Date: 14th of June 07
Nearest town: Smithers, BC
Area: Babine Range
Our first wilderness experience in Canada!
A 9 kilometre hike/snowshoe adventure to a logcabine above the snowline in the Babine Range. The night before we stayed in the van at the trailhead after having hired some snowshoes from the local outdoor shop.
Some details that might juice up this story a bit:
1. A faulty car battery, which was likely to fail us upon our return
2. This area has a healthy population of bears, moose, cougars, wolves and wolverines
Enough reasons to keep the mind on edge!
So we set off, following an old road that would lead us most of the way to the cabin. Armed with bearbells, spray and Pino singing of course, we started our ascend.
On the way we saw paw prints in the mud then snow and claw skretches high on the treetrunks. Once we reached the snowline it wasn't just those big footprints that sparked our imagination...
It was the continuous red sprinkled colour in the snow.
It lead our way and made us wonder...
Was this the trail of a wounded animal? A bear's path after a big feed? A cougar dragging something back to its den? Or...
Until this day this curious observation remains a mystery to us, although we now believe it must have been pollen of the trees, since we discovered this redness to be everywhere we went. Eerie though.
After 2 k's of snowshoeing we reached the logcabin, which was empty and for only $5 each a night a true palace. It was equipped with a fireplace, plenty of firewood and even a half functioning gascooker. Once settled in and tasting some of BC's finest, Pino took time out to read the logbook. One story in particular is worth recalling.
In May, two people stayed in the cabin and were woken up at night by a loud noise upstairs. Note that no one else was staying at the cabin that night. It sounded like footsteps on the stairs. A short while later their bedroom turned bitterly cold and the noise continued. All this happened between 1 and 3 am.
Nice one. That really helps to put the mind at ease when you are about to go to bed...
Suddenly we woke up to the loud sound of something upstairs. I ask Muza: "What's the time?"
"1 O'clock" he replies. So Duane investigates the eerie situation and concludes that it must be a rodent in the ceiling. We left it at that.
Next day we snowshoed up to a pass, chilled in the sun and bumslid back down to the cabin. On our way out we spotted some fresh wolverine prints in the snow as well as some other humangous and unidentified animal prints. Luck was on our side back at the Van ( Vinnie we named him) as he purred when his ignition was turned.
Off we went!!!
Nearest town: Smithers, BC
Area: Babine Range
Our first wilderness experience in Canada!
A 9 kilometre hike/snowshoe adventure to a logcabine above the snowline in the Babine Range. The night before we stayed in the van at the trailhead after having hired some snowshoes from the local outdoor shop.
Some details that might juice up this story a bit:
1. A faulty car battery, which was likely to fail us upon our return
2. This area has a healthy population of bears, moose, cougars, wolves and wolverines
Enough reasons to keep the mind on edge!
So we set off, following an old road that would lead us most of the way to the cabin. Armed with bearbells, spray and Pino singing of course, we started our ascend.
On the way we saw paw prints in the mud then snow and claw skretches high on the treetrunks. Once we reached the snowline it wasn't just those big footprints that sparked our imagination...
It was the continuous red sprinkled colour in the snow.
It lead our way and made us wonder...
Was this the trail of a wounded animal? A bear's path after a big feed? A cougar dragging something back to its den? Or...
Until this day this curious observation remains a mystery to us, although we now believe it must have been pollen of the trees, since we discovered this redness to be everywhere we went. Eerie though.
After 2 k's of snowshoeing we reached the logcabin, which was empty and for only $5 each a night a true palace. It was equipped with a fireplace, plenty of firewood and even a half functioning gascooker. Once settled in and tasting some of BC's finest, Pino took time out to read the logbook. One story in particular is worth recalling.
In May, two people stayed in the cabin and were woken up at night by a loud noise upstairs. Note that no one else was staying at the cabin that night. It sounded like footsteps on the stairs. A short while later their bedroom turned bitterly cold and the noise continued. All this happened between 1 and 3 am.
Nice one. That really helps to put the mind at ease when you are about to go to bed...
Suddenly we woke up to the loud sound of something upstairs. I ask Muza: "What's the time?"
"1 O'clock" he replies. So Duane investigates the eerie situation and concludes that it must be a rodent in the ceiling. We left it at that.
Next day we snowshoed up to a pass, chilled in the sun and bumslid back down to the cabin. On our way out we spotted some fresh wolverine prints in the snow as well as some other humangous and unidentified animal prints. Luck was on our side back at the Van ( Vinnie we named him) as he purred when his ignition was turned.
Off we went!!!
1 comment:
It lookes great and unbeleavable beutiful. I see Duane wearing gatters! So you bought them after we left? Is it dificult to walk with these snowshoes?
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