Exploring the Charlotte Alplands
The Charlotte Alplands are located in a remote area of the Chilcotin Plateau. We drove (580 km) to Nimpo Lake. The next day we boarded a float plane and went southwest, flying over Charlotte Lake. We landed on Fish Lake. We packed our gear (supported by a horse pack outfitter) to the Frog Lakes and set up a base camp. We hiked for a few days through the hills with support from a guide, and we enjoyed meals provided by a camp cook.
The Alplands have the highest concentration of alpine lakes in British Columbia. To the west are the glacier-covered peaks in the Monarch Range in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. To the south is the Pantheon Range, the highest peaks of the Coast Ranges (including Mt. Waddington). There are no roads into the area. Access is mostly by floatplane.
Only 8 km away was Nuk Tessli, the backcountry hiking lodge on Whitton Lake first started by Chris Czajkowski, the author of 12 books about wilderness living.
Our hiking was over the hills and mountains for rugged loop routes each day. There are weeks of hiking route choices in the area. Since it is grizzly territory, precautions are needed.
We hiked out, going over a high ridge, then descending through the forest to the Cowboy Lakes where we picked up a trail to Charlotte Lake, ending at the Charlotte Lake Rec Site. We had a pickup arranged to take us back to Nimpo Lake.
There are a number of stories to be told about this adventure, at a later time. I would recommend going to Nuk Tessli as a first choice if you are interested in hiking this wilderness area.
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