Wife and I worked that country for about 10 years. It is still wild and open. But slowly progress is whittling that away.
The country is riddled with sloughs that are cut for hay. Trees are thick and big in many areas and the creeks in most places can be used straight up for drinking water - unless they are dammed by beaver - then boil it or get the "fever". Good fishing can be had in lots of little creeks. Lots of moose and the snow gets real deep. Cold can be bad, but seldom as bad as the area CattleAnnie lives in. She lives far to the east of that country and a bit to the north. She's in Dawson Creek country.
It is not unusual to ride for miles and literally miles without seeing another human being, just moose and bears. The benches have grass that can stand a dry summer. Watch out for soft ground.
I have visited many many abandoned trappers cabins and line shacks. It is not unusual to find abandoned set ups that have no roads in or out. Found an axe that was left in a tree one time. Nothing around for miles. The handle was pretty much gone and just the double bit was left. Wonder what the story was behind that? It is still in the tree - I left it where it was. Seemed better to do that for some reason. Few fences and the range fences are often three and four row log rail barriers that run for miles.
I have managed to find the odd bit of colour when I used a frying pan to try my hand at finding gold - never enough to do more than start the heart racing. I was born to be short on cash.
I used to winter far to the south in 100 Mile House. A once upon a time sleepy place that is now a major stop on the old Cariboo Highway. Wife went to school there. Her family still keeps a small place on Mahood Lake - a real deep lake - long and thin - nestled at the bottom of some pretty big hills and mountains.
I sometimes miss the wild country, but with kids it was tough shipping them away for a week at school and then fetching them home for the weekend.
Memory time tonight.
Like the time my brother-in-law and I were moose hunting what we called the moose pasture. Big, tough hills all around and good grass in the bottom. Found it by accident while we were scouting for cattle. THere was an unfinished log house in the middle of this natural pasture. At least 20 miles from any road and futher from any town. The roof was a real good one and the walls were in decent shape. No windows or doors. We parked the horses out back with hobbles and camped on the floor. He woke me up in the morning when he shot a fair bull moose out the living room window. It had a spotted rear, kinda' like an Appaloosa. It was eating in the front yard about 30 yards from the house. We packed it out.
I am not sure I could find the place again, but I know he could, because he still hunts there. To this day he has never met anyone in there.
Like the robber jays coming down and stealing the bread out of your plate while you were holding it and your morning cup of coffee. Like the big grey owls hooting late at night. Real wolves with their deep howl - sounding off in the distance.
Finding a wolf kill and following the flight and fight in the snow. You can read those tracks like a book once someone shows you how.
Like killing my first bear while it was rummaging through the gut pile of a mulie while we were pulling it up in the tree for safe over night storage. I do not know who was more surprized, him or me. But I do know who was faster that afternoon.
Like leaving my wife in a lean-to for a couple of days on the banks of a big creek, miles form anywhere in mid December while I rode out for supplies. She didn't want to come with me. Figured she had her dog, her gun and a pile of wood - so she was content to stay behind. I still remember her sitting inside the lean-to, just back of the fire, in a pair of jeans and a light sweater, the flames rolling up around her coffee pot and that big mean SOB of an old dog curled up on her sleeping bag as I rode away in deep snow and a storm coming. You would be surprized how warm a lean-to can be if it is set up right. The storm held me up for an extra day. When I got back that darned dog tried to eat me until I made her mind. Then wife got mad at me for making the dog mind. Having been away for a while it was a bit of fun making up for the argument over that darned dog of hers!
Yup, quite the area.
BC
