Ladies and gentlemen, as always the link to my photo albums is on the left of the page, but if you want to see the complete album from the Expedition to Paradise Mine click here.
So, I was sitting on the chairlift with Mom and Dad looking out across the valley. On the far side of the valley we could see the road cutting its way through the trees and up to Paradise Mine. Paradise Mine... the last time I went must have been something like seventeenish years ago, and needless to say I don't recall a thing. That in mind I started thinking, why didn't I go to Paradise Mine now?
I couldn't find a single reason not to go visit Paradise Mine ASAP, but given my current spirit of adventure I could think of about a zillion reasons as to why I should go. Thus started the ball rolling that would turn into a landslide of glory.
I immediately began planning an expedition to the mine. I checked with my two adventuresome comrades Becky and Chloë to see if they were available; and for an event like this... they were. We did not know the state of the road going up Paradise Mine but from my parent's recollection it was terrible seventeen years ago, and given that the mine is abandoned it would probably only be worse now. I started looking at road maps and satellite maps and whatnot, and it appeared that there was a road that went up the backside of the mountain and then ended in Paradise Mine. This road conveniently was the road that Bella Vista is on. Before I headed home that weekend Chloë and I drove along the road to see what its condition was. The road we found headed up a mountain (we didn't know if it was the right one as you don't have much perspective when you are on the ground) and the condition was good. We made it a long way up but eventually had to stop because Chloë's car is just little and we were grinding a bit too much along the bottom. The moral of the story is that we thought we might be able to drive up the backside and into Paradise Mine.
As the week went on we did some more poking around and some more planning. It was all sorted out and when Friday came I drove to Calgary, picked up the ladies, and then we were off to BC. We slept at Bella Vista that night and in the morning we headed out on our Expedition to Paradise Mine.
With our gear packed we hopped into the Jeep, grabbed some food, grabbed some fuel and were on our way. Sometime in the week I had determined that the road Chloë and I had investigates was in fact the wrong road. I had a better idea of where we were going so when we came to the end of the well maintained road we knew what to do. Left and up was the nice road that we had explored, and ahead of us was the super sketch' road running into dense forest... that was our road.
The Road
Cozy...
Let's start this story off with a disclaimer... kids, don't try this at home... and if you do, make sure that you have an older vehicle that you aren't overly concerned about if it should get a scratch or two... or three...
With the Jeep we saw that well maintained road to our left and we said screw it, time for adventure. With that we headed straight onto a road that could barely fit a quad. The trees were brushing against the Jeep on either side and the road was in rough shape. There were drainage ditches every few hundred metres, as well as streams crossing the road, enormous holes, enormous rocks, and whatnot.
This was a good sign that it was about to be an adventurous weekend.
En Route to Paradise Mine
The Jeep fortunately is a badass all terrain vehicle with relatively good clearance. When we saw a ditch we slowed, but the Jeep showed no hesitation in climbing up and out. When we saw a stream covering the road I could barely restrain the Jeep as it powered through the cool water.
This was what the Jeep was made for.
Creek on the Road
Water Falling
Driving through Puddles
In Her Prime!
While I was looking for maps I took a look at the area on a google program called Panoramio. If you have not heard of it, Panoramio is a program where people can upload their photos onto google earth so that anyone can see them. It was because of these photos that I found the locations of Delphine and Thunderbird Mine (which we were hoping to drive to on Sunday), as well as a mining settlement at the foot of the mountain that Paradise Mine rested on.
A little history for you... the town of Wilmer, which is now just a dinky little town, was once the heart of the Columbia Valley. It was a huge mining town which drew in people from all 'round. It was a huge mining town because just up a side valley was Paradise Mine. Later there were more other mines, but Paradise Mine was the big one. With that in mind, it made sense that en route to Paradise Mine from Wilmer we would find a mining settlement. The settlement was quite large and in the few minutes we were there we probably say six to eight buildings. Most of the buildings had collapsed (as they were all made of wood), but some were in remarkably good shape. We took our time wandering through the settlement looking for relics and imagining what it must have looked like in 1895 when Paradise Mine first opened as a prolific silver mine.
The Hidden Settlement
Cabin
Mining Settlement
Building Kasplat
Life Past
The Corner
The mining settlement is quite a ways up the side of the valley, but as you go further into the settlement you lose elevation quite quickly. It is easy to see why they chose that particular spot to build the settlement. It was just off of the road to Paradise Mine, and as you hit the valley floor there is a beautiful field with a creek running through it. It still looks like the perfect spot for a settlement.
The Valley
The Bottom of the Mining Settlement
The River
The Settlement
Having seen the settlement we continued on our way up the mountain. The road was still rough but it was very passable...
On the Way to the Mine
Squeeze
Climb
Now, on the map the distance to the mine doesn't look like much, but when you are running in 4-wheel low because of the outrageous grade you really don't move too quickly. So on we went up and up still looking for Paradise Mine.
Still On the Way Up
If you had a quad the trails on these mountains would be perfect, but in a full sized vehicle they were tight... very tight. I sort of saw this entire thing as a giant obstacle course which you have to drive through. I drove through, or over, many many sketchy obstacles from streams, to ditches, to places where the road just wasn't as wide as I'd like, or where I was leaning far over to reduce the risk of rolling. There were even times when the ladies wouldn't dare ride in the vehicle with me... they hopped out, moved on ahead, and watched as I tried to maneuver the Jeep through the obstacle course.
The Treeline
The Last Trees
Sketchy Terrain
As we continued up the mountain it became evident rather quickly that we weren't on the right road. We couldn't confirm it so we kept going forwards until we could. It was a fortunate thing that we were on the wrong road because we ended up finding something amazing. We didn't know the reason the cabin was there, but we were later told that it was a trapper's cabin. It was probably the same vintage as Paradise Mine, so it was likely build somewhere in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It would have been quite a charming home in it's day, and even though Bella Vista has a beautiful view it would be hard to beat the view of this cabin.
Alpine Road
Trapper's Cabin
Trapper's Cabin
Outside
Inside
The Old Commode
At the trapper's cabin we took some time to try and sort out where we were. I had my GPS with me, but though it gave us our location, the road we were on was too small to be on the map. I had written some GPS coordinates on the maps but they weren't lining up to where we were now. When compared to the maps it looked like we were still on the wrong side of the mountain...
Lost! Wrong Side of the Mountain
It seems that all of my adventures result in my being lost somewhere along the way... maybe that's what makes it an adventure! The road we were on continued, but it continued down into the valley. We didn't know where it would go, we thought that it might even curve out and up to get us to the other side. That was our logic as we did a two-point turn around another hairpin curve and headed down the sketchy little road. We didn't get far before we hit a spot where we could go no further. The quads were still clearly heading down into the valley, but the road had washed out some and if I tried to cross in the Jeep I would have undoubtedly landed on my head and Dad told me just that morning... "Don't roll the Jeep!"
The Edge
End of the Road for the Jeep
We would have turned around and headed back but let's be honest, the road was barely wide enough to hold the Jeep, there was no turning back. With the girls acting as guides I drove the Jeep backwards up the sketchy road until the hairpin where I could then drive forwards back to the trapper's cabin.
Maybe this was the right road, maybe not, but everything that I knew told me that the mine was just on the other side of the mountain we were on. This was a daunting thought, but we were close to the treeline and the mountain did not extend too far beyond. With some certainty of where we were going we grabbed our packs and headed up.
The Last Forest
Old and New
Up and Over
The forest up there is amazing. When you are in the bottom of the valley you are in one kind of forest, but when you get near the treeline there is a sudden change and the forest is very different. I do not know what kind of trees they are but they are beautiful. They are a dark tree and they look almost black. The needles are very soft and short and they are a bright green. There is no grass that high but there is a beautiful layer of short green plants. It is a kind of beauty that I cannot explain with my words. All I can do is be envious of the trapper who was able to live in such an amazing forest. It was this forest that we hiked through. We were follow a sort of path... it was a groove cut in the soil by dirt bikers and it leaded up. That is where we needed to go, and that was our path.
Hiking
Last Steps to the Treeline
It didn't take long (or so I think, my concept of time was somewhat distorted on this trip) until we reached the treeline. The trees began to thin, and then they stopped completely. The treeline is not high compared to the peaks of some mountains, but when you are used to living on the ground the reduced oxygen (and huge packs) makes it an arduous climb.
The Treeline
The Last Tree
Above the Treeline
Hiking to the Summit
Hiking to the Sky
From Summit to Summit
The Road Up
Quads on the Other Mountain
Me and Snow... in the Summer!!!
Snow Below the Summit
We climbed to a little plateau, still below the summit, and looked down into a rocky bowl. We could see the road we came up on and we recognized the bowl as one of those obstacles where the ladies walked as I drove the Jeep across the narrow road. We were high enough to be above the snow now so I climbed down to the snow to snap a photo. Afterwards I told the ladies that I thought that I should climb to the summit to get our bearings. They happily acquiesced and sat down with their gear on the plateau.
I ditched my gear, faced up, and ran.
There were some interesting things when I ran up the mountain. I actually didn't end up running that far since I got tired hella fast but I moved as hastily as I could. Part way up there was a marker someone had built on the side of the mountain. I don't know its meaning but the cairn was picturesque nonetheless. I continued on and saw what looked like a man on the mountaintop to my right. Earlier we had seen some quadders on a mountain further down the range so I thought it was possible. I kept running and the man didn't move. I did not know what it was but I thought it must have been a statue of Jesus or someone, so with Jesus watching me, I ran to the summit of the mountain.
Jesus on the Ridge
Jesus (actually a big inukshuk)
I was lucky that the mountain was the hilly type and not the rocky type, but still, it was a crazy climb. When I reached the summit I was gasping for air and glad to stop moving if only for a moment. I was glad for something else as I stood there looking at the beauty of the mountains before me; right below me, just a few hundred metres from the peak I was standing on was Paradise Mine.
Paradise Mine
I was right. Paradise Mine was just on the other side of the mountain.
Scouting from the Summit
The Ladies
We had three options. One, we could head to the Jeep and drive back to the correct road (now that I had seen it). Two, we could climb up and over the mountain and to the mine. Or three, we could give up. I ran back down the summit and found the ladies relaxing on the lower plateau. I told them that now for the second time that day we knew where we were (the first being at Bella Vista) and that I had found Paradise Mine. I consulted with them and in no time we were on out way up to the summit I had just come down from. We could have taken a different choice, but going up and over was the only guaranteed way to get to Paradise Mine today.
Up we Went
Up we went. We marveled at a deer sitting on a nearby summit, and at Jesus as we walked by. We made it to the peak, looked down at Paradise Mine, and then headed down to it.
Down into Paradise
Down from the World
Climbing in 2D
Last Life above the Treeline
It tuns out that since Paradise Mine is below the treeline we had a long way to go. Actually it is kind of interesting that Paradise Mine was exactly on the other side of the mountain from the Jeep. The peak that we were on was part of a ring of peaks surrounding Paradise Mine. The mine is situated in a high valley that is isolated from the outside world due to the ring of peaks. We headed down the peak we were on and then down the mountain towards the mine. Life appeared again as plants and then trees. As we went down we even found a few springs were water was pouring into the valley.
Hiking to Paradise
Down the Valley
Springs
As we looked down at the high valley it was easy to see what they called it Paradise; it was.
Spring from Nowhere
Our first signs of the mine were some collapsed mine shafts high on the mountain. There were beams and pillars sticking out of the mountainside, and an enormous pile of dirt and rock that must have come from the shafts. There was one shaft with part of it exposed and we quickly poked our heads in.
Collapsed Mine Shaft
An Open Shaft
Below the Treeline Again
The Last Steps into Paradise
Aware of the waning sun we continued down into the valley passed mine carts and old gears.
Gears in the Grass
A Mine Car En Route
Paradise Mine
Mine Carts
Broken
Once in the valley we picked a spot to camp. There is a cabin in the valley used by Toby Creek Adventures, and from where we were going to camp we could see it. While there was still some light we walked around a bit to explore this old and historic silver mine.
Tank and Truck
Truck
Pulley Station
Biggest Pulley Ever
The Tower
Stream in the Sun
We had an excellent campfire amidst relics of a forgotten past and cooked hot dogs and s'mores. There was lots of fallen timber around so wood was easy to come by. Our fire started easily in a fire pit that we found and we sat on pieces of wood as makeshift benches. Two guys staying at the cabin saw our fire and came down in our quads. They brought us some dry firewood and offered us beer. They were very nice and it was very kind of them to bring us wood. They lived in Invermere and spent their weekends touring around the wilderness. They mentioned that they come up to the mine in winder to do some skiing, as well as mountain biking in the summer. They explained that the dirt bikers are insane and make the trails seen all over the mountains, and they told us where to go to get the road over the mountain (the road we intended to take). We were also sure to ask them if it was Jesus standing on the summit of the mountain next door... they said it wasn't, it was just a mighty inushuk. Maybe it wasn't Jesus in so many words, but with such a beautiful history it may well have been Jesus looking out over that paradise valley.
We thanked the two men as they took their leave and we continued with our campfire.
Fire in the Mountains
Supper
Tank in Sunset
When we were fed and the sun was down, we treed the food and headed to the tent for a well deserved sleep.
Sunrise in the Valley
Deer by the Tent
Poking Around
When we woke in the morning we were confronted by the awesomeness of our adventure. The tent was in the middle of paradise and there were two deer grazing not twenty metres away. The weather was perfect, as was the scenery.
An Awesome Morning
The Tent in Paradise
Sun in Paradise
The Adventure Cabin
A Stream in Paradise
We looked around a little more at the stream flowing from the valley, something that looks like an old dam and reservoir, as well as two more abandoned buildings. I pocketed a few rocks (in search of ore and pretty rocks) and then we cleaned up the camp. We threw our bags over our shoulders and headed off to find the road that the gentlemen from the night before had mentioned.
The Dam
An Abandoned Building
An Old Shoe
A Broken Building
Leaving Paradise
The Treeline Again
Path Over the Mountain
Walking Over a Mountain
The road was much easier to hike on than the mountain, but it was going in the wrong direction and it was busy. People on quads passed us many times (and some people passed us more than once, actually the most we saw a group was four times). We walked up and up and up and eventually were on top of the mountain. The mountain here was much lower where we hiked over, and the road going over it was in good condition; there was only one spot that I would have been worried in the Jeep.
We took a break at the top and then headed down. It was easy going on the road, but it was long going and the issue was that the Jeep was a long way away. I had initially thought that the Jeep was seven to ten kilometres away (guessing from our average speed in 4-low and the time we had been driving the day before) but it turned out to be just over five. Still... five kilometres up a mountain is a looooonnnnngggg way.
Searching for the Jeep
Reaching for the Sky
The Spiral Grain
The hike back to the Jeep was long and hard. We had left our gear on the main road, but it was the heat of the day (29 degrees in the valley, probably only 20-25 were we were; depending on elevation), we were tired from crazy hiking, and there were about a zillion horse flies chasing us. We walked and walked and walked and passed over the same obstacles that the Jeep did. This brought an interesting point to mind... how did I get the Jeep over these obstacles? What was I thinking?! And, how was I supposed to do it again to get the Jeep back?!?
Yeah... I thought it was best not to think about it... so on we went...
Still Searching for the Jeep
It was a long trek, but a beautiful one. You appreciate different things when you are on foot than when you are in a vehicle, and other than the horse flies and the heat and the soreness it was fantastic.
The Bowl
Hiking to the Jeep
We recognized our last obstacle, and as we walked through that same beautiful black and green forest we knew we were nearing the ever faithful Jeep. When we saw it there it was an amazing kind of victory; never had it looked so beautiful and so amazing.
Uphill
Vista
Cut in the Rock
We drank water to our heart's content, we ate snacks, we changed clothes, we bid adieu to the trapper's lodge, and then we braved the obstacles on the way back. They were not that bad going this direction, after all, I knew that we could safely navigate them, but the road was long.
I don't know how long it took us to get up the mountain but it took approximately forever to get down. When we reached the main road we grabbed our gear and then continued through the super narrow path. The brush was on either side of the Jeep again and we were diving through the ditches and streams once more. I was careful, and we were driving very slowly, but navigating some of the ditches from this direction proved more challenging and we bottomed out a few times. Thank goodness for skid-plates.
When we hid the main logging road back to Bella Vista it was sweet sweet victory. We headed back to Bella Vista, made a quick pit stop and then continued on towards Calgary.
We had wanted to go up Panorama this weekend, and see the Thunderbird and Delphine Mines but getting in and out of Paradise Mine took far longer than anticipated and we were running very late. It was not until 10 pm that I left the house and not until after 1 am that I arrived in Drayton.
It was a very late night, and a tired next day, but it was worth it.
So so worth it.
I love adventure, I love being lost, and I love the overwhelming redemption of being found.
Until next time...
The Jeep
