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L-R: Ashley, Sarah, Ian, Trudel, Andre, Aynslie & Robson. Missing: Joanne
Here is a copy of our route map. There will be links to this map throughout the story as well.
Day 1: North Vancouver to Relay Creek

Once again, Kroecher Headquarters on Kings Road served as the official gathering and starting point. Sarah had arrived from her home in Kelowna a few days before, while Aynslie and Robson had flown down from Whitehorse. We'd arranged to meet up with Joanne in Gold Bridge at 11:00am, as she'd driven down from Smithers.

We departed at 6:30am, stopping briefly in Whistler for a break. Pemberton served as our last opportunity for fuel, then we left the pavement and began the journey over the rough Hurley Pass into Gold Bridge. After meeting up with Joanne, we found our way to Tyaughton Lake, where we were going to leave one of the vehicles. After a few hours of confusion in trying to locate the Cinnabar trail head, where we planned to exit from, we settled for leaving the one shuttle vehicle near the Spruce Lake trailhead instead.

The seven of us, plus Robson and all our monster packs squeeeezed into Ian's 4-Runner: Ian driving, Ashley in front with Sarah on his lap, Aynslie, Andre, Joanne and I squished onto the backseat with Robson lying on Aynslie and me, while the packs just barely squeezed into the back.
It is a very confusing network of roads, each becomming smaller than the last, to get to the trail head at Relay Creek. Let's just say we eventually made it, arriving there at 5:00.
Skirting along a washout on the final stretch of the Relay Creek road. Note the width and angle of the section just ahead in relation to the size of the car. Sure, we've all seen worse, but most of us got out of the car just in case.
Smooch!
Arrival at The Trail Head
It sure didn't seem like much of a trail head, at first we weren't even sure we were in the right place (kind of setting the mood for the trip...). But, there was a sign on a tree indicating something about trail use and where the "road" ended a faint path led into the forest.

Anxious to stretch our legs for at least some hiking this day, we piled out of the truck and gathered together our gear, making final pack adjustments.
Getting ourselves and our stuff assembled at the trail head. L-R: Aynslie, Robson (who else??), Ian, Sarah, Joanne, Trudel, Ashley
Chilcotin Babes and Their Loyal Protector
Standing before one of the Gang Ranch's range cabins, about 2 km's from the car
After a couple km's of hiking we came upon one of the Gang Ranch's range cabins; smoke curling out of the chimney and a cowboy eyeing us from the doorway. There was a great little camping area just beyond the cabin's fence next to Relay Creek, directly on the other side of which another trail led into a dense forest. Consulting our maps we discovered it to be the "Little Paradise" trail which connects over from the Tyaughton trail - not our route, but the first of many junctions we would encounter.

With dark clouds overhead and a few drops of rain already sprinkling down, some of us donned our Gore-Tex before carrying on, following Relay Creek. By 7:00 PM it was raining hard and very cold. Anxious to make camp, we stopped in the first best spot: a gently sloping area between two small creeks where the forest wasn't too dense. We tucked our tents into sheltered areas and Joanne found an awesome spot for a communal kitchen that was completely dry.

After an exciting time hanging food in the trees on our first night, the camp was quiet by 10:00 PM.
Day 2: Relay Creek to Graveyard Creek

The day began dark, cold and wet as we began packing and fixing breakfast at 7:30 this morning. It was not the most uplifting kind of morning you hope for on the first full day of a hike, but we were all in good cheer none-the-less. Rain fell hard at times, but by the time we were ready to depart at 9:10 it had relented to a light mist.
Mid-morning group lineup after the rain lifted.
Following the trail above the Relay Creek Valley
The "Jeans Cabin"

Midafternoon we descended from the Relay Valley into the vast and lonesome Big Creek Valley. We came into a wide meadow at one end of which stood another small cabin (another Gang Ranch range cabin).

Andre, Joanne and I had a look inside and found a clean pair of ladies' jeans hanging from a rafter - one leg cut short below the knee. They looked like they might fit me, so as a joke I slipped them on and swaggered back out to the others.
Creek Swapping

After a break of photos and fun at the cabin, it was time to figure out which way to continue. One trail led north and one south. Obviously needing to go south we took that branch, but then it crossed the creek next to the cabin.

Convinced the creek was Big Creek, when in fact it was Graveyard Creek, we wanted to catch the trail that according to our map led along its east side. So, we bushwhacked, Andre in the lead, to try and meet up with the trail.
Nice Jeans! Joanne, Ashley, Sarah, Ian, Aynslie, Robson and I make our way to the range cabin
The Men of Big Creek, or is it Graveyard Creek??
We hiked cross-country upstream along Graveyard Creek (which we thought was Big Creek), never actually connecting with the main trail but seeing plenty of evidence of a faint path occassionally appearing then disappearing along the way.

Graveyard Creek Camp

Just before 7:00 we found ourselves hiking through a dense forest as we came to the edge of a plateau overlooking a semi-circular meadow at the edge of the creek. A perfect spot to camp for the night! We followed a clear trail down the slope, set up the tents and settled in for the evening.
Don't mess with us, eh...?