Y2Y 2001 Update #5

August 17 - A few sprinkles last night has brought a day of clouds. The walking is cooler as we do our longest day so far, 22 miles, on an inactive logging road. We see a few moose hunters but mostly have the silence of the forest. Not exciting, but great progress northward.

August 18 - Our little logging road ends and we begin a slow, tough bushwhack toward the Murray Range. We fight our way through devils club, dense willows, and up and over countless fallen trees. There are short sections were the going is easy (some open forest and wet meadows) but generally a very hard day. We end up at a little pond and John gets to see his first moose.

August 19 - Rain all night and most of today. John isn't feeling well so we're hanging out in our tents. I've enjoyed the lazy day and extra sleep.

August 20 - A gray, wet morning as we set off up the steep, brushy slope. Some tough going through dense kromholz until we reach the alpine zone. Windy and cool as we trek along the crest of the ridge. Spot several more moose and lots of ptarmigan. A goshawk follows us for a time, diving and swooping. We leave the crest to skirt a steep peak and must drop down a very steep face before climbing another. Then a ski down loose scree to a beautiful lake, ending up the day in a high basin. What joy to get the wet boots off!

August 21 - Rain non-stop all night and nearly all day. Our energy level is low so we lounge in our tents all day reading, writing, and playing the flute. I'm dreaming of a clear day on the Murray Crest, our last ridge walk of the summer.

August 22 - Light rain this morning, but we pack up and begin a thousand foot climb up to the crest of the Murray Range. The talus is wet and the scree wants to slide. But we make it to the crest and rejoice in a blasting, cold wind. The dense clouds are starting to lift, and patches of blue are beginning to appear. To the northeast big clouds lay in the valley below us. Things are looking good.

The walking is much easier on top as we walk slabs of lichen-covered limestone and the typical heather-dotted grass of the alpine. We climb one peak and then another as we head north along the crest of the range. Tiny lakes dot the eastern basins and more moose are seen along their shores. The wind howls, but the skies begin to clear. We pass little tarns along the ridge. A rainbow shines over the valley to the east. We push on. By days end we will have climbed over 5,000 feet and descended over 6,000 feet of elevation with all the up and down along the ridge. The fantastic views and amazing contour of the ridge empowers us.

We can see Highway 97 down below to the west. Also Azouzetta Lake and the lodge on its north end. With images of a restaurant meal dancing in our head, we leave the ridge and start down toward Pine Pass. A thunder storm blows in and lightning starts crackling around us. We're lowering ourselves over a series of open cliffs, so the going is very slow. Gritting our teeth and ducking our heads with every crack of lightning, we make our way into a gully full of brush. The rain pours down and the wet vegetation becomes slick. We slip and slide our way down and get into the trees, feeling more protected, but the walking is difficult. We lower ourselves over mini-cliffs hanging on to willows and alders. Stinging nettles and devils club begin to appear and then the gully becomes a stream. We wade down the stream bed, climbing over blowdowns and cascades. Three hours of descent for the one mile of distance and we stumble out onto the railroad tracks totally soaked and sore from the scratches and tumbles we've taken.

The café is just closing when we get there, but Robert and Anne, and Rob welcome us and cook us up some great burgers. We'll stay here tonight.

August 23 - I slackpack the 15 miles of highway walking today. Rain this morning as I start, but it clears up in the afternoon. Not bad for road walking. Very little traffic and I see a black bear and lots of birds as I follow the Pine River north. Walking without the pack is great and I zip off the miles in no time.

August 24 - The pristine country we've been so used to is behind us. Today we walk a forest road through land that has been logged and roaded. We get some rain several times, but the sun comes out after each storm. We camp next to the Clearwater Creek and have Williston Lake on our minds which we hope to reach tomorrow.

August 25 - Our last day of walking, and it's a long day. 27 miles on the dirt logging road is tough on the feet, but we get to Clearwater Bay on the lake. Here the Peace River is dammed and we will be in a canoe for several days on the Peace Reach of Williston Lake. The canoe we've rented arrives just after us. It's a beat up old aluminum boat, and I wonder how it will do on the big lake.

August 26 - We load up the canoe and find that fully loaded with ourselves and packs we only have about 5 inches of clearance above the water line. Launching the canoe, we paddle easily across the bay and the wind pushes us along. It feels so good to be floating along. We decide to cross to the north side of the lake. Once following the other shore, the wind comes up and the waves become large breakers. We'd been warned by several folks about the big winds on this lake so after taking a lot of water over our gunnels we turn into a sheltered bay and sit out a few hours before the lake calms again.

The lake is calming as we set out again. Eagles fly overhead. An osprey dives in and comes up with a fish. We camp on a gravel bar at the mouth of the Nabesche River. It's a perfect spot and we have a campfire and play music. My little guitar is with us now and we both play as we watch the night creep upon the quiet lake.

August 27 - Early start this morning on the glassy lake. Great reflections of the surrounding ridges and peaks. We paddle in bliss, marveling at the day, until the waves suddenly pick up . In minutes we're bucking whitecaps and dancing over huge swells. Luckily the wind is at our backs and it pushes us along. Finding a place to land is difficult as the shore is all steep bluffs and cliffs. Finally take shelter at Horetsky Point and a log dump landing there. We pull the canoe up onto the landing and lounge about in the sun. A severe gust of wind suddenly picks up the canoe and dumps it into the lake. We race over and manage to pull everything out, but some of the gear gets wet. I'm amazed by the strength of the wind.

Later we head out again. The waves give us a good work out and a fast ride down to Scholler Creek bay where we find a little cabin on a bluff overlooking this very wide spot in the lake. We make ourselves at home and enjoy the views and the rising moon.

August 28 - Another early start. Great paddling for a couple hours, and good company with deer on the hillsides and eagles and osprey flying overhead. The waves come up big and we surf along, pounding up and down the big whitecaps. Finally take shelter in the bay formed by Adams Creek. We sit out most of the day. After dinner we set out again and things are just beginning to calm down. Nice evening and the waters become quite calm. We make good distance. The moon rises and we paddle with the light of the moon. Camp on a gravel bar, laying out our bags and sleeping under the stars. What a perfect way to end our day!

August 29 - Set out at first light as the wind is already picking up. But it is good paddling and the waves don't get too big until after we're past Dunleavy Creek. We're closer to civilization now and we're seeing occasional houses along the shore. For breakfast we pull into a marina and the caretaker, Tom, is very friendly and gives us water and shows us to a picnic table to use. When we leave and get back out into the lake the waves are getting bigger by the hour. We continue until we find a nice protected beach and prepare to sit out most of the day. Just a few hours of shore time and the lake suddenly becomes dead calm. We can see our end point, Bennett Dam, across the lake, so across we go.

As we beach the canoe for the last time its hard to believe that the trip is over. I give John a big hug as I climb out of the stern. We are done. The summer's adventure is over.

I leave John with the canoe and walk across the dam to the visitor center to use the phone. As I walk I think of all the miles, the beauty, the hard times, the pain, the joy, the frustration, the elation that the journey has brought us. We certainly had an adventure

Thanks to John Nangle for coming along and being such an important partner in this long trek. Thanks also to Rick Roos of BC Parks, Rob Brissette of BC Parks, Kevin Sharmin, Brian Pate, the folks at Azouzetta Lake Lodge, and Terry at the Bennett Dam visitor center who helped us do the canoe shuttle and got us back to our van. The summer is over, but already I look forward to next year and the final leg of the Yellowstone to Yukon journey.

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