I drove the "Highway Thru Hell"

[Okanagan]

Actually, have driven it many times without realizing its name on the TV show.  I didn't know there was a TV show about the Coquihalla Pass highway till last week when my sister mentioned it to me.  Weather Channel.

Yesterday morning I started early to drive east of the mountains and hunt lynx for a couple of days north of Kamloops.  Heading up the river bottom beyond Hope ( )  at 4:30 AM it was raining heavily, then became rain on a thick layer of rough ice miles before even starting up the pass.  Could hardly stand up on the slick wet ice when I got out to lock in the hubs on my little 4x4.   Ta Da... !!    Highway Thru Hell!

I passed three semi trucks inching along at a walking speed in chains, and as slush and snow built up on the ice floored road surface not a single vehicle came out of the dark toward me on the westbound side of the divided highway.  Hmmmm...  no cars coming through means it is closed on top somewhere, undoubtedly in blizzard conditions given the heavy rain and wind at my elevation.

I turned around and headed home at the first possible place, the Portia Exit (place names on the Coquihalla come from Shakespeare).  It was supposed to be a relaxing personal pleasure trip, no one else effected if I bailed.  It was turning into a white knuckle contest with suicidal driving conditions--- so I went home. 

Guess I didn't drive the Highway Thru Hell this time.

[coyote101]

To keep with the Shakespeare theme, "The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life." - Falstaff

Pat

[Okanagan]

To keep with the Shakespeare theme, "The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life." - Falstaff

Pat

Bravo!  A word fitly spoken.

Just remembered that I have a photo of the Coquihalla Pass taken by Code in late Nov. when we drove through there on our way to hunt whitetails.  Taken out the windshield, it does not show the road but shows the canyon we were driving up toward the notch of pass against the sky.

[Hawks Feather]

You 'far north' boys get to have all the fun!

Jerry

[Dave]

Dang, that don't look like hell - more like like a paradise.     
    - Very similar to Fos' Gaga - real nice to look at and take pictures of, but spend a little time there and it WILL become hell.   

[FinsnFur]

CCP woulda kept right on going, wouldnt ya Rich? 
Sounds spooky Clyde what was the purpose of the trip? Just a get away or doing some hunting?

[Okanagan]

CCP woulda kept right on going, wouldnt ya Rich? 
Sounds spooky Clyde what was the purpose of the trip? Just a get away or doing some hunting?

Hunting trip, solo.  Not a strong enough reason for me to keep going.

My boss came over the same road the opposite direction later the same day, but he waited till midday to start when snowplows and sanding had the road open.  He had important work reasons for his trip so he kept inching along in 4x4.  The highway closed again after he went through.

Dave:  yes it is purty country but she can really cook up a storm.