Monday, February 25, 2008

Khartoum Lake

What a glorious day Sunday was. On the way into town we passed Fritz riding his bike in shorts. From there on we knew it was going to be a great day! After the fog burned off and we made it down the lake, we headed to the airport to get our quad trailer ready to go.

If you drive south of Powell River to Dixon Road, you enter a world of lakes and forests. During the week, this area is used by loggers. But on weekends, their extensive road system is available for use by the public with care. We saw a few trucks, jeeps and and handful of other quads, but most of the time we had it all to ourselves. Dixon Road quickly turns into a well used and often potholed dirt road. So we quickly found a turnout large enough for our truck and trailer. Our ATVs take the ruts much better than our larger vehicles.

The sky was so blue is was breathtaking. We headed up Goat Lake Main and transitioned to the Stillwater Main towards Khartoum Lake. The view up Lois Lake to the snowy peaks was unbelieveable. We haven't been this way in almost a year. At that time, the devastating winter storms had washed away the bridge (February 10, 2007). It has thankfully been replaced and we can now return to this unique spot. Khartoum Lake has a primitive campground right on the shore. We first came here by kayak via Lois Lake. We returned in 2006 to host a unique book launch party for Wayne's book Up the Main. It is one of my favorite back country campgrounds in the Powell River area. The road can be tricky for a passenger car, but for a truck it is a fairly easy drive (except for maybe the steep entrance road in snowy or muddy conditions).

We feasted on sandwiches and pop while sitting on warm, sun-baked logs along the beach. A fellow adventurer brought an inflatable boat in his jeep for a quiet row on the lake. You could see that winter was beginning to release its grip. Khartoum's icy coat was receding towards the opposite shore, and with a few more sunny days like this, spring can't be far behind. -- Margy

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:04 AM

    Does anyone know how this lake got its peculiar name?

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  2. I recall reading about his series of lakes but can't find the book right now. What is now Lois Lake used to be several lakes before the dam was built in 1950. One of the lakes was called Gordon Pasha before that time, another connection to Egypt. Check http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcgn-bin/bcg10?name=9667. At the same website there are no notes related to Khartoum. As I recall, place names in the early 20th Century often were based on British military events. Both of these lakes may have been named in reference to the Egypt War of 1882. You can find more information about that here http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/egypt/. If I find that other reference I mentioned I'll leave an additional comment. -- Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy