Past city streets and country roads there is a world beyond the main—a vast forest-covered world with a rich history brought to the fore in a recent book by one of Powell River’s most prolific authors.
Wayne Lutz’s Beyond the Main, his 14th book about life in coastal British Columbia, takes readers to places of awe-inspiring beauty around Powell Lake.
While some of Wayne’s previous works centre around off-the-grid living at a float cabin on Powell Lake, this book takes readers further into the backcountry into areas accessible only by boat and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles known as ATVs or, more frequently, quads.
“We like the outdoors in every respect so we’ll take the quads out to explore it,” said Wayne. He often takes trips with his wife Margy as well as various friends and guides—including the mysterious John, known only by his first name, who looms large as a man of Herculean myth in Wayne’s books as a guide, handyman and all around expert ATVer.
A float cabin in a place called Hole in the Wall, 15 kilometres up Powell Lake, is an unlikely place for a book about all-terrain vehicles—but as a former US Air Force maintenance officer turned author, Wayne is used to coming up with creative ways of doing things.
“We’ve had the quads for a long time, but they were in town and never seemed to get used,” said Wayne, of his struggle at first to meld his lake top lifestyle with life as an ATVer.
Now with two quads loaded on a barge moored right to the dock of their cabin, Wayne and Margy are ready to go exploring the kilometres of logging roads available around the lake. On long-haul journeys, the couple even uses the barge as a place to pitch their tent under the stars, once the quads are off-loaded of course.
Although Wayne is adamant he and Margy are only novices, going slowly to enjoy the scenery, both take their quads up and down the lake exploring the history of the region. They visit places like the Olsen Valley, home in the 1900s to a thriving farming community that once supplied produce to logging camps up and down the lake.
“The history of this place is fantastic, and it’s something I really enjoy,” said Margy, who describes herself as a bit of a wimp on her ATV. “I go for the scenery. If something looks too steep or dangerous, I don’t go there.”
“ATVs are one of the most amazing things because of how rugged they are,” said Wayne. He rides a red quad and makes fun of the fact that it makes him feel like he’s going faster. “You can go over rocks and stuff and that would ruin your car but they’re bulletproof and they hardly ever break down.”
Armed with GPS and a map, Wayne also explores the high country on Goat Island, aiming to reach two old growth trees immediately visible from his front porch. But, as he explained, the places most visible to him are often the least accessible.
“I bet I’ve got within 200 metres of those trees, but I just can’t get across the logging slash to get there,” said Wayne. He said some areas are made nearly inaccessible by the material left behind after a clear cut.
Still, he acknowledges that all his backcountry explorations are made possible because of all the logging roads put in up and down the lake.
“Loggers are great people who really care about the environment,” said Wayne. “It’s really tough, physical work. You have to love being out there to stay at it.”
Another group Wayne is effusive in appreciation is Powell River ATV Club. Mentioned frequently in his book, this club helps to maintain the many kilometres of backcountry trails available.
“They like to get out there and dig some holes, move some rocks,” said Wayne, noting this often requires heavy equipment and chainsaws, to clear fallen trees. “I’m too lazy to get out there and do that—I’m the guy that helps them out by riding on their trails.”
“The club in Powell River is about respect: respect for safety and respect for the proper use of the outdoors,” said Bob Kimmel, a long-time member.
While the BC ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations recently released a statement warning that all-terrain vehicle use can cause environmental damage, the Powell River club is working hard to keep the forest open and clean for everyone to use.
ATV club member Pat Walsh, also president of the Outdoor Recreation User Group, which combines multiple volunteer groups for the purposes of forest trail beautification and maintenance, said, “It’s important for all the different groups, like hikers and bikers, who have a potential for conflict out there on the trails to come to the table and talk about it.”
Walsh said the club has cooperated in trail maintenance with several groups in the Powell River area including the Bloody Old Men’s Brigade (BOMB Squad), of which he is also a member, as well as Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PR PAWS).
“Motorized vehicles can impact drainage and damage exposed roots,” said ATV club member Ted Wrubleski. The club is aware of the damage ATVs can cause, he said. “But we try not to go where we do that, for example avoiding areas where it is swampy or boggy.
“There are [people] out there that give us a bad name,” said Wrubleski. “We definitely see people riding ATVs around in town, and that is not legal.”
Wrubleski explained how the club works to counter the image of the reckless ATVer by lending a hand during Powell River Regional District’s annual Trash Bash and helping build wheelchair-accessible trails, such as Willingdon Beach Trail.
The club even follows a code of ethics in which it promises to abide by nine points including the obedience of all federal, provincial and local rules, and to refrain from damaging the land including living trees, shrubs, grasslands, alpine areas or other natural features.
“ATVing is addicting too, because it’s so much fun,” said Wrubleski. “It is an excellent mental and physical exercise because you have to be focused all the time.”
Although some members, like Paul Jones, say they have known people who have died on ATVs elsewhere in BC, the club insists that it is safe if riders follow the rules, like following posted speed limits on main logging roads.
According to a BC Coroners Service report, alcohol and/or drugs are behind about 55 per cent of ATV accident deaths—the majority of which occurred in the north and interior of the province.
Barb McLintock, BC Coroners Service spokesperson, said there have been few ATV incidents in Powell River area to date—although there was no comment as to why that might be.
With safety in mind Mario Gusola, club president, said ATV novices, new and first-time riders, should go out with experienced riders to get to know their limits and ability. The club, he said, often leads groups of novices on rides. It goes without saying that all rides are alcohol-free.
One activity club members enjoy is something they call a “Dip and Go,” where they take their ATVs up to multiple lakes in one day, stopping to swim in each.
“We’ve been up to as many as 14 lakes in one day, that’s something that hikers just can’t do,” said Jones, who has accumulated almost 58,000 kilometres on his ATV over the last five or so years.
“We use old access roads for seeing country you couldn’t see in one day without quads,” he said. “You can’t let all that beautiful country go to waste.”
For more information about Powell River ATV Club, readers can contact Wrubleski at [email protected].
