They Call it Fishing not Catching

Yes, there are no fish. Other than the Salmon making their way up river in Fish Creek we have yet to see a fish on this trip. We spent some time on Wednesday at a spot that was recommended by a local but without a nibble. Even the Eagles hanging out in the trees nearby didn’t see anything. They sat patiently for the 3 hours that we were there staring at the river without making a move. Many other people that we have spoken to have also said that there just don’t seem to be many around. At least we don’t feel badly about our lack of fresh water fishing skill if even the First Nation natives that subsistence fish aren’t catching anything. I feel badly for them. We get frustrated fishing for recreation. I can’t imagine how they must feel. On the way back from fishing (not catching) we stopped by the local Golf Course to check it out. We did not have high expectations since it is the only one in town but it turns out the Skeena River Golf and Country Club lives up to its name.

It is beautifully manicured in an amazing valley surrounded by mountains. Scott scheduled a tee time for Friday.

On Thusday we went to Anhluut'ukwsim Laxmihl Angwinga'asankswhl Nisga'a.
In other words…Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park. The Tseax Cone is believed to be the most recent eruption and lava flow in Canada. It occurred in around the year 1700 and is recorded only by verbal accounts of the Nisga’a people (pronounced nish ga). Reportedly nearly 2000 people were killed. This was in part due to difficulty communicating between the villages. They played drums as a warning but it was mistaken as a call to battle with many rushing toward the drums instead of away from them. The lava flow was estimated to be at about 15 kilometers per hour making it nearly impossible to outrun. The end result was a lava flow impacting the Nass Valley and river with a resulting lava bed that is 20 X 3 kilometers in size. It ends abruptly in all directions leaving the lush landscape untouched. Even the lava flow itself has an abundance of flora growing on it 240+ years after the event. There is an amazing array of moss, lichen and fungi in addition to the trees that have been able to root in the rich volcanic soil.

I should back up and tell you about how our day started. We have planed this side trip from the beginning. The Provincial Park is off of the beaten path. It was difficult to find out if the road was even paved so we weren’t 100% sure what we were in for. The website for BC Parks said that you could only access the trail with a guided tour. I tried to make contact in January but it was apparent that everyone had cleared out for the winter. I finally got an e-mail in March saying I could reserve space on the tour by emailing in July. Well, this was a little concerning since the only day we would be in the area that the offered a tour was July 20th. I e-mailed as requested and got a one line reply, “great, see you then." That was it. Well control freak in my brain was going nuts with that. We had a 94 kilometer drive through unknown conditions to meet and unknown guide based on a 4 word e-mail.
Let me just say this….that little control freak in my brain needs to chill with a big glass of wine or something. Everything was great and as promised. The drive up was breathtakingly beautiful. The road was excellent and we had plenty of time to stop and sightsee along the way. I did have a very rough map that I had downloaded that mentioned a couple of waterfalls so we thought we would check those out on the way up if there was time.
The first falls which I thought was close to the road was a 1 km hike. This by itself was no problem but next to that sign was one indicating that there was bear activity in the area. As if to accentuate the point there was a huge pile of bear crap in the road directly across from the sign….we passed on the waterfall. Apparently the Canadian bears have never heard the saying does a bear crap in the woods. In Canada bears crap in the road. The next waterfall was much more accessible and was in the area just after the lava flow started making it really interesting surroundings. No bears at this one.

When we arrived at the visitor center about 45 minutes early there was no one there…control freak had a little conniption fit and then calmed down realizing that we had already had a great day so far…nothing lost if the tour didn’t pan out. Another couple arrived also wondering if things were going to come together but our guide arrived on time and we headed off on our adventure.

As advertised the hike was moderately difficult and fairly long, a little over 3 miles in somewhat rough terrain but it was really much different than expected. The first mile + heading out was though lush rain forest.

There were streams, waterfalls and lakes all along the way. Part way through you started noticing that the ground was black ash instead of dirt and then out into the open on a path through lava rock. We wound our way around the mountain, past vent holes with snow still in the bottom to the top of the cone where we could look down into the crater caused by the explosion and lava flow. Not only was the geology interesting but the story of the Nisga’s people as told by our native guide, a young woman who is carrying on her tribal traditions, made the day even more enjoyable. It was a long day but we were really glad we went. We enjoyed the perfect weather although we were very glad for our super duper Canadian insect repellent. We needed every bit of the 30% deet.

Today control freak is going to take a nap then do laundry and blog a little while Scott plays golf. Rain expected the next couple of days. Tomorrow we head to Prince Rupert.
News at home is improving. Apparently they have lifted the evacuation order for the town of Mariposa. There is still a lot of fire activity to the North and hundreds of people are still displaced. Sadly 58 homes have been lost so far. Tragic for so many people. Our neighborhood is safe as is our fish thanks to Tom who fired up our generator while the power was out. Power has been restored. Prayers for a quick end to this horrific fire without injuries to anyone involved.