Mt. Nusatsum

Mt. Nusatsum

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Hill Stories Continued

Another great comment on the hill, I should ask for more 'guest posts', Karl did a nice job on this. Grizzly

Karl FrostrupApr 26, 2012 11:32 AM
How about this: "It's nothing like it was...".

It's a good road and has been for a very long time. As mentioned, stay off your brakes and enjoy the view. Think too of the folks that built it - two bulldozers, pack trains of dynamite and little (if any) government funding.
Each time I drive to Bella Coola I like to leave Williams Lake pretending it's my first time on HWY 20. Fuel up, eat then head west into the setting sun. Civilization quickly recedes in the rear-view mirror and you feel like you're getting more and more remote. There are pockets of people living across the Chilcotin and several services strung along the way, but you definitely get a sense of alone time.
The journey across the Chilcotin itself is both the best and worst journey possible. It's very interesting and entertaining if you have time to stop and check things out - things like Farwell Canyon, Bull Canyon (and the caves up the hill), good burgers at Lee’s Corner, Chilko Lake, Anahim Peak, Charlotte Lake, ‘The Chilcotin War’, Nuk Tessli, the Rainbow Range in Tweedsmuir park, the Ulkatchco range north of Anahim, to name a few. And if you’re lucky and you time it right, you can experience the thrill of the healthy mosquito population at Green River.
If you’re in a rush and need to catch a ferry, it can be a very monotonous journey made entirely frustrating by the refraction of the blinding sun off the bug guts on your windshield.
As for ‘The Hill’, it’s nothing like it was. Do not hesitate to visit Bella Coola because of this piece of the road. In fact, enjoy it – it’s really pretty nice. Up at the top take a few deep breaths of the unbeatable cool, pine-scented air and take your time heading down. Use your engine to keep you moving slow and rely on your brakes only when required. We do it this way all the time…
At the bottom, take another deep breath – the heat radiating from the summer sunned rocks convey the scent of the surrounding fir forest. Those of you with a proclivity for nervousness should look forward to this – there is no better remedy in all the world.
Karl (… still calling Bella Coola ‘home’.)

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