Welcome to the Cariboo Jack!

The First Annual Cariboo Jack Ski Trek from Barkerville to Stanley will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2008, departing Barkerville at 9:30 a.m. (not 10 a.m. as mistakenly printed in the newspaper)

Skiers will follow the same trail taken by the annual Gold Rush Sled Dog Mail Run along the historic Cariboo Waggon Road the following day, a distance of approximately 25 km. By travelling this route from Barkerville to Stanley, skiers will honour local and regional history, as well as the gold rush history that brought British Columbia into Confederation 150 years ago.

This is a non-competitive event that requires stamina, and participants will be inspired by the examples of those who travelled to the Cariboo goldfields via the Snowshoe Plateau, and the many workers who came north on foot, such as Wong Man Ding, aka “Cariboo Jack”.

This section of the Waggon Road travels up from Barkerville over a shoulder of Elk Mountain, and rolls past a variety of historic sites, including the famous Jack O’ Clubs Ditchline and Ella Lake before descending past Milk Ranch Pass and travelling the trail paralleling Lightning Creek past Van Winkle and ending in the Stanley townsite.

Anyone considering entering the Cariboo Jack must be prepared for challenging terrain and unpredictable snow conditions. They must be in excellent physical condition, self-sufficient in terms of supplies and gear, and able to ski 25 km without undue stress. A list of recommended gear is posted on this Blog's sidebar.

This is a beautiful as well as historic trail; some sections seem to tunnel through lichen-draped subalpine fir. However, nearly one half of the route is uphill: from Barkerville to Summit Rock and Ella Lake. Because of the significant elevation changes and distance, it is not an event for beginners.

A shorter, follow-up event, the Barkerville-Wells Ski "Dash" will take place at 1:30 pm January 27 - simultaneously with the Sled Dog Mail Run "Dash". This is a basically flat sprint from Barkerville to Wells over an 8 km course.

Snowmobilers are asked to avoid the Barkerville-Stanley trail on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26 in order to ensure the safety of tracksetters and skiers.

Interested skiers may contact Bill Horne in Wells at 250-994-2332 or by emailing bhorne at netbistro dot com. Organizers ask that all skiers preregister; registration costs $10.