Jeff and I just got back from a trip to the area around
Selmo, BC, Canada this past weekend,
and it was AMAZING! Our summer has been
filled with lots of travel to see
family, but we hadn't had time to indulge in another thing we love and that is
getting out into the wilderness.
Jeff had a ‘hankering’ to get out into the mountains that
surround us in this beautiful part of the country. He loves to backpack into
high mountain alpine lakes, and this time it had to be close because we only
had the weekend. I, on the other hand,
had not had nearly enough exercise this summer to think about carrying a 50lb pack, plus myself up a mountain…So, a compromise! We would try to find a place where we could do
a great day hike, but still be far
enough into the wilderness to feel as if we were backpacking when we camped at night.
We have plenty of places we could have gone in North Idaho
(our own backyard),
Washington, or
Montana. Then I thought “What
about an adventure into
Canada?”
To go hiking and camping in another
country, that sounded like more of an adventure! We looked up places close by, and found a
place by the name of
Panther Lake,
up in the
Selkirks (Nelson Range). It sounded remote, yet ‘do-able’ and just
what we needed even with the prospects of walking through a lot of huckleberries
in grizzly bear country. It just takes
preparation….Right?
Off we went with gear, dog (Chip) and bear spray in
tow. Of course, with Jeff and I, this
included great food and a good bottle of wine to stow in the backpacks. The instructions we found in the recommended
book (just a stop at the library) led us nearly there. Luck was on our side when we ran into a colorful
mountain native, and he gave us ‘up to date’ detailed information on the road
conditions, etc. A good thing we ran
into him, or we would have had a very difficult time finding the trail-head as
there had been recent logging in the area, and, as it turns out, hiking trails
are not well marked in Canada!
We call this: "I'm a survivor!"
The 'easy' part.
We parked at the logging site, and upon getting out of the
car, it was so very quiet….not a highway sound, no sound of air traffic either,
unless you want to include the bird song.
Even the sound of the creek we were to follow up, was distant at this
point. Easy going for the first leg,
with a few picturesque, downed foot bridges and the streams were low, so these
were easy to get across. I found a few late thimble berries (which I adore), and
was thoroughly enchanted with the green lushness. The next leg went up into trees with a bit of
a grade starting to happen, but Jeff stopped for me frequently and we took lots
of pictures of the cliffs around us, and to enjoy the roar of the creek. Then we got to the huckleberries, which I’d
never tasted more than one or two fresh ones at a time. Here we were still able to gather handfuls (yum!) We ran into another couple coming down from
the lake, and they told us we were close, and no one was there. This gave us a renewed excitement to get to
our destination!
One of the broken foot bridges.
Jeff and Chip
Soon, through the trees and huckleberries, I spotted the
glimmer of water (Jeff was too busy gathering and eating berries), and when we
reached the shores, it was worth every step! Gorgeous, glittering water, surrounded by majestic
mountain peaks, the sound of a bird call, and the occasional screech of a bird
of prey soaring above. This is why we
hike, to find this kind of secluded, pristine beauty. To fill our lungs with air so sweet and pure,
it is like a drug that goes straight to your head making you giddy and you have
to just stand there and smile. Braving a
dip in the cold, clear water to cool off, and enjoy running around like God
made us, is an additional benefit.
Hunger sets in, and we find a huge warm boulder to warm our
bodies on and break out the wine and food.
A good
Sirah and our usual, wonderful picnic fare is laid out….avocado,
fresh tomatoes, lettuce and lemon cukes from our organic garden, good Dave’s bread
and whole grain crackers, Vegenaise (better than any mayo around!), a good organic
sharp cheese (not vegan today) and some fresh peanut butter (Chip was glad we
packed this!)....always, sooo good! And even
better in this setting! For desert we would eat more huckleberries on the way
down. The book had said this was a good
hike to take with your best friend, and we concurred. It is even better when done with your best
friend and you happen to be in Love, too!!
Another dive into Panther
Lake from a large boulder,
warming in the sun while laying on bear grass, spying on a hawk with binoculars,
watching the clouds roll by and making memories, filled the rest of the
afternoon. Too soon it was time to go find a camp site. We had a bit of excitement when we were near
the end of the trail and in sight of our vehicle… Chip started growling with
his hair standing straight up. We never
saw a bear, but it made for a good story to tell the family.
We camped just a couple miles down from the trail-head at a
cozy private campsite right next to the stream. It was perfect. I make a great
bed, Jeff makes a great fire and we both make great food.
Vegan sausages, onion, jalapeno, red bell pepper, new potatoes, spinach, and
garlic all go into the cast iron skillet and we enjoy the flavors to the roar
of the creek and wonderful conversation by the fire. These are the simple things we hold as special
and sacred to us and are thankful for our ability to experience.
After some play time on the creek, finding great rocks, and
just enjoying ourselves, we head off for an afternoon in
Nelson…one of our favorite small towns. There is no time to hike today, but we
explore some shops, and find some eccentric dinner restaurants that we would
like to try sometime in the future when we can spend a few days. One place I love to go when in Nelson, is
Jagannatha Express, to experience great
vegetarian food and the Joy and Peace I feel while eating there. Unfortunately
Jagannatha Express is closed on Sunday, but we were able to have a
delightfully fresh meal at the hip ‘tappa style’
Cantina del Centro, where they declare ‘Tacos Are Sexy’ and ‘fingers
not forks’. The service was as great as
the food, and I must try to re-create the vegan ceviche …it was divine!
Home again, refreshed, ready to be productive and looking
forward to more adventure soon!
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