Today after work I grabbed a snack and a bottle of water and headed off to go for a walk. I drove East for a bit, looking for the Saloompt forest trail. It’s difficult to find some places here…the tourist map is sort of a generalized overview….Finally, after dodging up and down a number of roads I found it. Some boys were playing in the river across the road. I wandered into the woods and was enveloped by the peace. Not another soul around. Certainly keeping a better ear and eye out though, particularly after not noticing the two black bears across the road from me the day before! The forest cuts the wind, and the light is soft and dappled. I head towards the water and encounter a pile….not full of berries…and considerably larger than I recall black bear piles being……perhaps I will head back towards the road……
A couple of stops along the road to take photos of the mountains and the river. then I headed into Bella Coola. It’s only a few minutes down the road from the hatchery which is in Hagensborg. I sat by the tidal flats for a bit, hoping to see some bears. Apparently there was a sow with a couple of cubs bothering people around Four Mile earlier today. No such luck however. Not much of a surprise really….they are like octopuses and wolf eels as far as I am concerned…I always seem to show up too late….
My map shows me a gravel road and something called Clayton Falls. I decide to go for it, it looks like a short jaunt, can’t be too bad, can it?
The road is fine. A short hop in and I arrive at a secluded little picnic area with a single table. There is a power plant and a short trail up to a small falls behind it. The woods are full of lush moss and the rustle of leaves and rush of water. Back across the road there is a salt flat and a bit of a beach area. It’s deserted. A lone fisherman shows up and we share the scenery. I pick my way down to the beach, through the rocks and driftwood and marsh grasses. The water is so astonishingly green and opaque. A seal pops its head out, looks at me and submerges. How can it see anything?
A hulking old steel boat frame is on its side across the creek. An old cannery is across the water at the base of the mountains. The colours, sounds, and smells all combine to make this a magical place.
I am told that there has been interest in making this area a deep water port, but to do so would require a lot of capital and upgrades to the local infrastructure. It’s a difficult consideration, what is the peace and beauty of this place worth? Could ecotourism bring something better here? Fishing charters are suffering, there are few fish this year. There isn’t a commercial fishery here to speak of anymore. The surrounding hills beg for rock climbers, and the winds would be a heavenly mecca for kitesurfers and windsurfers.
The road may keep a lot of people out….but maybe that’s not a bad thing…….