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Great North Co. & Kitimat-Stikine

 Photography by  Mike Seehagel  // Words by  Ginni Seehagel

Photography by Mike Seehagel // Words by Ginni Seehagel

When we were asked to make the trek up HWY 37 from Terrace to Stewart there were no opposing thoughts. Having spent a memorable week up north last fall exploring the more coastal Prince Rupert region, we were confident this route would be competitive.

While British Columbia as a whole is often typecast as the land of the fresh and the wild, there is inarguably something special about the north. Northern regions tend to be less inhabited by ‘us’. Hiking a trail in the north reminds you that you’re a visitor, and makes you question whether you should wipe your feet before entering. It is a place where nature is abundant and we are just the afterthought. An intentionally groomed trail is won over constantly by old growth pushing in, it encroaches on you, instead of you it.

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This experience is enough for a city dweller to feel humbled and grateful that these places are still reachable, and as a result, a type of stewardship is attained. Travelling there, you get a strong sense of this ownership from those who live in the heart of it all. People who choose to live up there do so for various reasons, yet a love for the land seems universal and genuine.

We were first welcomed in Hazelton with a candid hospitality that felt strangely close to family. This character was apparent in our hosts who fed us from the land and led us through the thick of it by ATV. Like much of the north, Hazelton played a role in the gold rush of the mid-late 1800’s and acted as a cross point for railways, in turn leaving countless historic remnants in their original places, most of it now overgrown. We rode roughly 40 km through the dense bush surrounding Hazelton running along the cliffsides of the Bulkley River and crawled up the steep service road to Two-Mile lookout, where it became clear how wedged in against the valley the early settlements really were.

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Heading northeast towards the Skeena River leads you into the Kispiox Valley, an area that is home to the people of the Gitxsan Nation and has been for millennia. We ventured to the foot of the valley where Kispiox Village still stands, to take in the refined artistry of the totem poles edging the community. There was a stillness to the morning as we stood on the grounds inside damp air. Air with that heaviness has a capability to slow everything down in a much welcomed way.

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After catching our breath in the valley, we made our way west again to connect with HWY 37 for the anticipated stretch from Kitwanga to Stewart. The ‘37’, also known as the Stewart-Cassiar highway, connects BC’s Kitimat region to the coastal north at the Meziadin Junction and onwards to Alaska, steering you straight through some of each nation’s most prominent glacial territory. The trip from Kitwanga to Stewart was smooth yet eventful with interruptions caused only by black bear sightings and a pitstop at the Meziadin Fish Ladder. In sync with salmon spawning cycles, late summer is our favourite time of year to go north. No matter how many times you witness it, seeing these invaluable species fight the current to complete their life’s work is obviously remarkable.

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Leaving the main road for the 37A – the Glacier highway, it became clear that Stewart was in a new climatic region as the fireweed had receded, the mountains were suddenly textured with coastal vegetation, and the air became potent of salt. Veering left as the sun sank made for ideal atmosphere past the Bear Glacier. This leg of the drive was one we could have spent more time on.

Historically as one of Canada’s most isolated but significant towns for industry, Stewart was solely accessible by water and air until the mid-70’s due to its unique location. It lies at the end of the lengthy Portland Canal and brushes up against both north coastal and Alaska Boundary mountain ranges, allowing us to cover multinational ground during our short trip. Having the ability to dart between Canada and the U.S within minutes to throw chance at grizzly sightings, or to be at the Salmon Glacier for first light was a bizarre but appreciated feeling.

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Known for its “bears and glaciers”, the region lived up to its stereotype while also shedding light on its more subtle charming qualities. Being so remote and flooded with Klondike spirit it was only natural to be up and out before the sun on the road or water, with our eyes wide and bellies ready for a fresh tidal catch. Having a chance to navigate the townsite by foot and then overhead by helicopter was the perfect juxtaposed ending to experiencing the north from dual perspectives, not to mention the privileged view of glacial ice from just meters above. Seeing ice like that up close is something that is not easily forgotten especially in changing times.

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The descent from Stewart gave the option to extend our trip by slipping west again into the Nass Valley before returning south to Terrace. We accessed the Nass off the main highway on the current forest service road dubbed the Cranberry Connector. While slower going than its paved counterpart, it was equally enjoyable to travel as it added elements of an entirely different persona with geology at its forefront. The instigator of the side-trip was admittedly the Nigsa’a Lava Beds which pulled us in until almost dark, though the villages and immaculate self-governed nature reserves of the Nigsa’a Nation en route to Terrace felt as noteworthy.

As with every opportunity to venture north, we left with a familiar gratitude and inspiration that has become the trademark aftermath of spending time there – until next time.
 

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Places visited: ATV Tour above Bulkley River, Hazelton BC + Totem Poles at Kispiox Village + Wildlife viewing along HWY 37 Stewart-Cassiar Scenic Route + Meziadin Fish Ladder + Bear Glacier Provincial Park + Auto tour to Salmon Glacier + Tidal Salmon fishing on Portland Canal + Heli flight over glacial district, Stewart BC + Exploration of Stewart heritage townsite + Nass Valley to Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park.

Lodging: Triple Creek Ranch, Hazelton BC + Trakhener Hof B&B, Kispiox BC + Ripley Creek Inn, Stewart BC. 

Wednesday 10.04.17
Posted by Great North Collective
 

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Campaign

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Explore. Create. Inspire. In Totality.

On the 45th parallel with Mitsubishi's Eclipse Cross. Brief and complete darkness – a feeling that is best described through living it. 

Photographed by: Mike Seehagel 

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Monday 09.11.17
Posted by Great North Collective
 

Great North Co. & Tourism Prince Rupert

 Photography by  Mike Seehagel  // Words by  Ginni Seehagel

Photography by Mike Seehagel // Words by Ginni Seehagel

We were recently invited by Visit Prince Rupert and Destination British Columbia to spend some time exploring the remote Northwest Coast.

The trip started off with landing on the rain-slicked runways of Terrace BC, which is about a fifteen-hour drive or hour and a half flight from Vancouver. In terms of travel time, it’s a ways up there. But after exploring the area, it seems you wouldn’t know it. Both Terrace and Prince Rupert share the same biogeoclimatic classification as Vancouver - all highly populated with ancient cedars and temperate hemlock rainforests that guard the Pacific coastline, but much more remote than the lower mainland; the perfect mix for outdoor exploration.

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Our first day began with a quick tour around the Terrace township, a pitstop at the tackle shop to get our fishing tags and away we went getting introduced to the many winding secondary roads and salmon-inhabited waters of the region. The area is extremely well known for it's salmon and steelhead fishing and we were lucky enough to experience it first hand. We’d been in the area for less than three hours and were already waist deep in the waters of the Gitnadoiks - one of the many smaller tributaries to the Skeena River. We traveled by jet boat with a seasoned operator who knew the waters well. Apparently getting to and fishing the Gitnadoiks is a rare and valuable occasion even for the district’s locals. Fishing underneath a net of low-hanging clouds and surrounded by an ambient mist, we sensed this and felt lucky to have the chance to do so.

Heavy morning fog was the norm each day, which was nothing to complain about. We wedged through the thick of it on another Skeena feeding river, the Exchamsiks. If there was an official model of 'wild' in the flesh, this might have been it. Barely skirting by sandbars and driftwood, what we saw appeared with short notice. The area was marked with braided falls offshore and female black bears feeding with their cubs. We anchored and followed a creek up to Rooster Tail falls where we tested the integrity of our waders and rain gear again. There’s something existentially powerful about being at the base of a waterfall - it doesn’t get much better, or wetter, than that.

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A lot of our time was spent on the water, mostly by jet boat and some by paddle. In an area where waterways seemed more prevalent than highways, it made sense that many of the best spots were better accessible by boat. Riding and reading a tidal river is completely unique in the sense that it not only flows directionally but fills and drains vertically too, on time with the tides. This is something we couldn’t quite get over as we cruised from the salty inlet at Port Edward to the mouth of the Skeena. We kept analyzing our surroundings at that point - was this ocean or river? The answer was both, and the evidence was substantial. The area is known for it’s high fluctuating tides. Up and down over 22 feet daily. A four hour round trip on the Skeena yielded an almost unrecognizable return trip, as exposed boardwalks and old ruins were then nearly submerged.

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At the butt of our river ride we pulled ashore a bed of eelgrass and slogged our way to the banks where there was a supposed cemetery built by early inhabitants. There were headstones and rusty gates littered under piles of moss and under fallen trees. Stone, marble and rotten cedar plaques dated back to the 1800’s.

These banks were saturated in history. A couple of the most noteworthy settlements along the shore were Port Essington and the North Pacific Cannery, which is no longer operational but still open to visitors. We spent an entire afternoon filtering through the old workstations and living quarters that still contained all of the original equipment and artifacts.

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Hiking above Prince Rupert offers full views of the area’s lakes and riverways across to Chatham Sound, where we had met a family of humpbacks earlier. After spending a decent chunk of time at sea we were drawn to check out some of the forested trails and catch some viewpoints from above. Many locals recommended the Tall Trees trail, a path that had just reopened it's gates after a few years of closure and improvements. The views did not disappoint. There are some experiences that feel uniquely privileged, our time in the Northwest was one of them, we are hoping to return soon.

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Places visited: Fishing on the Skeena Tributaries outside of Terrace BC. + Explored by boat the Exchamsiks River. + Rooster Tail falls, and Lower Skeena region outside of Port Edward. + North Pacific Cannery and Cassiar Cannery. + Canoeing in Wainwright Basin. + Whale Watching in Chatham Sound. + Tall Trees hiking trail, Prince Rupert. + Cow Bay Harbour, Prince Rupert.

Lodging: Yellow Cedar Lodge, Terrace BC. + Crest Hotel, Prince Rupert. 

Monday 10.10.16
Posted by Great North Collective
 
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