Rev. 08/30/01
Alaska & beyond - continued
8/30
Dease Lake
to Telegraph
Creek
Forty years ago, planning for a steelhead trip to the Kispiox
River in British Columbia, I bought topographic west maps of the area.
They showed a paved road north to Prince George, but dirt from there
to Hazelton. They showed a trail up the Kispiox that wound its way
up to Telegraph Creek, and kept going north -- no roads touched the Nass
River. I wondered about Telegraph Creek. The library didn't have
much -- small ships could get up the Stikine River that far, there was a
Hudson Bay post there, and it had been a "jumping off" point for the gold
fields at the turn of the century -- an isolated spot.
I saw it again when I started planning this trip. What
The Milepost has to say about it was not encouraging -- "steep mountain
road" for 70 miles to Telegraph Creek. But I've been on a lot of mountain
roads, so lets see. Checked with several people here in Dease Lake
-- they didn't see any problems.
Now my only concern was it had been raining, and still is, but lets try it.
Well, they were right, it was steep, three or four of the grades were 20%,
but the surface was very good and the road bed was wide, wide enough to pass
on -- there are a lot worse mountain roads all over the western US.
Actually, the road was no big deal!
The scenery and the geology are magnificent.
About fifty miles or so you run into lava beds. As you approach
the confluence of the Tahltan and Stikine Rivers, you are driving on top
of an old lava flow with the Tahltan River canyon a shear drop of several
hundred feet on your right -- and to your left, just a few feet to the edge,
is a very steep drop into the Stikine River canyon . As you drive down
this "V" shaped promontory, toward the apex of the "V", it gets narrower
and narrower the further you go. Just when you think you'll run out
of space, the road makes a sharp turn to the right and switchbacks down to
river level.
The thermal from these steep cliff give the eagles a great place
to soar -- I saw six, effortlessly floating in the air at one time.
At the bottom, across a one lane bridge, is the old Tahltan Indian village,
used mainly as a fish camp.
I understand that one Indian has a license to sell smoked fish there..
Right at the confluence of the two rivers is a spectacular
cliff face. It is lava with a rust color streaking it. And you
can see an old lava tube exposed right in the face. There is an eroded
pillar of lava sitting on top. The sand beach across the river
from this face is still used as a fishing camp by the local Indians -- with
that face in the cliff, I wonder what legends they have about this site.
The rain stopped, clouds broken, and a little bit of sun.
The larger Stikine River, now joined by the clear flow of the Tahltan River,
enters a very narrow canyon -- I read that at one point it is only eight
feet wide.
As the road climbs the steep side, out of the canyon, it appears to me that
the lava is sitting on top of loose gravel, rock and sand -- glacier moraine?
On the opposite bank of the river, you can see the same formation in the
cliff face -- lava on top of loose sand and gravel.
As I stood on the edge, spellbound by the view, I was startled by a small
hawk, soaring up the face of the cliff, riding the updraft from the canyon
below. As it passed in front of me, it turned it's head and looked
me in the eye -- it couldn't have been much more that an arm's length away
as it went by, so close I could distinctly see every feather -- I felt like
I could have reached out and touched it.
Below
this point, the river enter a narrower stretch. There are erosion pillars
along the near bank where I was standing.
The
whole geologic story of this canyon, the river system, the different layers
-- I'd sure like to have it explained to me.
The road stays on top for awhile and then starts a sharp drop down to Telegraph
Creek.
Many of the original building are still standing and some are still in use,
such as the Anglican Church. The old Hudson's Bay Post is now a cafe,
general store, and rents rooms -- I had lunch there, smoked salmon soup with
homemade bread -- ono.
Yes, it was worth the drive -- the Stikine Canyon is something
to see, and Telegraph Creek is still alive and well.
If you get the chance, don't let talk of the road bother you -- just go.
Maps
Alaska & beyond
or
Next Page
Bob & Carol Graham's Home Page