#3: [16-Aug-09]

#1: [08-Aug-03]

During August 2003 I drove through British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories on a combined confluence hunting and sightseeing trip. I started close to 49°N and went as far North as 61°N, covered 6,200 kilometers (3,850 miles), did 7 successful confluence visits, and had another 12 confluences that are incomplete. I made a map that shows the route, and the confluences in the order they were done, with the successful ones shown with black markers. The incomplete visits are a mix of actual attempts and situations where I drove somewhat close to the confluence, and included a 'visit' as a way to document the confluence location for future visitors. The first confluence on the trip was 52°N 121°W.

14-Aug-2003 -- After my visit to 56°N 120°W I drove back to Rolla Road, and then at Rolla turned west onto Sweetwater Road, which joins Highway 97 north of Dawson Creek. I drove north, through Fort St. John, along Highway 97, also known as the Alaska Highway.

Before I left on my trip, I didn't have any specific maps for 57N 122W, or plans on how to get to the confluence, but I had noted that Tyler had posted a plan to visit this confluence between August 6th and 12th, so I hoped I'd find a way to at least get close, once I was in the area.

Before the Alaska Highway crosses 122°W, the Tommy Lakes Forest Service Road led off towards the east (waypoint 038). Further up the highway, I found a road that led to a 'residence', where workers at the adjacent gas plant stay for their shifts. After talking to them, I, perhaps wrongly, concluded that the Tommy Lakes FSR wasn't the way to get to the confluence.

I drove further north along the highway, and as the highway approached 57°N and turned towards the west, I turned off onto the Jedney 126 Road (waypoint 039). I followed this road until it crossed 57°N, where I turned on the tracklog on my GPS, which you can see in blue. I then drove down the Access Road to BEG FIELD, which led to a rig pumping gas, which is where (waypoint 041) I took a photo in the direction of the confluence, which was 8.5 kilometers away. I could see that the roads in the area did not go in the direction of the confluence, and as it was getting close to 8:00PM, I decided to consider this one an attempt.

I drove back to the highway, and continued north to Pink Mountain. After making a few inquires of some locals, and talking to a fellow with some maps of the area who worked for a Calgary-based exploration company, I drove just north of Pink Mountain and turned onto the 192 Road, also known as the Pink Mountain Road. After driving for a while, I found a side road where I found a place to pull off and camp for the night.

Despite being off on a side road, and it being close to 10:00PM, I saw a number of trucks, either parked or driving around, which was likely because the next day was the start of hunting season in the area.

The next confluence on this trip was 57°N 123°W.