more of those beautiful shells smashed into rock. It was so much fun we brought Seb up to grab photos.
Later, back at camp, full of great food, a deer took and chewed on my bra and towel!
Shakes fist at cheeky wildlife.
Oh well, we are the guests in their home... Fell asleep to the sound of howling wolves. What a place!
Day 3: Spruce Camp to Molly Dog
The morning was golden and early. We headed into the camp host, Lori’s, food prep cabin. Soul music and steam from warm muffins came flowing through the doorway. Such a warm and lovely start. Today will be big.
We set off slightly earlier today to tackle the big climb. We skirted along the lake on the flow of well-built trails. These were designed specifically for mountain bikes.
We started our climb and alternated between pushing our bikes and challenging ourselves to stay on to ride steep pitches. Eventually we popped out of the trees and were treated to beautiful meadows and huge slopes.
One of the best views of the trip.
Another incredibly idyllic ride through and up a small river.
On to the next climb.
When we got to the summit, we laid on our backpacks, pulled our helmet visors low and enjoyed the sunshine and crisp breeze.
The drastic change in elevation today made fueling a little bit more difficult and I found myself a bit nauseous at times. As for the route, instead of doing the Lick Creek exit we did the Molly Dog exit which took us through Camel Pass. The place where my husband and I were engaged. Lots of fond memories and a few tears were exchanged at the summit.
Riding to the top of Camel Pass back to the lodge was... well I'm running out of ways to say incredible here... but INCREDIBLE.
Lots of cool bike specific trails weaving down the hillside. It felt like we descended forever.
Finally, back to the car. Dusty. Suspended in time.
We celebrated with a parade of canon balls into Tyaughton lake. None of us wanted to rush off, even though Crankworx was jut ahead. Time well spent with the Rocky Mountain and Tyax crews.
Stay tuned for more in our Office Epics Series, where our staff blend work with passion and swap their office chairs for bike saddles, testing our bikes in real-world scenarios. On this epic, we rode Instincts and Elements, the perfect tools for adventure and exploration.
