Lush green fields, fertile valleys, miles of thick green mixed forest, rushing milky watered rivers, spectacular glaciers hugging high mountains – this is British Columbia! Our first week here has been full of excitement and surprises.
As you’ll see from the map, we’ve covered a fair bit of ground. Seven campsites since the last blog, and a couple of those for two nights. From Lake Louise, we headed south west, out of the Rockies and over the Great Divide at Kicking Horse Pass. “From now on all rivers flow into the Pacific” we told ourselves. Lamplighter Campground at Revelstoke was VERY busy and noisy – both with very near neighbours (sites were too small) AND the ever present Canadian National Railway! Kamloops sits in its own little desert area, but its campsite was nicely shaded and cool. Heading north, we followed the valley of the North Thompson River where we stopped numerous times just to take in the fabulous scenery.
An early evening walk in the dappled shade of Wells Gray Provincial Park led us to yet another waterfall, before we settled for the night at a KOA in Clearwater. (keep up, now! KOA mentioned some time ago!) Heading even further north and still following the mighty North Thompson River, we took a side turning to a River Safari. It was 35C, and the thought of a couple of hours on the water really appealed! A group of twenty of us, set off with our guide, in two fibreglass canoes, securely lashed together and with a barge board down the middle so that the guide could move up and down it with ease. Set up with a rudder front AND rear, and a small battery operated propeller – this was an ECO Tour! We were asked to stay silent and keep our eyes peeled for wildlife on the shore. After forty minutes with the sun beating down on us, we were all thinking “this is a con!” Imagine our surprise and excitement, when a black bear was spotted on the shore! Typically it was at the shallow end of the lake, but our guide was not to be put off – he lifted the propeller and jumped overboard into waist-high water – and proceeded to quietly push us as close as he dared. Sadly NOT close enough for my smart phone to get a decent photo!
Two nights in the lovely Yellowhead campsite in Valemount meant there was time to enjoy exploring locally. The tourist information office was second to none – very helpful staff, good quality locally made goods being sold, and (making MY day!) a huge patchwork quilt on the wall made by local ladies depicting all the local activities and history of the town. The above mentioned “very helpful staff” encouraged us to ‘tick off’ another dream on my bucket list – white water rafting! Here was an opportunity not to be missed – white water rafting on the upper reaches of the Fraser River within view of Mt Robson – the highest mountain in the Rockies! Getting into wet suits and being given the safety brief gave us a good hint of what was to come! With only four of us on board, we had to work hard, but WOW what an adrenaline rush!! Can’t recommend it enough – perhaps we were spoiled by the perfect weather and a VERY capable guide.
Turning west from Valemount, and reaching the West Lake campground near Prince George, we thought we’d died and gone to heaven. We were warmly greeted by owner Wendy, who walked out to greet us, and then insisted on helping us put Lulu in exactly the right position, on our VERY large and private site. Nothing was too much trouble, the site had full service ie water, electricity and sewage connection. Logs for the campfire were delivered to us. And best of all – NO TRAINS!! We could quite happily have stayed for a week – but we have carefully booked campsites up to a month in advance, because it is high season and very busy.
Looking for somewhere to stop for lunch one day, we happened upon the Ancient Trees Provincial Park. What a find! One thousand year old Hemlocks and Western Red Cedars towered above us – (90 metres high and some with a 16 metre girth!) as we followed a non-slip boardwalk for 2.5 km through the woods. Made entirely by local volunteers, it took two years to complete and includes a 500m totally level section which takes wheelchairs. Not only does this make the park accessible to a wider range of people, it also protects the forest floor enabling ‘nature’ to carry on, uninterrupted.
Continuing west, we are now in BC’s Lake District. A night at the Nithi Resort on Francoise Lake reminded us that “Yes, it is still holiday season here and most campsites are very busy”. A last minute decision to do an eighty mile ‘side-trip’ to another National Historic Site proved worth it. Fort St James was an important fur trading post developed by Simon Fraser (hence Fraser River) in 1806. Parks Canada have renovated a group of the original log buildings and set them up as they would have been in 1896 when this was the Hudson’s Bay Company most profitable location. Volunteers in period costume greet you in each building and tell you all about the fur trade and the history of the area. Interestingly beaver was the principal fur that was traded, but along with many others (fox, wolf, coyote, bear, white ermine etc). Once again, very informative and brilliantly interpreted.
Two further nights in Hazelton have opened our eyes towards Canada’s Indians (now known as First Nations People). This campsite was developed 50 years ago by the local Ksan tribe, and is owned and run by them to this day. Neat as a pin and efficiently run, the site is located at the meeting of two rivers – the Bulkley and the Skeena. In Indian culture, this denotes ‘food’ and ‘energy’ – hence they settled in this area. They have built a historic village of long houses here on site, and give guided tours to demonstrate the symbolism and spiritual meanings to their culture. Totem poles play a significant role in North West BC. They serve as memorials to the clan’s lineage, or tell a significant story. The most important part of the story or history is always at the bottom of the pole, working up to the least important at the top. Therefore apprentices learn and work at the top of the pole – experienced carvers work their magic at the bottom. Most Totem poles are located at the entrances to houses, or overlooking water ie the source of wealth. The imagery of birds and animals play an significant role in Indian traditions – hence they materialize on the Totem Pole.
Prince Rupert is our destination tomorrow and then a much anticipated ferry journey all the way down the coast to Vancouver Island – but this will make up my next entry!
Have a good week!
Molly's Folks 