{"id":15678,"date":"2025-10-08T10:51:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T16:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/?p=15678"},"modified":"2025-11-20T11:42:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:42:05","slug":"because-the-short-way-is-boring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/because-the-short-way-is-boring\/","title":{"rendered":"Because the short way is boring"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"212\" data-end=\"513\">Our next big goal was Glacier and Yoho National Parks, sitting at the far north end of the valley we\u2019d been zigzagging through. Technically, we could\u2019ve made it there in less than a day. But what\u2019s the fun in that? Straight highways are for people in a hurry \u2014 and we are very much not those people.\u00a0So, we ditched the highway and pointed Marcel up a dirt road that unraveled into a massive spiderweb of gravel tracks. The view down into the smoky valley below was hazy and dramatic, and the surrounding hoodoo formations looked like alien art projects gone right.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1661.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1663.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p data-start=\"783\" data-end=\"1145\">We\u2019d only been at it an hour before we started spotting places we\u2019d marked on the map. Canada hides a ridiculous number of gems \u2014 some official recreation sites, others just \u201cnobody\u2019s claimed this spot yet\u201d kind of camps. We weren\u2019t worried about finding a place to stay; we just wanted <em data-start=\"1070\" data-end=\"1075\">the<\/em> place \u2014 that magic combo of solitude, scenery, and Starlink signal.\u00a0Over the next week we hopped from lake to lake, river to river, and occasionally into a proper campground when convenience won over our inner wildlings. Marcel handled the maze of logging roads like a champ \u2014 well, mostly.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1680.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1675.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"attachment_15715\" style=\"width: 179px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15715\" class=\"wp-image-15715 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1684.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-15715\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">That&#8217;s it. That is all that it took to turn us around<\/p><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1407\" data-end=\"1668\">Early in the week, after leaving a peaceful lake behind, we were cruising a narrow two-track toward our next marked spot. Morning light filtered through smoky air, painting everything a deep orange \u2014 stunning. Until the road suddenly jumped three feet uphill.\u00a0Three feet. That\u2019s it. But to Marcel, abrupt inclines like that are his kryptonite. Any sharper and his rear bumper drags like a plow. I wanted to build a ramp out of rocks and dirt \u2014 an engineering masterpiece. Kerri, ever the voice of reason, pointed out it was a half-hour backtrack to an alternate route. I grumbled but agreed. Stuck on a three-foot mound would\u2019ve been\u2026 let\u2019s call it <em data-start=\"2075\" data-end=\"2085\">humbling<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2129\" data-end=\"2414\">A few days later, somewhere northbound, we stumbled into what looked like an old mining town \u2014 half ghost, half alive. A few buildings still standing, maybe even occupied. We didn\u2019t linger. Just enough time for a couple of photos and to check that the road ahead was actually a road.\u00a0It was, technically. But \u201croad\u201d might be generous. The dirt turned to three inches of fine powdery silt \u2014 like driving through a snowdrift made of dust. And of course, that\u2019s when a logging truck appeared, charging toward us like an angry rhinoceros.\u00a0Those guys don\u2019t slow down. Ever. I swerved right, hugging the edge, and the beast roared by at 30 mph, smothering us in a blinding dust cloud. We sat there for a full two minutes waiting for the world to reappear. We are still finding dust in places I didn\u2019t know existed.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-15720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1694.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-15720'>\n\t\t\t\tA maybe ghost town\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-15721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1698.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-15721'>\n\t\t\t\tThe road already turns to shit\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p data-start=\"2982\" data-end=\"3182\">Somewhere later that week, while camping at yet another lake, we met a local who leaned against his truck and said, \u201cYou <em data-start=\"3103\" data-end=\"3111\">should<\/em> be able to make it to my favorite lake.\u201d Should. Not <em data-start=\"3165\" data-end=\"3171\">will<\/em>. Should.\u00a0Naturally, we went. The \u201croad\u201d started as a dirt lane and quickly devolved into what I can only describe as a goat track. Bushes clawed at both sides of Marcel, pinstriping him like a tiger. Rocks got bigger, turns got tighter, and the forest seemed to close in. We crept forward in 4-low, every branch screeching along the paint.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3518\" data-end=\"3845\">And then, like magic, the trees opened up. There it was \u2014 a small, pristine lake, mirror-still, framed by mountains. Just big enough for us and the loons. Leveling Marcel took some creative stump engineering, but once we settled in, we knew this was <em data-start=\"3768\" data-end=\"3773\">the<\/em> spot. The effort, the scratches, the slow crawl \u2014 all of it worth it.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-15723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1683.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-15723'>\n\t\t\t\tWhat we normally get&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-15724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1727.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-15724'>\n\t\t\t\t&#8230; turns to a goat track&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-15722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1739.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-15722'>\n\t\t\t\t&#8230; and a real bumpy ride\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-15725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1759.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-15725'>\n\t\t\t\tBut the payoff was worth it!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286-1024x575.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-15739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4286.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-15739'>\n\t\t\t\tKerri spent an entire day out there, reading\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p data-start=\"3882\" data-end=\"4226\">The final adventure on our radar was the Lead Queen Mine Road \u2014 a gnarly 3.5-mile climb to a high-mountain meadow with teal-blue lakes. The dream. But the fine print? One-lane the whole way, no turnarounds, no passing, no forgiveness. Fallen tree? You\u2019re done. Two hairpin turns so tight even short-wheelbase Jeeps need three-point maneuvers. We wanted it bad, but realism won. After chatting with a local 4&#215;4 group online, we admitted we just weren\u2019t equipped for that level of stupid. No chainsaw, no radio, no backup plan. Tempting fate is one thing; courting disaster is another.\u00a0So we passed on it \u2014 reluctantly, responsibly, and maybe a little proud of ourselves for not being total idiots. There\u2019s always next time.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3882\" data-end=\"4226\">A few more pictures;<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-15678 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1681.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1702.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1710.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1714.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1730.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1747.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751-576x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1751.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1695.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our next big goal was Glacier and Yoho National Parks, sitting at the far north end of the valley we\u2019d been zigzagging through. Technically, we could\u2019ve made it there in less than a day. But what\u2019s the fun in that? Straight highways are for people in a hurry \u2014 and&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[294,253],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-294","category-canada"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1763.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9livM-44S","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15678"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15741,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15678\/revisions\/15741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.van-tramp.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}