September 17/2003 @
Chehalis FSR & Harrison West FSR
In Attendance:
Chris - Ford Bronco (blue)
Ed & Megan - Jeep YJ (black)
Being that I get Wednesday's off, I got a call from Ed on Tuesday afternoon saying that he was going to be <cough><cough> sick on Wednesday, and that
we should do some exploring. We planned to hit the West Harrison area for the day and check out some new trails. He had a friend in town from New Zealand
and she had never been wheeling before, so it would be exciting for her.
We left home around 9:30 and headed out of town. While fueling up in Mission we decided to do the Mystery Creek traverse and check out some side trails on
the way. After airing down at the foot of Mystery Creek FSR, we departed for our back country trip. A few kilometres up the road we stopped to view Norrish
Creek from the bridge. There is a large pool below that looks like you could enjoy by jumping off the bridge (20' or so).
We continued on and as we got to the summit of the Norrish Creek FSR (3200'), we got into the low cloud and some misting rain. At the Margaret Creek Pass junction, we took a side trail that turned out to be a short dead end, but Ed let Megan drive up it. She loved it!
We continued down Margaret Creek Pass Rd to the Statlu FSR, then a few kilometres to the Chehalis FSR. From there we headed north, again, taking a few
side trails. The first one was very narrow and went for a few kilometres, ending in a small clearing where there was a table and a canvas tent. We weren't in the
mood to check it out, so we turned around and hit the main road. The second road was supposed to take us to the Southern end of Chehalis Lake, but I must have
zigged when I was supposed to zag, and we ended up checking out a bunch of dead ends, and finally a wash out. But we did get to enjoy the scenery of what I
believe was Maisai Creek. Again, if the weather was warmer it would be very tempting to dive in.
Once back on the Chehalis FSR, we stopped at the government camp site, then continued on through Mystery Creek. After the short trip to the Harrison West FSR, we did the quick run to Sunrise Lake. We enjoyed a few minutes of the scenery, then got back on the main road. We checked out a few dead end roads, then stopped at one of the beaches for another scenery break.
Once back on the main road, we started heading home. We aired up at the Chehalis store, then realized that it was after 5pm, and Megan had to be home (Poco) by 6pm. We hit the road and cruised home I think we got home around 6:15, so all was well..
Norrish Creek.
Norrish Creek.
Norrish Creek.
Coming to the summit of Norrish Creek FSR.
I think this is Maisai Creek.
I think this is Maisai Creek.
I think this is Maisai Creek.
Ed and Megan striking a pose.