2011 Hummer West Expedition

[Sugarphreak]

I'm in....



We just need to decide on a route to get there now.

[Khamul]

LOL Brian has to come, we'll need to convert his trailer in a tanker!

[Sugarphreak]

As far as routes go, there are a lot of ways to get there… basically Wipsaw is just South of Princeton on highway #3.



Here are a few possible routes that I can think of;



Direct & Lame (10 Hours)

Take highway #1 West, turn onto Highway #5, Turn off at Merritt onto highway #3, Proceed to Wipsaw/Princeton



The Border Run (12.5 Hours)

Go South on highway #2, cut over to highway #22, Get onto highway #3 and Proceed all the way to Wipsaw/Princeton



CT4WD Route (14 Hours)

Take highway #1 West, turn south at Revelstoke onto highway #93, take free ferry, turn onto highway #6 (east) at Nakusp, turn West at Castlegar onto highway #3, Proceed to Wipsaw/Princeton



Sugarphreak’s Run (13 Hours)

Take highway #1 West, turn south at Revelstoke onto highway #93, take free ferry, continue onto highway #6 (South) at Nakusp, take another free ferry, continue West on highway #6 to Vernon, take highway #97 South, turn onto highway #97C just past Kelowna, turn south at Princeton-Kamloops old highway… drive past Allison Lake, Round Lake, Dry Lake, MacKenzie Lake, McCaffrey Lake… arrive in Princeton, Proceed on highway #3 to Wipsaw



North Gate (12.5 Hours)

Take Highway #1 West, turn onto highway 93 North towards Jasper, Turn West onto highway #16 at Jasper, continue until junction and turn South on highway #5 (Yellowhead), continue all the way to Kamloops, proceed to Merritt and turn off onto highway #3, Proceed to Wipsaw/Princeton





Once we establish a route everybody is happy with (we could pick 2 routes, one there and one back), we have to figure out if there are any gaps in service stations along the way and how much extra gas to bring along (also for the Wipsaw trail which is about 9 to 12 hours of solid off-roading)



We also need a place to figure out where to stay overnight somewhere of maybe maybe 2 hours max of Princeton, and any points of interest along the way we want to check out.

[JL]

So the estimated times.. Is that just drive time or including pit stops?

[Sugarphreak]

[quote name='JL' timestamp='1295982405' post='24606']

So the estimated times.. Is that just drive time or including pit stops?

[/quote]



If you drove non-stop at the highway speed... that would be the time it would take to get there.



I was digging around lookng for gas cans, after a substantial amount of research these are the cheapest gas cans per liter you can get (about 0.51 cents per liter after tax).

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... ?locale=en



I figure for my truck on Wipsaw trail I will bring along at least an extra 40L of fuel to be safe.

[Khamul]

Taking your route sounds to be the mostest funnest that I'm in for dat...



Yeah, I was thinking about gas..... I have a 20l and a 10l.... was thinking of getting 2 more 20l's and leave them all at base camp....

[Sugarphreak]

Yeah I like that route because I like the ferries, the pass is awesome... and I think that road to Princeton at the end is an old almost run down highway that cuts through a valley.

[JL]

Sounds good!! I'm liking that.. Map of the Super Route!! So that's basically the gist of it, hey?



Yeah planning for gas will be important.. during the camping trip last year when I did two days on the trails I burned 3/4 of a tank so I agree a good safety margin would be at least 40L (at least for us!). Still though second day at Waiparous was a short one and there weren't any risky/has hog maneuvers being done so I could conserve a bit. Factoring in that we might still have to deal with some snow or at least spring thaw muck there'll be plenty of opportunity to burn fuel plowing through all that. 40L for the H3s and 60L for the H2s would probably be a good safety zone..

[Sugarphreak]

^^^ And at least 120L extra for Gaza <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... oflmao.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rotflmao:' />



For you I would recommend maybe even a bit more... my truck carries 102L of fuel on board and I am going to bring along 40L extra as my margin of safety.



From what I understand the Wipsaw loop itself takes about 9 to 11 hours to complete. I think I might actually be ok on just a full tank, but it would be very close... plus if we run into muddy sections or as you mentioned snow, gas reserves will go down a lot more quickly.



This reminds me, we really need to get some emergency replacement parts put together; also to make friends with a mechanic in Princeton <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... rgreen.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':mrgreen:' />

[Sugarphreak]

You know what... I just read this on a Wipsaw report; I don't think doing this in May is an option

The Whipsaw is one of the best known and loved 4x4 trails in southern BC for good reason, it embodies everything we like about fourwheeling. Its scenery is spectacular, it's far from civilization, and it's challenging for stock vehicles while still being interesting for modifieds. It is also located at a high altitude (around 6000 ft at its highest point) so there is a somewhat narrow window of opportunity for 'wheeling it. If you go in the spring (usually June is as early as you can go, you run the risk of deep snow drifts and mud. If you wait until July/August, you could run into severe dust (unless no one is driving ahead of you) and you are guaranteed to be attacked by swarms of black flies and mosquitoes. September's usually the best time, when the only complaint is that it gets cold at night, and so that's when we decided to go. More specifically, we planned to go there on the Labour Day long weekend.