To Stewart and Hyder along the Cassiar Highway

We are on the road early as there are a couple of trails we want to find as we near Stewart.

We stop at Nass Bridge which over the years has built up salmon ladders and the noticeboard triumphantly announces that there are are 32 ladders allowing 200,000 sockeye salmon to rise up the river to spawn. However, sadly we cannot actually the see the ladder from the viewing platform!

After a quick reccie of our potential campsite, we go into the small town of Stewart, BC. The town is a relic from the past, and is unexpectedly appealing. We have pizza in the local cafe which is bonkers, walk the boardwalk over the marshes and do a spot of shopping in the bizarre local grocery store.

We then decide to drive to Hyder as this is where we can cross the border into Alaska! Yes! Alsaska USA! There is no border guard so we drive through Hyder, an unusual collection of houses, and within minutes return.

The Canadian border guard is there to check all our documents and quiz us about our intentions, even though we’ve only just left Canada minutes beforehand. We are finally cleared and drive back through Stewart and on to our first trail, the American Creek Trail.

All togged up we set off on an ancient forest path, smelling sweetly of pine, a well beaten track - more by animals than humans. The going starts to become more forest with lots of roots and moss underfoot. The ilght is dappled and there are lots of ferns and small plants bursting into life. Then …. a large mound of bear poo! So we start singing, talking loudly, bear spray in hand.

After half an hour or so of the path rising through the stoney, rooty terrain, climbing over damp fallen tree trunks, we finally have to abandon as there is a sheer drop to our left and several fallen trees over the path. As we turn to retrace our steps, there is a series of low rumbling growls, and we fall silent. The bears are clearly on the trail above us, and it confirms our engagement with them. We knew they were there, and they knew we were there, and it seemed an establishment of each other’s position. We carry on along the path, announcing our present at each turn of the path by singing and chatting. Neil is not at all worried, but I have to admit to being rather frightened, and I am glad to reach the truck. Talking to a bear was incredible!

We head back towards Stewart to find another trail, the Box Sluice trail, which starts along the old railway line which has been constructed over a really swampy boggy area. We pass fresh bear scat, and there is a wooden boardwalk across the swamp, and then the path rises steeply over roots, fallen trees and rocks until once again we cannot go on due to the path being completely covered by fallen tree trunks.

It really dawns on us that the trails we are following are not for humans, but are really animal byways. We again hear the bears, and turn back for the car.

We turn into the Clements Lake campsite which turns out to be a small clearing next to a beautiful lake, and amongst the few people, manage to nab the best spot!

Neil gets the fire going, and we enjoy drinks by the lakeside. As I’m chatting away, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye near the beaver’s lodge …. And yes, it is a beaver, swimming along with his head just above the water.

We also spot a female kingfisher sitting on a dead branch, and while we watch, the male joins it, bringing her a fish. They happily stay in the tree and we watch them for some time. The beaver then reappears about 20 years from us, head just above the waterline, then dives down and disappears. We watch the swallows aerial acrobatics catching insects over the water, and Neil spots a loon in the distance. What a place this is!

Before we leave in the morning, we walk around the lake a little further, and there we find another loon's nest, with the mother happily sitting, just as before, and spot a woodpecker nearby.