Woollen Knickers: Bella Coola

Bella Coola has always held a bit of mystique for me. It is an area of rainforest and grizzly bears which seems to exemplify the mid-coast of BC. I was up to Bella Coola about 10 years ago for an outstanding ski trip to the Monarch Icefield, and have been itching to get back there for a while, so I was pretty excited when the valley became our next destination for work.

Getting up to Bella Coola can be an adventure in itself. The ferry from Port Hardy is certainly an aesthetic way to approach. The one road into town is another, somewhat infamous route in. From the Chilcotin Plateau the road drops off pretty steeply in what is known as "the hill". Originally the province didn't want to build the road into town because it was too sketchy, so the locals decided to build it themselves. It is certainly a road that you want to make sure your brakes work on before going down it.

I ended up taking the easy way into town. The journey started with a walk from my house to Nanaimo's waterfront.

Fishing boats in Nanaimo Harbour

It was the first time I have taken a floatplane to Vancouver

Leaving Vancouver Island

When we arrived in Bella Coola, we started with the mandatory flight around the major fires in the area. The one of most concern was one in the Bella Coola valley off Noohalk Mountain near Hagensborg.

We then toured around South Bentinck Channel, the Monarch Icefield and south Tweedsmuir Park

Fires burning through Junker and Turner Lakes. This is a pretty popular canoe trip, though it has been closed most of the summer

Hunlen Falls. Third highest in Canada

Despite the work agenda, we were still able to sneak in some tourist time

Nuxalk Totem

Downtown Bella Coola

Derelict in Bella Coola Estuary

Plaque commemorating Sir Alexander Mackenzie's journey to the Pacific. "Mackenzie's Rock" where he finished his journey is another 50km beyond out in Dean Channel