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Two weeks in August is not a lot of time for summer fun but we managed to squeeze in a trip to the mountains and cover a lot of territory this year. The “plan”:  Jasper-Wells Gray-Prince George-Stewart-Hyder-Mt. Robson-home, the outcome:  pretty close to the plan and the in-between bits were just as much fun as the destinations!

JASPER NATIONAL PARK:  We started our journey in Jasper National Park, and camped at Wilcox campground by the Columbia Ice Fields.  Wilcox is a new campground for us, with primitive sites, a cookhouse, and breathtaking views all around.  After setting up the tent we decided to stretch our legs and hike Parker’s Ridge, a short, straight up trail that we spotted on the drive in, and fairly close to the campground.  The skies were looking a bit grey but the sun was out so we decided to take our chances and do the 2.4 km climb.  Quick elevation, glaciers, wild flowers and stunning views in every direction made for a great first hike of our vacation.  Marmots were everywhere, heard but not seen, but no other creatures seemed to be around.  After pausing to take some photos of Saskatchewan Glacier and the rocky cliffs we noted that the skies were not getting any bluer so decided to turn back.  On the way down it started to rain and of course we had no rain gear with us (not too smart but we were optimistic the sun would prevail!).  Let’s just say it was a very quick and slick hike back down the trail and we were pretty wet by the time we got back to the Land Rover.  Good hike for elevation training and we will do it again.

The rain continued all night.  This is not new for us.  Rain usually accompanies us on our camping trips.  It doesn’t mean we like it, but at least we expect it so we aren’t disappointed when gear gets damp.  The cookhouse allowed us to have a nice warm breakfast before deciding on the days activities. The plan was to climb the peak at Wilcox Pass – something we have tried to do on a number of occasions but for one reason or another have not been able to do it.  This was one of those times as the weather was not cooperating.  Instead we hit Sunwapta Falls.  We’ve been to the upper falls before but this time we did the lower falls trail. It is not a lot of up or down but there are fewer people and the views of the lower falls are just as lovely and easier to photograph.  At the end of the trail we dipped our toes in the river and dried off sitting on a rock in the river as the sun made a brief appearance.   The rain kept making itself known on the way back to the trail head, but this time we had our rain gear and we also got to see a double rainbow at the falls when the sun and rain were duking it out.  After dining on bison burgers and wild strawberries back at camp we hit the sack when the temperature dipped to 5 degrees Celcius.  Did I mention this is August? Next stop is Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC.

WELLS GRAY PROVINCIAL PARK: Around 2 hours after going into the tent we heard ice crystals pinging off the tent that eventually turned into rain – which made for a wet morning leaving Jasper.  A quick stop in Jasper townsite for fuel and leggings for me (no I did not pack any — it was August!).  We drove to Mt. Robson to see about reserving campsites as it was to be  our final destination on the way home.  Unfortunately pre-booking sites is not allowed that far in advance, so we decided to cross our fingers and hope the trail wouldn’t be too busy on our way back.  Did I mention that it was still raining?  Being in BC it was somewhat expected…but starting to put a damper on things. ha ha.  A stop in Blue River BC for gas reminded us that you need to pre-pay for fuel in BC…not a fan of that system.  How do you know how much you need?!? That is an issue for Ken to rant about.  After stopping at Clearwater for information on campsites and ‘must do’ trails, we carried on to Wells Gray and stopped at Pyramid Mt. Campground.  The plan was to stay there but the grounds were uninspiring (kind of like a big open baseball field) and the mosquitos were descending like unrelenting little jet bombers on us. After inhaling our lunch (and trying to avoid inhaling the mossies) we got back in the Land Rover and carried on north to Clearwater Lake Campground.  A much nicer spot (more trees, right on the river, waterfalls and fewer bugs!) and the luxury of $2/2 min shower.  Waterfalls are all over the Provincial Park and we looked forward to seeing some of the larger ones.

The next day we decided to hike the Trophy Mt. Meadows trail.  This trail came highly recommended for the colourful display of wildflowers.  This was a selling point for us as we are generally a week too early or too late to catch all of the flowers in bloom.  The “road” up to the trail was pretty rough, but we had the vehicle to handle it.  Let’s just say it reminded me of the Dempster Highway in the Yukon…lots of pot holes, narrow winding forest service roads and little or no space for two vehicles to pass one another (oh yes, and you also pass Bear Creek Correctional Centre at the beginning of the turn off).  The trailhead had several vehicles so we knew we wouldn’t be alone on the trail.  The sun was actually shining and the flowers were already lining the trail before we even really got started.  The beginning of the trail was a bit of a grind and steady up but with the smell of the lichens and the warm sunlight it was quite enjoyable.  By the time we got to the meadows the colours and scents of the flowers were bursting everywhere. Purple lupins and asters, bright red Indian paintbrush, white foxglove and a bright yellow flower (that I still need to look up) came at us from all directions. Any description does not do it justice.  I am sure we took hundreds of photos on that portion of the hike.  We continued on to the Trophy Mt. lookout but the flies and mosquitos started to appear in droves the higher we hiked so our stay at the top was shortlived.  We both took a spill on the way back down the trail, Ken slid in the mud at the top, and I took a header in the rocks less than 10 km from the end of the trail.  Stellar moments for us both, but no serious injuries. Although the bugs were a bit of a drag at the top, the flower display was truly awesome and I would recommend the hike to everyone.

We got our first black bear sighting on the way back to camp…a very healthy (chubby) bear snacking at the side of the road.  He took off into the bush when he heard us coming.  A great day – and it started raining as we fell exhausted into the tent.

Our final day in Wells Gray was spent hiking around close to the campground.  Osprey Falls Lookout Trail was within walking distance and 200 metres “up”.  A good short hike with quick elevation to work out kinks from the day before.  The view from the top revealed the 3 tiers of Stitca Falls that we enjoyed by catching our breath at the picnic table that some poor park volunteer lugged up the trail.  The only really disappointing thing was the faint odour of outhouse lingering in the air.  Osprey Falls were nice, but the trail ended abruptly at the base of the falls, whether due to lack of resources to clear, or because there is nothing further to see I’m not sure.  On our way back to camp we decided to check out Normand’s Eddy View Point, 400 m from our campground.  Not much to see but crystal clear water and a nice fallen tree to rest on in the basking sun was a nice finish to our hike.  We also found the canoe rental shop and cafe located by the campground where we watched some merganser ducks playing around in the water before heading back to enjoy our last night.  The next morning was sunny as we made our way out of the park, stopping at Helmcken Falls (4th largest in Canada at 141 metres) and a stop at Flour Meadows Cafe (a must stop if you travel that way!) before heading to Prince George for one night.

TONGASS NATIONAL PARK, FISH CREEK ALASKA:  The drive from Prince George to Stewart B.C. was fairly uneventful, but any drive through the mountains is good for me.  We spotted a few black bears on route to our final destination, and hoped it was only a taste of what was to come.   Although we stayed in a hotel for this portion of the trip (our camping in the open field last time was a bit close to the bears for our liking; especially after hearing how a local met his demise in the same location) we were roughing it.  The King Edward Hotel was not quite what I was expecting (no coffe in the room makes for a long morning in my books!) but is located on the main drag in Stewart and about 5 km from the viewing platform in Hyder AK.  Driving to the viewing platform in Hyder is always fun as I never know what we will see.   Hyder itself has about 80 year-round residents, and it about doubles during the summer months.  It is known as the “Friendliest Ghost Town” and it is fairly obvious how it got that name when you drive through.   The entire Stewart-Hyder area is surrounded by glacier covered mountains, thick with lush green forest and always with a mist hanging overhead.  The roads are pot hole ridden and dusty despite the mist, and the forest hugs the sides of the road.  It is not uncommon to have a bear jump through the bush to get to the river and the spawning salmon.  Speed (and ignorance) is definitely an issue with respect to the safety of the bears.  We were surprised on that first visit by how busy it was.  The construction of a ranger/volunteer timber-frame structure was new from the previous year, but the cost had not increased (still $5/day) to try your luck at catching a look at a bear fishing for dinner.  We made our way along the viewers platform and found a spot to set up the camera.  It didn’t take long before we were rewarded with watching one black bear, and one grizzly bear fishing that night.  We left at 9:30 pm to cross the border back to Stewart (and yes, customs do maintain this crossing so have your passports ready!).  On our previous visits to the area we learned that to snap quality photos of the bears, you need to go at different times throughout the day.  We break our days into early morning viewing and early evening viewing and leave the afternoons open for other activities such as making the drive up to Salmon Glacier, or hiking some of the trails (IF they have been cleared).

Over the next three days we managed to see quite a few bears taking their chances with catching salmon.  The locals name the bears that make a regular appearance at the river, such as the grizzly named Dog Face and the female grizz named Monica (the same female we were lucky enough to see last year with three cubs ready to get the boot from her care). The salmon numbers were down from last year so we weren’t really sure we would get to see many bears.  The one’s we did see put on quite a show including Monica, without cubs this year.  It is very difficult to put into words how clumsy yet graceful a bear is when stalking salmon.  Although the tourist numbers were higher than Ken and I had seen in the past, when a bear makes an appearance in the river a hush descends across the platform while bear-salmon dance takes place.  The time the bear takes to watch the salmon and plan its attack is amazing.  The amount of splashing that takes place to execute the catch is loud enough to echo up and down the river, yet the sound is then quickly absorbed by the trees.  I could watch it over and over and never tire of it.  And although most of the people watching with us were seasoned photographers, those new to the scene can be a bit naive with respect to human-bear interaction.  These bears are wild.  The bears have accepted the viewing platform as the Forest Service has built it so it does not interfere with the bears ability to maneuver around the river.  Most people understand that to try and make the bear notice you is a mistake that can lead not ony to human injury, but also the death of the bear.

Our time in between viewings was spent either wandering around Hyder where we ate halibut and enjoyed Alaskan Summer Solstice lager at The Bus (excellent fare and in our opinion the best in both Hyder and Stewart!); or wandering around Stewart.  We learned during our fantastic fish and chips experience at the Bus that the town of Hyder is considering paving the road to the viewing platform.   That is a shame.  For us, part of the alure of visiting is knowing that not everyone will want to travel on that road so crowds will be less, and overall it will be safer for the bears.

Our last morning before starting the trek back home we made our final visit to the platform and it was raining.  It was realively empty of people and we had lots of room to move around in case any bears came down for breakfast.  Dog Face was actually there when we arrived as as we walked across the platform to find a spot to set up our gear we could hear him underneath where we stood enjoying his breakfast, crunching and popping the fish bones – the sound eerily echoing through the air. He treated us to 2 more catches before heading up the mountain.  And then it was time for us to leave.

MT. ROBSON PROVINCIAL PARK BC: Another stop in Prince George for the night before heading to Mt. Robson.  You may recall that the plan was to do a 2 night back country hike on the way back.  Unfortunately the rain started half way between Prince George and Mt. Robson and did not stop.  At all.  This put a kink in our plans as I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to starting a hike in the pouring rain.  I won’t.  If it starts to rain after I start the hike, so be it.  If I know I’m going to be soaked from the get go, I put my foot down and just say no.  In fact, the weather was so bad that as we drove by Mount Terry Fox on Highway 16 a viewpoint situated 7 km west of the west gate of Mt. Robson Provincial Park I took a photo.  The mountain is not visible due to the cloud cover and rain.  So although the trip did not end with the fantastic hike we were hoping for, the hikes we did manage and the bear viewing made it one of the best we have done.

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