We spent the weekend at Gun Lake at my brother in laws new cabin. Gun Lake is in the South Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia, about 8 km from Gold Bridge, a community of 40 residents where old mines and ghost towns still stand from the 1930’s when the gold rush spread through BC.
5 hours from Vancouver, we took the Sea to Sky Highway past Whistler, arriving in Pemberton where we stopped for sandwiches, fruit and cold beer. We also picked up ice for the cooler and stopped in at Spud Valley Sporting Goods for fishing bait (aka worms). And off we went, driving past fields with yellow hay bales resembling giant Wheaties and Mount Curry in the rearview mirror, snow capped and jagged.
There is another way to get to Gun Lake by going through the Fraser Valley toward Hope then up to Lillooet but if you have a good truck like we do, the Hurley also known as the Hurley Burley will save you hours. The Hurley is no joke. A wilderness logging service road so steep, bumpy and intense, it has it’s own website called I Survived the Hurley. I might need to get one of their t-shirts. The road is unpaved and covered in shale rock and gravel, the washboard so bad at times, the truck would spin out on its back end, so going slow (and keeping away from the ledge is a must). We got 2 flat tires the first time we drove this road so take a spare… and some fix-a-flat spray…and a tire pump if you can and be prepared to be jostled. White knuckles aside, the view is stunning taking you high above Pemberton Meadows then heading deep into the alpine wilderness. It was hot and sunny, we listened to music, the aircon blasting and purple lupines bordering the road.
We arrived at the cabin at 4pm. My brother in law and his family wouldn’t arrive until almost 7pm so Seth and I cracked a cold beer and went straight for the dock to dunk our feet in the crystalline water. Gun lake is spring fed and is said to be one of the clearest lakes in the world. The water in the shallow parts is turquoise and it felt refreshing after our journey. Seth figured he’d try a little fishing off the dock and after 5 casts had caught 4 fish. We kept 2; a kokanee and a rainbow. Trout scramble for lunch!
Once the family arrived the rest of the weekend was spent on the lake; swimming, fishing, floating on the dinghy, enjoying meals together on the deck and watching the amazing blood moon rise from behind Tyrax Mountain. Mars shining red in the pitch black sky. It was also my brother in laws birthday and we’d bought him a cake so one morning we had coffee and cake for breakfast. There were so many treats. That’s what vacations are about right? taking a vacation from being on a diet, or eating healthy haha! Caramel pop corn and homemade blueberry rhubarb pie in the middle of the day. I can’t complain.
The sun was hot and the lake was cool. We had a wonderful getaway and I’m happy you joined me.
Until next time.
Love,
Jennifer
