Atlin, British Columbia

May 5, Atlin

Last trip, the deserts of the Gulf. This trip, the frozen north….

It’s a geographical oddity. I’m in the far north of British Columbia, but to get here I had to fly to Whitehorse (Yukon) and drive 2 and a bit hours south. There is no road access from the rest of British Columbia.

The last 100 km are gravel. I only saw three other vehicles. Did see some mountain goats on a nearby hillside, and had to slam on the brakes to avoid running over a grouse that was intent on sitting in the middle of the road. Skidding on gravel is always interesting.

The lake is frozen solid. Only 350 or so people here, and 1 café for all meals. Hotel is deserted, and nobody is on the streets. The café is full of characters right out of central casting. The same four guys in the same seats both times I’ve been in for breakfast.

There is still active mining and mineral exploration, with remote fly-in camps in the area. The close up photo of the old paddle wheeler is taken from my hotel room. Beautiful area. Quite amazing.

Mark