crater

Labour Day felt like it came far too quickly this year. Before I knew it, summer was over and here we were at the season's last hurrah.  A final long weekend.  Unfortunately, Ty and I were at odds on how to use this last slice of summer.  He wanted to stay home and work on the (bloody) house, I wanted to take off (irresponsibly) for as much time as possible.  In the end, like the boring adults we are becoming, we compromised and on Saturday morning, admist a soggy North Coast downpour, we took off for Anhluut’ukwsim Laxmihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisga’a  (a.k.a. Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park) for the day with Ty's sis. 

The Visitor's Centre at the Park 

Ever since we first visited this part of the Nass Valley at the end of our Easter road-trip, I had been itching to go back and explore some more. Read about our first trip here.  It's almost otherwordly beauty really blew me away and when I learned you could hike to the crater of the volcano that caused the massive lava bed now visible, I was determined to visit.  

Turquoise creeks near the Visitor's Centre

To visit the crater, you must take a guided hiking tour.  Many people I've told about our trip have admitted to being turned off by this, either not wanting to pay money or not wanting to use a guide, they've decided against the trip. I can understand that feeling, but on the other hand, the area is not only sensitive ecologically, but also culturally, so ensuring people are using the area respectfully is much easier when visitors are monitored by a guide.  The guide is a local with great knowledge of the area and Nisga'a culture, so the whole hike was so augmented by his interpretation on everything from geomorphology, the effect of the eruption on the Nisga'a people, flora and fauna, to the Nisga'a treaty  In other words: fork over the (not so substantial) money and just do it.  

The hike really is not difficult, but it sure is pretty.  After a very bumpy drive in the very tiny truck of our guide, we arrived at the trailhead.  After a quick briefing and welcome in Nisga'a language by our guide Steve, we began.  Descending through some lush second and then first growth, the ground under your feet becomes a bit crunchy as you begin to tromp on thin soil over layers of volcanic ash. Steve stopped to tell us stories about wildlife in the area and the trees around us.  

Trail.  So. Green. 

Volcanic mud in the streambeds.

The creeks appeared to be running with milk due to the silty runoff.

Soon, we began to notice black volcanic mud around the creek beds, which were eerily flowing with what looked like milk (apparently they'd been dry all summer long and had just began to flow again due to the recent rains, hence the silty, milky looking runoff).  After a short time, we exited the tree canopy into the awesome lava landscape that the park is known for.  Around us, black jagged rocks were covered in all manner of lichens and moss. According to our guide Steve, the cover of lichens had grown exponentially in recent years and more and more vascular plants are taking hold as well.  

Lichen Love. 

The trail on the lava beds.

A volcanic cone.  It is so well-insulated that ice remained in the bottom despite the warm summer.

I'll admit that when we got to the crater, it was a little anticlimatic..mostly because there is no boiling lava or steam, which is totally logical when you realize this volcano erupted over 2 centuries ago.  Sitting on the lip, however, Steve shared some of his smoked salmon and explained how the eruption happened, the terrifying effect on the communities below (over 2000 people perished) and showed us the various types of rock that exploded from this very crater. Some, dubbed 'bombs', are incredibly heavy, while others are as light as styrofoam due to gases expelled and trapped during the eruption.  

The crater.

Three types (and weights) of volcanic rock.  The 'bomb' is on the right.

The trail is a there-and-back, so you retrace your steps on return.  It's another opportunity to notice the beautiful little microcosms growing out of the lava and to contemplate the severity of this event on the people and landscape. It also gave us more opportunity to chat with Steve about his community and his perspectives on current Nisga'a politics. 

It was a great way to spend a chunk of the day and I'd definitely highlight a visit to the Nass Valley to any potential north coast visitors.  On top of this beauty little hike, there are hot springs, a lovely museum, and some gorgeous drives in the area.  Steve even told us about a resident Spirit bear that can sometimes be spotted just outside the entrance to the park!!!  There is much more I'd like to see in the area, so I am sure we'll be back. If you want to visit yourself, learn more about the park here.

PS.  I fully acknowledge that my posts are too long, with too many photos.  But...SO PRETTY, ya know?

lava

How many times have you been driving in British Columbia and the words "Boom. Lava" have come out of your mouth?  Don't over think it.  The answer is probably never unless you've been to the Anhuluut’ukwsim Laxmihl Angwinga’Asanskwhl Nisga’a (a.k.a. Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park).

They were the exact words that came out of my mouth as we drove in from the north on the Cranberry Connector.  The site is pretty surreal, to be honest.  You're cruising along, enjoying typical northern BC forested landscape and then, well, boom, lava.  Lots of it.  The park is the site of BC's latest volcanic eruption, 250 years ago.  The lava that swept down, burning everything in it's path, also destroyed two villages, and sadly killed 2000 people.

What's left now is a landscape that looks lunar. The black lava is now covered in a fuzzy layer of lichens.  Few larger plants have yet to take hold of the minimal soil available, but there are brilliant spots of bright green saxifrage.  It's beautiful and a bit haunting.

In stark contrast to the black lava and ghostly lichens, the nearby Tseax River is an amazing turquoise.  Just before we left the area, we stopped in a section of park where the lava bordered some old growth forest and walked down to admire the incredible green-ness.

During the summer months, guided tours run from the Nisga'a visitors centre to the cone, something I'd really like to do when we visit again.  The park encompasses 179 ha of land north of Terrace, close to New Aiyansh. While this first visit was the final stop of our Easter weekend road trip to Stewart and Hyder, it would be a do-able day trip from Prince Rupert.

See here and here for more information on the park, tours and the history of the area.

hyder

Welcome to Hyder

Remember that creepy movie Insomnia starring Robin Williams and Al Pacino?  A bunch of that was filmed in Hyder (and Stewart).  The eerie vibe of that film sort of describes how I felt about the town.  It was one part beautiful, one part decaying, and one part heebee-jeebee inducing.  Definitely an odd place. 

Hyder is located a few more kilometers down the road from Stewart.  You can't venture any further into Alaska from there as it's the end of the road, so there is no border crossing upon entry.  Just a few signs (obligatory photos required) and a sense that you're in America.  This includes a somewhat racist depiction of a First Nations person on a gas station, cheap cheese and some guns...though we'll get to that in a minute.

Ty with the border marker between Canada and the US

"Do not injure"

In the 2010 census, the population of Hyder was 87 people.  Originally established in 1907, it was first called Portland City after the canal that it's situated on.  After being informed by U.S. Postal Service that the name was already taken, they named the small town Hyder.  Although originally settled for it's nearby mining possibilities, now Hyder seems to run off the silly tourists (guilty as charged) that want to claim they've been to Alaska and been 'Hyderized'- taking a shot of 151-proof Everclear.  We had big ambitions of being Hyderized ourselves (because we're grown ups like that), but the bar was closed. We settled for a walking tour through town.

We spent an hour or so wandering through Hyder (which is taking things very slow and moving at a snail's pace).  In the span of that hour, four amazing/hilarious/concerning things happened:

1. We walked into what appeared to be a gift shop only to find it was someone's home, stuffed with 'merchandise' that appeared to have been last stocked in 1981.  Perched among the junk was the elderly proprietress herself.  She scared the bejeezus out of Ty when we spotted her.  Besides the post cards, jade stones, and t-shirts were large bags of walnuts (?!).  It was bizarre.  We all bought 20+ year old post cards since it seemed rude to 'window shop' in someone's front hallway and leave empty handed. 
2. An avalanche roared down one of the mountains behind town.  I'd never actually seen an avalanche before and it was intriguing only because we were a safe enough distance away to not have to worry.  I wonder what it's like to live somewhere where you feel like the mountainside behind your home could come down anytime? This may explain the general feeling of unease in Hyder.
3. We saw a sign for a 'Cheese Sale', which of course was too good to pass up.  Following the sign we arrived at another shop situated in someone's home (this time the garage, not the front hallway).  The woman opened up the shop for us which turned out to not only stock cheese, but a large, varied inventory of taxidermied animals and prepared pelts.  We bought some cheap Muenster and played a rousing game of 'what animal did that use to be' with the owner.
4. On our way back, we were admiring the vast number of homes that appear to by falling down, when an elderly gentleman walked out on his porch with a rifle.  We did not stick around to find out what he planned to do with it.  I swear I heard banjos playing.  

After our tour through town and a chat with the bearded old man in the general store about the town's history, we headed out the end of the road to look out at the Portland Canal.  Like much of the scenery, it was beautiful and almost a bit drastic.  The old pilings of the original Portland City can still be seen in the estuary, a disintegrating memory of the past.  

Old piling from the original town

Portland Canal

Hyder is popular in the summer with long-distance motorcyclists and those who come to see the bears in Fish Creek.  If you go, remember to take your passport.  Coming back into BC, there is a border guard.  He seriously inspected our documents and asked if we had anything to declare.  With a sheepish grin we held up our newly acquired cheese, but he waived us through.

stewart

Road into Stewart

Abbreviated version of my conversation with the caretaker at the Ripley Creek Inn, Weds before the long weekend:

Me: "Hello, I'd like to inquire about any vacancies you have for the long weekend.  We're looking for 2 pet-friendly rooms"

Hotel lady: "This weekend?  You know it's supposed to rain?"

Me: "Yes, that's ok.  We live is Rupert.  Rain isn't a problem.  Do you have any rooms?"

Hotel lady: "There's still snow here.  You can't do any hiking.  The bears aren't here yet.  There is only one restaurant open.  There might be avalanches."

Me: "Ummm.  Ok.  That's fine.  I'm just wondering if you have any rooms"

Hotel lady: "Yes we do.  I just want you to realize what you're getting yourself into."

And so begun our Easter weekend in Stewart.  I'd never had someone try so hard to convince me not to visit.  No matter, our minds were made up.  After our road-trip along Highway 37 (read about it here!), we arrived in Stewart, BC.

Streets of Stewart 

Stewart Scenes

The truth is this:  if you're only going to visit Stewart one time in your life, late April may not be a prime time to go.  You'd probably want to choose mid- to late-summer when the bears can be seen pouncing on salmon in Fish Creek, the trails up to the mountains and glaciers are open and the Stewart Toaster Museum (for real, this exists) is open.  But there was a certain charm about visiting during this quiet time of year.  We walked down the middle of the road.  We ate at the two (the hotel lady lied) restaurants in town.  We had the boardwalk in the estuary to ourselves and even spotted a mountain bluebird.  We drank beer on the back deck of the charming Ripley Creek Inn and watched the newly arrived songbirds try to make sense of the still chilly landscape.  It didn't rain at all (hotel lady lie number 2).  It was kind of great.

Boardwalk through the estuary

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD! YES!

Estuary paparazzi

Estuary

Deedee the wonder corgi

Stewart is an old mining town that is in an endearing state of disrepair. Rusty relics and chipped-paint wood siding decorate the streets and buildings. The mountains loom large on all side of the town. Next door is the somewhat less charming-more creepy town of Hyder, Alaska (another post that you'll just have to wait for); both are situated at the end of the Portland Canal.

The drive into Stewart is one of the highlights.  We were lucky to have clear weather on the days we drove in and out, and had a chance to ogle at the 20 glaciers that dot the mountains along the road...and the avalanches (hotel lady was right about that).  Most spectacular of the roadside glaciers in the Bear Glacier- located across a small lake from the road.  The Salmon Glacier, located past Hyder, is even larger and more stunning but unfortunately due to late the snow we couldn't access it.  Next time.

Avalanches along the road 

Bear Glacier

Should you be heading to Stewart, here are a few things to know:

• There are two hotels in town.  Choose the Ripley Creek Inn if you can.  It's cute and charming and homey.  The other choice may be less so, I hear. 
• The BC Liquor Store is tiny but has an incredible beer selection and tons of stuff on sale.  We were like kids in a candy store.
• All postcards in Stewart and Hyder were printed in approximately 1974.  This makes them awesome.
• Brekkie at the King Eddy cafe isn't terrible.  Dinner is a different, less pleasant story.  ;)