Day 7 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.
Lupe and SPHP hit the road again early (6:20 AM), still heading NW on Yellowhead Hwy No. 16. A cool, light rain fell under overcast skies. Lupe was happy. Vast forests continued to dominate, but every now and then the Carolina Dog had an opportunity to bark at cows or horses in fields near the road. The miles flew by.
The day seemed to be getting darker, instead of brighter, when Lupe passed through Smithers in rain and fog. High mountains were close to Smithers, the first high mountains Lupe had seen since before reaching Prince George yesterday. Lupe was approaching adventure territory once again!
On the way to New Hazelton, the rain stopped. The skies started clearing. It was going to be a bright day after all! After passing through New Hazelton, Yellowhead Highway No. 16 turned SW for a while. Lupe and SPHP stopped for a short break at Sealy Lake. A sign told of an ancient water-grizzly named Medeek.
Lupe went down to Sealy Lake. The lake was a small one with reeds near the shore. Impressive mountains were near Sealy Lake to the SE, but they weren’t what held SPHP’s interest. Across Sealy Lake, mountains with large snowfields on them were seen in the distance to the W. Before Lupe reached those mountains, she would turn N on the Cassiar Highway No. 37.
A little later on, Lupe was there, at the junction. Getting to the Cassiar Highway No. 37 was kind of a big deal. The Cassiar was going to be Lupe’s road to adventure!
As Lupe and SPHP traveled N on Cassiar Highway No. 37, mountains and forests soon took over completely. Gone were the fields of haystacks, cows and horses. The highway went by beautiful lakes and rivers. Lupe missed the cows and horses, and eventually fell asleep.
At Meziadin Junction, SPHP turned W on Hwy 37A, a 61 km spur road to Stewart, British Columbia. Along the way, Lupe got to see the Bear Glacier.
Farther on, Hwy 37A crossed a bridge over the Bear River just before entering the small border town of Stewart, British Columbia. The Bear River valley was impressive. Lupe and SPHP got out of the G6 to take a look.
Stewart is a small town at the end of the Portland Canal, a long narrow arm (a fjord, essentially) of the Pacific Ocean. Only 3 km from Stewart, Lupe entered the even smaller town of Hyder, Alaska. Alaska became Lupe’s 12th US Dingo State!
Hyder, Alaska has two main attractions, other than being on the Portland Canal. A few miles N of Hyder is the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site. For $5 per day, visitors can view wildlife from a raised wooden observation platform along Fish Creek. Wild bears feeding on salmon in Fish Creek are the big draw.
Although Lupe would have loved barking ferociously at grizzly bears from the safety of a raised platform, this would no doubt have been frowned upon by the park service and every other site visitor. Nevertheless, SPHP stopped briefly at the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site to ask directions to Hyder’s other main attraction, the Salmon Glacier.
The directions were easy. Just keep following the road past the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site. About 16 miles from Hyder, the road reaches an observation point with a tremendous view overlooking the Salmon Glacier. Interestingly, although the road through Hyder, Alaska and past Fish Creek provides the only access to the Salmon Glacier, the glacier itself is actually a short distance over the Canadian border in British Columbia.
The sky was crystal clear blue as Lupe and SPHP drove up the gravel road. The road went N following the Salmon River valley, climbing ever higher up on the mountain slopes on the E side of the valley. Traffic was surprisingly heavy, and raised long-lingering clouds of dust. There were numerous small pullouts at viewpoints along the way. Finally, the Salmon Glacier came into view.
The S tongue of the Salmon Glacier which came into view first was impressive, but is only a small part of the entire glacier. The scene became more and more amazing as Lupe neared the main Salmon Glacier viewpoint.
The main viewpoint was crowded when Lupe arrived. A dozen vehicles were parked along the road and in a small parking area. Two dozen or more people were milling around checking out the view. Lupe and SPHP ignored the dust and commotion, as much as possible. Lupe waited for a turn up on a small rise with a panoramic glacier view.
Wow! The Salmon Glacier was absolutely stunning! The huge white glacier, streaked with dark gray rock and tinges of blue, flows down a high wide valley surrounded by mountains straight toward the viewpoint. Hundreds of feet below, the giant glacier splits into a forked tongue. The larger end flows S (L) down the Salmon River valley. The smaller N (R) end flows into a depression filled earlier in the year by Summit Lake.
The Salmon Glacier was a glorious sight! What wasn’t glorious was how busy the main viewpoint was. Vehicles kept coming and going raising all kinds of dust. A road which goes 10 miles farther past the main viewpoint, was closed for construction. Construction equipment made more dust and noise as it rumbled by. Several helicopters flew back and forth, apparently in connection with the construction.
A two year old tyrant among the throng of tourists had learned to screech commands every 20 or 30 seconds at his willingly subservient parents. A grandma in the same family pleaded with 2 older girls to please come and stand by her for a photo. After all, grandma had bought them lots of nice things, hadn’t she? With nothing new in it for them, the girls pouted and declined to have anything to do with grandma.
Lupe loved one part of all these goings on – the helicopters! Lupe loves helicopters. In particular, she loves to run below them barking furiously to chase them away. With all the helicopters buzzing around, Lupe was only adding to the general tumult.
Fortunately, SPHP remembered reading online that there is an unmaintained trail going up the mountainside to the E of the Salmon Glacier viewpoint. The views would be even more spectacular up there! Lupe could bark at helicopters all she wanted to, far from the crowd. Lupe and SPHP left the little parking lot (1:51 PM, 66°F), quickly finding several informal trails winding up the mountainside.
Making the climb above the parking lot was a great decision. As Lupe and SPHP gained hundreds of feet of elevation, the noise, dust, brats and general commotion at the main viewpoint faded away. Helicopters still flew by, even closer than down below, greatly entertaining Lupe. She raced around barking for all she was worth, not bothering anyone.
Lupe and SPHP stopped for short breaks on a couple of hills hundreds feet above the road. Peace and tranquility reigned. Missing these incredible views from on high would have been a shame!
Fields of flowers watered by tiny streams and ponds were in view beyond the small hills where Lupe took her first short breaks. When her breaks were done, Lupe went SSE exploring this vibrant, colorful territory. She climbed even higher up to a massive knob of rock where she found a big cairn. To the SE, Lupe could see the snow-capped summit of Mount Dilworth (5,446 ft.).
From the rock knob, the views were amazing, not only toward the Salmon Glacier, but in every direction. The day was very warm and sunny. Conditions were ideal. For a little while, SPHP toyed with the idea of climbing Mount Dilworth with Lupe. It looked easy, but maybe the huge snowfield at the top was actually quite dangerous? Falling into a crevasse would be the end. Best to leave it alone.
So Lupe made no attempt to climb Mount Dilworth, despite how tempting it looked. Instead, the Carolina Dog had fun among flowers, fields, and streams on the way back down to the main Salmon Glacier viewpoint along the road. The return trip was a wonderful time full of beautiful sights.
When Lupe reached the main Salmon Glacier viewpoint back at the road, a new bit of excitement was going on. Someone had accidentally dropped their camera far down a steep slope, and attempting to retrieve it, managed to get themselves stuck in a precarious position. A rescue operation was in progress.
While everyone else was gathered in one spot talking about the rescue, Lupe and SPHP walked over to a hill offering a better view of the N tongue of the glacier. Every year, typically in mid-July, this part of the Salmon Glacier unleashes a major natural hazard.
In spring and early summer, Summit Lake forms from meltwaters backed up by an ice-dam at the N end of the glacier. As temperatures warm, Summit Lake eventually breaks through the ice-dam. The lake then drains to the S beneath the Salmon Glacier, flooding the Salmon River where water levels rise suddenly by 4 or 5 feet for several days.
Since it was August, Summit Lake had already broken through the ice-dam and drained away. Lupe could still see where Summit Lake had been, though. A small area of gray green water remained at the bottom of a depression surrounded by collapsed ice and snow. The former high water level was easy to see on the side of the mountain above.
Lupe’s visit to the Salmon Glacier had been a most memorable occasion, but it was time to move on (4:07 PM, 76°F). Lupe and SPHP made a few more stops at viewpoints on the way back to Hyder while the glorious Salmon Glacier was still in view.
On the way back to Hyder, the G6 said the temperature hit an incredible 84°F outside. SPHP fretted uselessly about the ultimate fate of the Salmon Glacier. Things cooled off closer to Hyder, perhaps influenced by the nearby presence of the ocean.
Lupe hadn’t seen the ocean since visiting the Washington and Oregon coasts during her Summer of 2012 Dingo Vacation nearly 4 years ago. So when Lupe got back to Hyder, Alaska, SPHP drove her over to the end of the wharf to see the Portland Canal.
Lupe’s adventure to Hyder, Alaska and the Salmon Glacier was done. Lupe and SPHP went back through Canadian customs returning to Stewart in British Columbia. Although it was late afternoon already, the long Canadian summer days meant there were still hours of daylight left.
Lupe and SPHP left Stewart taking Hwy 37A back past the Bear Glacier to Meziadin Junction. After gassing the G6 up, Lupe’s long journey N on Cassiar Highway No. 37 resumed. Each mile took the Carolina Dog farther N than she had ever been before.
Daylight was fading by the time Lupe crossed a big bridge over a river that looked like it was running very low. Beyond the bridge was the Bell 1 rest stop. SPHP pulled in. Time for a quick dinner before dark. For some reason, Lupe wanted to stay in the G6. Was she just tired, or was it true?
A guy from Dease Lake had been talking to SPHP. He said his big brown dog sensed bears nearby, and claimed these woods were full of bears. He also talked about how the weather was changing. Last winter this area had received only 4 feet of snow. Ten years ago, typical total winter snowfall used to be 15 meters (49 feet). Another bad sign for the Salmon Glacier.
Well, that’s why we are here now, Looper! To see it all while fate and fortune still smile upon us, and these fabulous natural wonders of the world remain.
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