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The Jet Ranger makes its final drop-off of gear and personnel at the KDT discovery site prior to vanishing beyond the horizon leaving the six of us very alone.
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We were all shuttled in by helicopter to the discovery site at 1450 metres, surrounded on three sides by glaciers. It took three trips to ferry everyone and everything in --- the last trip in was only half-full so the photographer engineered a front seat dead-heading back to pick up the final load of gear and back to the site, snapping all the way in blue sky clarity. The pilot was in no hurry, no appointments in either of our DayTimers. The timing was perfect --- the next day distant forest fire smoke started drifting in, obscuring the clarity.
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The expedition lingers at Samuel Glacier prior to a difficult
descent to the first campsite.
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Baffling everyone is this full set of moose antlers lodged in Samuel Glacier, thought to be there for the past half century. What was a moose doing at that elevation and where is the carcass?
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Delmar dropped me with the last load and stayed with us an hour or so, then fired up his engine. As the rotor’s resonance echoed through the valley Delmar and his Jet Ranger soon became just a speck against the distant valley wall, the rotor sound diminishing gradually to dramatic tranquility as the umbilical cord of civilization was severed. For the next five days we had a mountain range to cross, another range to hike around, and three rivers to ford before our rendezvous across the Tatshenshini River. The first hike awaited, perhaps the toughest hike of all with the heaviest packs, hiking down 300 vertical metres on treacherous glacial rubble and scree. Heavy sturdy boots were mandatory, a walking stick being your best friend, and walking down being much harder on the knees than walking up.
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Hiking down from Samuel Glacier with full backpacks was the first and perhaps the most arduous of all hikes. Only two hours long the descent was 300 vertical metres, the footing was sheer treachery on unstable loose rock, and with our heaviest loads on backs and hips was punishing to the knees.
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The 300 vertical metres down took us a couple of hours of measured steps. Petra decided that a walking stick was unnecessary and predictably injured her knee which slowed her down (and practically eliminated her backpack) for the entire trip. Upon arriving at a cluster of glacial ponds we set up camp beside a moraine and all were out to explore the area, unburdened by our heavy backpacks. Frances searched for artifacts, the scientists botanized and took water samples while Bill and Greg were ‘glassing’ as they scanned the slopes for would-be desirable sheep quarry with Bill’s expensive Austrian optics. Elusive gophers and marmots darted about and whistled, unhappy with our visit. We wouldn’t see a single tree for days.
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Samuel Glacier drains into the glacial ponds below where we camped for two nights beside a moraine. We later returned to the glacier and dropped down into a valley on the other side to then climb over the range on the left after which
life became alot easier.
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As daylight faded the sub-Arctic twilight deepened, lingering well past midnight when darkness finally allowed seeing Perseid meteors streaking across the sky. Mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums welcomed the decision to sleep under the stars and buzzed about my toque-clad head with the sound of half a dozen dentist drills working at slightly different pitches. The bugs were especially prevalent because of the mossy environment as run-off from Samuel Glacier above was feeding a rich ecosystem where these bugs thrived. They rejoiced in human blood.
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Liberated from his backpack Jim is free to botanize.
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Samuel Glacier was prominent from our first campsite at the glacial ponds. The ponds and stream were our fresh water source for two days.
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Run-off from Samuel Glacier supports a rich eco-system near the glacial ponds. Mosquitoes were involved.
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We spent two nights at this campsite below the KDT discovery site as it was the only level ground with available fresh water. However a couple more hours of botanizing and science work was to be done at the KDT site which meant a hike back up, much easier than the descent and with slightly lighter packs. Devised an effective walking stick with a couple of bungee cords, wrapping the three legs of my tripod to create an amenable companion that prevented countless injurious falls from the rock scree. The treachery of unstable footing could not be over-emphasized.
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After a day’s layover at the ponds we were back to Samuel Glacier and the KDT discovery site for more science work, then down another difficult slope of scree where boulders the size of Volkswagens would occasionally be released from their binding ice, crashing down the slopes, affectionately known as
‘Tatshenshini ice bowling’.
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The favoured footing on descents was snowpack though there was always the chance of surprises from uphill hurtling your way.
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From the KDT site we set off on a slow descent through more of the gnarly glacial rubble, following a muddy run-off stream downward. The weather was ideal for hiking, not too hot thanks to distant forest fire smoke haze and timely breezes off the glaciers. We searched for the ideal place to cross a braided and swift stream and chose different spots, slipping into our reef-walker rubber shoes to ford the braided stream with packs undone in case of being caught by the current and taken under. After all had forded the muddy stream we walked along on heavenly green and easy footing on the other side of the flat valley and camped nearby. According to Greg’s GPS the campsite was only one kilometre away from the previous night’s site as the eagle flies but in reality a full day’s hike around the almost impassable descent.
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Our expedition leader insisted on doing all the meal cooking plus all the dish cleaning himself. The ‘kitchen’ was Bill’s fiefdom. There was no mutinous talk whispered among the crew, none whatsoever. Almost all food was freeze-dried, the fresh food used immediately which lightened the burros’ packs considerably.
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The next day presented a monster climb. The challenge was a scree slope of about 30 degrees, maybe more, climbing it like doing a sweaty foxtrot with two steps forward, one step back. One by one we inched upwards. This took much of the day. Once getting over this mountainous range greener and flatter land was promised. After summiting the descent was much easier, the slope gentler, the footing more stable. Wildlife became more evident as ptarmigans were startled. Bear scat was noticed. Greenery was richer and taller with more tangled willows though still no trees. Some mining artifacts were also found, some as recent as 1990. Like errant tenants, the miners failed to clean up after themselves. The toasty temperature suddenly plummeted, prompting me to sleep inside the tent for once.
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This was one long sweaty climb, not because of the pitch but because of the footing as one couldn’t help but keep slip sliding away, senseless without a walking stick.
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Bill ‘glasses’ a slope across the valley, gets a little snapped up when he spots a group of three rams with curved horns. Bill’s an excitable guy.
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After the hiking rigours of the alpine region we’ve now reached the land of milk and honey by entering the Parton Valley, a main tributary of the Tatshenshini River. From now on the landscape is green, the footing is even, and there’s
sometimes even a trail to walk.
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A trail leads down into the broad Parton Valley.
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Old mining claims suggest previous activity prior to
the area being designated a provincial park.
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We awoke to a heavy fog obscuring the mountain scenery. We were in sub-alpine vegetation and footing was no longer an issue, the tripod now liberated to its intended use. There were countless small streams to cross, most being a simple leap across, others requiring more strategy to maintain dry boots. The morning fog burned off and we soon further dropped down to the Parton Valley which we would be following for another day and a half. We followed the Parton River on a trail in very open country, the six of us spread apart though mindful of Bill’s presence as he was carrying the protective rifle in case of a dangerous confrontation with a grizzly though thankfully none were encountered despite this being a prolific grizzly environment.
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The heavy fog burns off during the morning, revealing the mountains above the Parton Valley.
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In the Parton Valley we set up camp in a meadow and start the campfire with dead willow branches though we have yet to see a single tree.
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The expedition takes a self-portrait before pushing on for their last
full day of walking the trail.
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The first sign of civilization in days is a pack train crossing the braided Parton River, likely a sheep hunting party.
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Minutes later our group was also fording the Parton River, then imminently the Tatshenshini River prior to meeting our rendezvous on the other side.
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Glacial scree and heavy packs were in the rear-view mirror as footing was now firm and loads were lightened by five days of eating. We were all moving along swiftly, easily, most happily, the finish line in sight. This was a walk in the park. There was now just the Parton and Tatshenshini Rivers to cross, up to only our knees in the former and (thankfully) anti-climactic with the latter in both current and depth where we met our rendezvous of two 4WD pick-up trucks on the other side. Showers, restaurant meals, and beds awaited after a successful scientific expedition and adventure thanks to stellar leadership. The route (and intended route) of KDT centuries ago was followed to the best of our knowledge but the purpose of his journey remains a mystery.
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