Abandoned mansion in the mountains of BC. Adventure #2 

I used to live there! My friend was caretaker there for over a decade. I had my 30th birthday party there when it was still in perfect condition in 1995. The roof starting leaking and the foundation was cracked and they decided not to spend the money to fix it. That was around 2005. I also met Vernon J Pick there in the early 70`s when my Dad did some work for him. The Walden North Estate has been in my life since I was a kid. I have some great pics of the estate when it was still prime. I road that tram a 100 times! It pains me to see it in such a terrible state. P.S. I still have Vernon`s 1950`s Zenith solid state short wave radio! LOL

Don't understand why people who find other peoples' property sitting empty, they think they have the right to destroy it ? If it ain't yours, dont touch it ! So cool to have you make the climb for us and show us around ! Also very grateful to the owners for giving permission. Awesome views up there, thanks for your time and trouble Dustin ! 👍🇨🇦✌️

The most Canadian thing ever: Apologizing for the mess at an abandoned mansion! (Thanks for walking up a mountain to tell us this fascinating story! Great video!!)

Vernon Pick's ghost still walks the halls of Walden North! I know this for certain as I met him during the night when I stayed in his bedroom while all alone at the mansion. It happened during the first of my many adventures to Walden North. Since then, upon learning everything I could about this most amazing man, he has become my ultimate hero and someone that I hold in the highest of regards! He was one of the most intelligent men of our time. Very few people are aware of what an incredible person Vernon Pick truly was! Walden North & Vernon Pick (in spirit) deserve so much more respect than what they have been given. Walden North is a very special place indeed. It is a part of our Canadian history that also has a very interesting story that needs shared. One day, I hope that Walden North will become officially nominated as a 'Canadian National Historic Site'.

I love your slogan "Take Nothing but Pictures. Leave Nothing but Footprints!" I wish others would follow that path!

Beautiful message about the need to preserve these places and not destroy because it does ruin it for everyone else. Thank you!

Hello Dustin I read about Pick and Walden North in the seventies while living in Vancouver, BC and on impulse contacted him and was invited for a visit. Pick graciously walked the property with my wife and I at one point, stopping in the shop to show us a wood lathe that he had invented that cut spirals. Cool Guy! In those days pretty close to what I imagined doing with $10 million! LOL Sorry no gopros in those days. Thanks for the video.

Take nothing but pictures leave nothing but foot prints...I love this!!

What a beautiful area. So nice to have a history on a place and person behind a place. It makes so much more sense that way. What a shame there's no one left to utilize or enjoy any of it.

Not sure if I'm missing something but the core of this building looks like it's in great shape. It might take millions to renovate it but you'd have something really nice when it was done.

Wow, was I surprised to find this video today. My dad had worked for Vernon Pick while his mansion was being built. His job was to take care of equipment maintenance around the machine shop for Mr. Pick, who I was able to meet briefly a couple of times (I was 9 years old). I was able to go to the property a couple of times and I remember the inclined railroad. I can't recall if I was able to go on it, but it was impressive to a young boy. Mr. Pick was definitely a bit eccentric, and my dad only worked with him for a couple of months. I somehow recall that there was discussions of our family living on the property as caretakers (not living in the mansion though), but that didn't materialize as there was some disagreement with my dad and Mr. Pick and his employment ended. Thanks again for sharing this.

Thank you for bringing these abandoned places back to life....what always strikes me is the silence at these places. Keep up the excellent work.

makes me want to go there and tidy everything up

I met this man and visited this place when he was still alive. He was friends with my grandfather Earl Brett. I believe I visited in the mid to later 1950's not sure exactly, but I had a great time on the visit. I'm not really sure but I think Vernon bought a plane from my grandfather or at least they were discussing the topic on the first trip I took there. This brings back memories I haven't touched in a long long time.

How AWESOME!! I look at the mess in the place and I can only think. “Why?” Unbearably sad what some humans are capable of. Then, there is the total opposite on the scale. This intelligent young man that is willing to do some hard work to get a great story out to the greater public. Bless you and keep it going!!!

Awesome place and story; it's too bad people have to wreck everything. A place like that and the story behind it should be preserved for sure.

15:32 "So this trail seems to kinda just end in the middle of nowhere" *pans to most majestic view imaginable*

I can’t imagine the amount of work that went into this place. How they got the supplies to build it and then furniture and appliances. Amazing and sad at the same time.

Could you imagine spending all that time and effort into building a home like that only to abandon it and let it rot? I bet that home was absolutely gorgeous in it's prime.

looks like a great place to restore !

Well done young man, especially "Take nothing except pictures, leave only your footprints"! I still miss BC and there's no place in the lower 48 that compares (IMO) to B.C., especially this time of year! Almost 3 years there and from my condo balcony (18th floor) on a clear day I'd see some of the BEST SUNSETS I've ever scene in my life! Living in CANADA was an amazing experience! I was very lucky to be there and I met so many great people there while I was there, a really blessed experience!

I couldn't agree more. Its just so sad that vandals have so little respect for things that not only were achieved and built through LOADS of HARD work, costing so much in time, money and many other resources, and are historical jewels that COULD have been enjoyed for decades to come, if not centuries, and it is now a big mess. My heart feels sad. I still enjoyed hearing the story and found so much about this man and his life really fascinating. Thank you for sharing things that some of us would never know about otherwise.

Congrats from Toronto, totally fascinating video. It looks like he was around 83 when he passed away, which indicates the house was probably finished in the 70's. Some amazing views. Thanks for the posting.

Thank you for giving us the history. Wonderful story.

Stumbled upon this video and enjoyed it a lot. Cool story and neat home. That view off the trail... man, I live for those views! Amazing

Your video definitely spiked my curiosity about Vernon, thanks for introducing us to his amazing life story!

This was fascinating. The setting is absolutely beautiful. I will definitely watch this again and share it with many others. I call this perfection and thank you so much for all that you've done in bringing this to us.

hi everyone, so we juse purchased the propert a few months ago. We (cayoose creek indian band) bought the power plant in partnership with innergex. We however have full ownership of the land add buildings. We will most likely be looking to develop the land, taking into consideration the preservation of its history.

Very cool story and history behind this location. Like you said It's really a shame when people trash a place. Thanks for the long hike to show us this place. Great work!

Love your Canadian accent! It's beautiful where you are too!

what camera are you use with the white night vision and what is the highest video quality settings it does?

This is the first of your videos I have seen. I am glad that you were able to share the tour with us. Thanks to you and for the families for making this happen,

I happened to stumble upon your channel yesterday and I am enjoying the adventures you share. I only wish I had come across it sooner. Its fascinating along with the stories that go along with it. Thank you so much!

15:35 wow, that view is breathtaking. wasn't expecting such a beutiful land scape as the camera panned up

Really puzzles me how and why people are destructive when they come across places like that. When I was young, we used to go back into abandoned structures often..out adventuring, and my buddies and I never broke one thing, wrote on any walls, or did any damage, and I cannot understand what the 'thrill' of doing so would be. The adventure is in the seeing of such places.

Thank you for sharing this. Places like this make me sad but it's also so fascinating. It seems like there was more than one kitchen - I'll bet he had money enough to have some staff living with him.

That house still has so much potential! So sad to see it in such a state.

Man, this place is stunningly beautiful. This man seems like he was a real gem. It is very unfortunate the place got ransacked. Thanks for the video, great work.

I always find it sad seeing abandoned places rotting away no matter how big or small. Knowing there are many abandoned places with nobody living in them and people out there with no place to live almost makes me want to throw up.

Absolutely stunning footage! Fantastic video! Thank you for sharing

It's a cool design for a house. Lots of storage, ect and beautiful scenery

That is a god awful shame. That home is awesome. Who wouldn’t love to live around all of that natural wonder and beauty. Where do human beings figure that it is ok to vandalize someone’s property? If I lived there you would never see me in town either!! 😢😢😢😢

Thanks so much for the tour and information! So interesting. You have a good soul, dear young man.

Such a great video and loved the story behind it! Thanks for filming this.

A very nice video, the scenery is absolutely outstanding, thanks for sharing. I think the story of bulletproof glass was an big fat urban legend, but still a good urban legend as they go. If the mansion was built as a retreat from the nuclear apocalypse and its aftermath I would have thought that somewhere along the build a fallout shelter or bunker in case of a hostile attack would have been incorporated, but then it would have been a secret so it could be hidden in plain sight and the only person that knew how to enter it has passed, it could be an amazing time capsule for someone to find one day. Thanks again for the tour. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Beautiful, amazing location. I also love the style of the house.

I loved the tour! What a fascinating place. Thank you!

its crazy coming back to your videos years later and seeing how much you have progressed!

"Take only pictures, leave only footprints" is an urban explorer's motto. Those that go in and destroy are giving the true urban explorers a bad rap and it's not fair.

My God what a beautiful scene at 15:40.

As a “newer” fan, it’s cool to go back and watch these older videos to see how you’ve grown in so many ways! Your cinematography and story telling is far better now. You look super baked in the beginning. Lol.

Back in the early 1970s, my Dad was hired along with a small swarm of other guys at the local bar to serve as human cable layers. In order to connect the shop complex to the dam, the electricians needed to lay some heavy cable alongside the penstock, and they decided to hire a bunch of random guys to lay and guide the cable while the electricians secured and terminated it. I like Vernon Pick's old gun rack. Some very fine carpentry right there.

Great video Dustin. Good to see you respect other peoples belongings. I am tired of seeing people vandalising places such as this.

Oh my someone really put time and effort into this place . It is really sad too see it not being looked after

Thanks for taking us on a tour of an awesome and unique place. It is a shame when people disrespect other peoples property and destroy things. This had to be a beautiful place in its time.

Nice fixer upper. Thanks for sharing your experiences. ITs always nice to reflect and see how simple and beautiful life can be ! Like he didn't need crazy lavish bathrooms and kitchens...simplicity. Makes you get outside

that's a really cool place. Man I would fix it up and live there if I owned that Property. Awesome views!! Great video

That house has a real "North by Northwest" vibe...if you've ever seen the movie featuring the house built above Mount Rushmore and starring Cary Grant. It would be really really cool if in your exploration of the house, you picked one room, and cleaned it up and put it back in order as much as possible. I think that would freak a lot of people out.

wow it's to bad someone wouldn't take that over and restore it. it is beautiful

This place would be AMAZING fixed up. I’d move into it. Thank you for showing this. I plan to look more into him and the house

Vernon Pick died in 1986. For a mansion to be abandoned for 30 years and counting, it has held up well. Probably thanks to it being a brick structure and in a very isolated location.

What I don't understand is why people would just destroy something so interesting and historic as this place.

Very Cool Story and Beautiful Place - Thank You for sharing

This video popped up in my feed, my how new and green you were ! And how much more professional you are now in 2023.

Great video. I love stuff like this and the insight you provided on the property and history is fantastic. I wish you lingered a little longer on things; going a little slower and getting to see all the little details really makes these kind of videos.

Very much appreciated your Video. Thank you so much for the time you took to tell and show us this Video. Yes you're absolutely right. I felt the same way. So sad what people have done that place. Sad really.

Ensuite bathrooms, separate areas as their own little units, great design such a crying shame it's been messed up. Great video, thank you for taking the time and doing the hike for us. Gorgeous country.

This place is beyond awesome and what a cool back story. It must be heartbreaking to the current owner, so sad. Thank you for sharing your video and all the effort you've put into making it.

I'm surprised someone with deep pockets and a desire to get away from it all hasn't purchased & resurrected the place.

What a beautiful location . I can't imagine waking up looking out on all that just gorgeous such a shame people destroyed that home

Dustin thanks for sharing. Cool video. You did a good job. Of filming it and describing. This mr Pick. Would love to have met him and talked to him. I’ve never looked at a little lake as clear as the little lake you showed us coming up the mountains. I can plainly see why someone would fall in love with the place. At one time in it’s prime it was a true slice of heaven. So sorry to hear that he worked so hard for his goals and dreams to die of lung cancer. And to see what the Vandals did to it. Take care Dustin. See ya on the next adventure. Peace out!!!

Love the closets. Storage was wonderful.

Cool! Thank you for making this video! I grew up in Lillooet and toured this place with one of it's caretakers years ago.. I try to explain it to people but there is so little public information about the place that I just sound crazy lol. Sad to see that it has been so vandalized :(

So sad that building isn't being restored. It would be a showplace today :( Can't stand vandals. So selfish. I hope it's restored one day. Thanks for the video. I love nature & landscapes

Subscribed after watching just this one video of yours. Good to see a fellow BC'er going out and exploring all these places around our province. Looking forward to watching more of your vids.

Thanks for including some photos and I love that you had permission to visit

How sad, people destroy such an amazing place. Could you imagine waking up every morning to that view ! Amazing ! Great video, thank you.

Destination Adventure, cheers. In addition, your videos are a cultural contribution to Canadians and other nacionalities.

What an absolutely beautiful place. I can imagine how wonderful it must have been to live there...

thanks for sharing. Love the architecture from that era

This is a perfect example of what many refer to as a "crying shame." Very interesting story. It really is sad that the family you referred to isn't doing anything along the line of restoration. Not only would a place like this be a treasure with regard to history, but completely restoring a home such as this would be a terrific investment for the family. That is, if the family is/are indeed the current owners of this real estate. After all, you'd be very hard pressed to find a home that even remotely resembles this place. Plus, you'd be totally prepared for whatever horrible revenge mother nature decides to leash upon mankind for all the years that we've abused our environment. Just saying...

Thank you so much for posting such a fantastic video.

I heard about this story years back. So stoked to see this video.

That property is amazing! I'd love to be able to live up there for the warm months of the year, away from all the bullshit.

The new owners should repurpose it as a B&B and do tours of the area, it's such a beautiful place with lots of history, such a shame it's left to decay.

Thank you for sharing the story! Great video!

good video man really enjoyed. beautiful country.

Too bad Mr. Pick died so soon after completing this home. It would be wonderful to see it restored and put to good use.

Would be interesting to know how they got the construction materials up there - be nice to also see the hydroelectric plant and reservoir.

great Tour buddy ! ... Thank you for sharing!

Awesome to see this place again....I've been up to the house a few times in the last 6 years and have noticed continued vandalism and destruction over those 6 years. There's a lot more broken glass and garbage around than ever before. I've also noticed from your video that a number of items have been removed from the house over the years. The house used to contain a really cool large TV and a set of speakers that were close to 5 feet tall.....sadly they're gone now. Either way, the entire property is really cool, especially the house and the hydroelectric dam. Thanks for a walk down the memory lane.......

Awesome video ! It is a shame that these properties are destroyed by thoughtless vandals. Thanks for posting !

Really odd that no one continued to live there in order to take care of the place. If there are other houses on the property I guarantee they aren't as nice as this one was. Great video; thanks.

Thank you! For doing this video. This guy was sooo cool! Love the way he thought about things. Awesome guy!

It seems very well built and could be brought back. What a beautiful location!

Such a stylish period house could be restored

I subscribed because your Canadian and we need more good youtubers

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much!

amazing place ! couldn't dream of how nice it would of been to live around that country

So interesting. Gotta love BC! It just breaks my heart how many people can destroy and vandalise things. :( Thank you for sharing though! :)