June 28, 2015 REMOTE Canada
Leaving the metropolitan city that it is, Fort St. John, you will soon discover there is nothing else out here in Canada. Get fuel when you can. Using the same safety plans as we do in Baja, my motto is to get topped off in the big towns when you can. Some of the small towns do have gas and diesel, but if you are delayed for one of 200 reasons including a 2 hour road construction delay, you will be happy you topped off your fuel earlier in the day.
I have discovered in this remote Canadian backcountry that you don’t measure you trip in miles and don’t count on 250 miles taking 3.5-4 hours. In fact, it’s far from the truth! With the animals in the highway, dumb drivers, road construction, sight seeing, Diezel swim stops, bicyclists and all the other distractions you can add a couple hours to your normal drive time.
Fort St. John to Fort Nelson is 325 miles, but it’s an all day drive.
Talk about beautiful it’s just gorgeous! Trees and trees forever along with lakes, rivers and streams everywhere and a ribbon of black asphalt winding back and forth up and down over mountains and through streams here and there and everywhere.
Beyond Fort Nelson is another 350 mile jaunt to Watson Lake, the only spot on our adventure where we will cross that point twice, once going north and once going south.
In between Fort St. John and Watson Lake is some of the most rugged land you can possibly see from a vehicle. The original Alaska Highway built in this vast country is breathless. If you haven’t done it, put it on your schedule and do it once, you won’t be disappointed.
Small places like Tetsa River camp, Toad Lake, Muncho Lake dot the landscape and offer services including amazing food, but the abandoned supply camps along this Alaskan Highway is something to think about as well. I saw five or six different stops that had been abandoned years before and were in different states of destruction. The weather, land, animals and surviving humans all take something from what’s dying and that includes these abandoned camps.
Today was a swim record day. Each time I slowed I saw Diezel’s head pop up in the backseat of the truck. All I have to do is open his door and he’s out of the truck pooping, peeing or testing how cold the water is…haha, he’s loving the Canadian backcountry for sure.
We found a small campground shaded along a small lake. A massive beaver pile is situated in the middle of the lake and Diezel loves the grass and the proximity of our camp to the water’s edge, like maybe 50 yards…he’s worn out a trail in the soft new grass between the waters edge and our camp. He’s yet to notice the beaver working his magic but several times the beaver has come ashore to resupply with a massive branch in his mouth holding it with his front flippers while he swims to his huge nest. He’s just working away like it’s another day. It’s cool to sit and watch Mr. Beaver do his thing and watch Diezel snooze in the sun shining through the pine tree shade. Mr. Beaver has his butt up in the air while he tries to dislodge another big log all the time I sit and type this and watch them both.
I guess I could have woke Diezel up, but as I type this I notice he’s on alert and staring at the big butted Mr. Beaver. He is intent on checking out Mr. Beaver, but I think he would lose that fight. Finally, Mr. Beaver disappears beneath the water line as Diezel continues to stare into the water wondering what the hell just happened!
For me to sit on the grass typing this and sipping my last Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is pretty dang cool for a busy guy like me. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to go live your adventures and do what you’ve wanted to do otherwise your time will run out and you may regret not doing what you wanted to do.
Xplore The Wild 