North To Alaska - 23 Dec 2011

This trip is one of the most revered by me among all trips that I have so far planned. I would second it only to my trip to the Arctic Ocean which I had made in the Sept of 2010. One of the reasons for this ranking, and the prime one is the fact that this was a complete family trip. The other being - it was quite laid to detail in the 3700 KM that we traveled, all through thick sheets of ice and snow. This trip also put my driving skills and patience to test and I thoroughly admired it.

On The Alaskan Border - The Hamlet Of Stewart In British Columbia

Our destination? The hamlet of Stewart, in the province of British Columbia, which is right on the Alaskan Border. Driving to the far extreme of the Western Leg of the British Columbian Mountains' Circle Roads had always been on my mind and it had been postponed many a time due to other destinations taking preference. In addition to the regular bachelor gang, we had two couples with us this time, which is why I call it a complete family trip. The fun was not just in the destination, but in the bond we built over the various legs of the journey, and most importantly getting together for wining and dining in a common suite and the loads of gossip that entailed each one of these 'Get-togethers'.

Planning for the trip had begun much in advance. I recollect we had started to plan almost 3 weeks prior.  Anand, Somu Da and myself had chalked out the trip itinerary over the course of a few days and we were quite satiated with the job we had done. As we were 7 people in all, I had booked an Extra Large Luxury SUV and had personally visited  the rental station thrice to request on file that I get either of these and I had been promised one - 

1. Ford Expedition MAX (EL)
2. Chevrolet Suburban
3. GMC Yukon XL 

A day prior to our trip we got a request from one of our colleagues - Sandeep, if he could join us along and we had obliged. He would be joining us in his own vehicle. On the 22nd of Dec, 2011 when we went to the Rental Office to pick up the vehicle, I was sadly disappointed to see that I had been given a Full Size SUV instead of an Extra Large. This sure was to pose a problem to carry the luggage of 7 people and also to the comfort of the rear passengers. So we decided we would shift our luggage to Sandeep's car. I had advised Sandeep to rent a 4X4 SUV, but he chose to go with a standard car.

Flagging Off on the 23rd of Dec

Days are too short in winters as your latitude goes Northwards on the upper cup of the earth. Our journey was not only spaced vastly across the Longitudes but also ventured us up North. Hence, we wanted to cover as much as we could on the first night, so that we could start early the next day and stop before each sunset - that was the general plan. Our first camp was set at Valemount in the province of British Columbia. This is about 540 KM from Calgary and takes about 7 and 1/2 hours of driving. Friday was a working day for all of us and after office I drove around downtown to pick up folks from 10th Ave and 4th Ave. Though we had planned to push early we lost a bit on time waiting for Sandeep's car. The drive on the Trans Canada HWY 1 was not new, and this time of the year many portions of the road had thick layers of snow. The Yukon had stood testimony to the some of the wickedest forces of nature in earlier trips and it was proving its salt in this one as well. We were much ahead of Sandeep's car and we had to stop at Banff to allow them to catch up with us. This stop was also utilized to fuel up the SUV and to add some charge of coffee to the evening which had long ago shut the curtains to sunlight. 

We were still 300 KM short of Jasper and 425 KM short of Valemount. A few KM after Lake Louise we took the North Ramp to hit the Icefields Parway (AB-93 N) towards Jasper. My worst fears were about to come true. This 240 KM stretch through the Canadian Rockies is a narrow, slow speed and treacherously winding route, and it becomes quite dangerous when you have a continuous sheet of ice on it with ample amount of fresh snow. One wrong manoeuvre and you can land up in the valley steeply inclined on the open precipice. I generally accustom myself to the environs for the first few kilometers of a change in landscape. Owing to the snow, I was driving at about 40 - 50 KMPH, which is a lot lesser than the posted speed limit. I had asked our other car to drive ahead of us. Driving a non 4X4 on this terrain was asking for trouble. We could actually see Sandeep's car ahead spin quite a bit due to the ice. The car was behaving just like a perfect drunk man who wobbles just about at any moment unpredicted, while our 4X4 SUV was exhibiting qualities of a seasoned marksman made to shoot while running on ice.  

I soon started losing out on my patience driving at 40 KMPH trailing the ever-so-slow car, and after 15 - 20 KM of this elaborate slow moving setup, I overtook it, to resume at my own pace. The weather conditions were quite harsh with snow blizzards reducing the visibility of an already dark night to a big Naught. Twice or thrice it so happened that there were pockets of snow which were laid out in elongated patches that were almost a foot or 2 deep. The SUV, though weighing over 3.5 tonnes, would spin out of its trajectory,  by a margin as thick as 90° on such occasions. This would be complemented with shovels of snow being pumped onto the windscreen from underneath the already overworked set of front wheels skittering under immense tangential forces.

Nevertheless, I tried to maintain speed and we reached Jasper in record time. It was freezing outside at the Petrol (Gas for the North American readers) Bunk. I was feeling quite nice with the distance covered in the drive as we were now left with only 125 KM to Valemount. We filled up the SUV, parked it in the designated spot, and took our share of coffee from the machines inside. It was good chatting among the group - everyone having coffee and sharing their stories. We must have waited for about an hour and there was still no signs of our other car. Even phone calls were not getting through. The Icefields Parkway does not have a good coverage for cellphone signals. We decided to leave for Valemount, as wasting more time could mean a problem in securing accommodation at the destination. 

We had been travelling North-West until now on AB-93 and after Jasper we took West on Trans-Canada HWY 16. This is a wide and almost straight road with more frequent ice cleaning activities and I was able to drive at the posted 100 and 110 KMPH limits. After Jasper, you enter the Mount Robson Provincial Park and about 100 KM into the drive you have to turn South on BC-5 and drive another 20 KM to reach Valemount. I was maintaining healthy speed and we were in Valemount by 11.30 PM and as Valemount is in BC, our clocks shifted back by an hour and we got the advantage. After inquiring the rates and facilities at a few hotels we checked into one. We had taken 3 suites and earmarked another for the other car. 

We gathered in my suite for dinner and the customary drinks. Each one of us taking comfortable positions were well poised to get into a big round of chatting and gossiping. The ladies had prepared good amount of tasty food for the night. While we sipped on and chatted we also tried to establish contact with Sandeep's car. They had just reached Jasper. It turned out that the car had not quite survived the onslaught of the snow. It had twice met with an accident and they did not want to come any further than Jasper. The problem with this was that Anand was in the other car. So we persuaded Sandeep to drive down till Valemount. While the other car joined us we had a gala of a time on the first night of the trip.

To Burns Lake On The Second Day (24 Dec 2011)

Our suites were all on the first floor. With a lovely view from the balcony, which we had noticed on the night before, we had a soothing view of the Rockies, which were just about 5 KM to the front and of course the burgeoning mass of snow on the roof that covered the porch.

A View From Our Balcony - 8:36 AM MST

This day, there lay trouble ahead. The second car did not want to come any further, which was but obvious. The problem now was accommodating one extra person in our vehicle and also some cargo. But hats off to the crew who were so accommodating. So after a hearty breakfast, we pushed off  further West and further North. The destination was Burns Lake, British Columbia. We would be driving in excess of 530 KM this day. 

We had made a list of spots to be covered for each day. Some of these were offset from the main highway by quite some distance. Each one of those could not be covered and hence we had some sitting on the list tentatively. The first stop for the day was not a marked one; it was however quite picturesque. The ladies were new to these white environs of snow and were very intrigued with the sites; the gentlemen however, were seasoned sightseers and were accustomed with these environs. I have included some clicks we shot at this spot.

L-R: Anand, Somu da, Poonam n' Kunal, Avneesh n' Pravesh

Snow Trails

About Half An Inch Of Ice Sheet On The Entire Road

Enjoying The Sun

The entire drive was very refreshing and it gave me the constant boost to drive further and further. Just a little distance ahead of our first stop, we stopped yet again, and this time it was at McBride, which is about 50 KM North-West of Valemount.

McBride Welcomes Us

Far Beyond Into The Mountains

We drove for another hour and a half more before we stopped at a small spot that had what is called 'The Inland Temperate Rainforests'. This was quite an elaborate stop and the group enjoyed the scenery a lot. We walked around the place and a few games were played with the ice speleothems, particularly the stalactites hanging upside down.

Our Third Stop - This One Being Quite Elaborate

L-R: Avneesh, Self And Kunal

Ice Speleothems

Attempt To Murder With An Ice Stalactite

Wildlife In The Rainforest 

Swift Brook Cutting Through Ice

Liked The Background

The Gentlemen Together

The stop for lunch was made at Prince George. A few of us went straight ahead into a Fast Food Joint (I do not remember the name exactly) and the rest went to an adjoining Indian Restaurant. The good thing we did here was that we packed a good amount of food for dinner as well. I guess we were quite late to wrap up the procedures for lunch and while the rest of the group continued to savour their meals, I took a power nap in the driver's seat of the SUV. It must have been about 4 PM and as expected the skies were growing darker. Burns Lake was another 230 KM and with a fuel stop we made it there by 7 PM. Upon arrival, we started our customary practice of hotel searching and soon checked into the Burns Lake Motor Inn. We took three suites and after taking showers gathered in my suite for the usual round of gossip.

Stewart Finally (25 Dec 2011)

This was an eventful day for us. There were lots of spots to be covered. The first on the cards was the hamlet of Francois Lake. This place is 25 KM South of Burns Lake on BC-35 S. A ferry has to be taken to cross the waters of Francois Lake to be on the other side (yes the hamlet is named after the lake). The ferry operates on an hourly basis going from shore to shore and you can load your vehicle on it. We left our luggage in our suites and started in our SUV for the ferry, early morning 8 AM. The darkness of the Northern Skies coupled with the shiny gleam that the ice cast all over, along with the early morning mist loaned a dramatically mystical look to the environs. I was, and I believe everyone else as well, was enjoying this panoramic effect that nature had cast upon itself in the wee hours.

8.30 AM PST - Notice The Light In The Sky Trying To Barge Out In The Background

Francois Lake Seen From  Southbank

Ferry Maintenance And Docking Equipment

Mist Hangs On

We had a ample amount of time to sight-see before we boarded the ferry. As the sun was trying to sneak up the magical horizon; its light, which was changing from red to bright orange, was trying to do its own tricks on the placid waters of Lake Francois. Then there were some lovely low hanging clouds which seemed to garner a harmonious chord with the ever clicking cameras, seeming to make comrades alike, with  the Sonys and the Canons. The next ferry to Francois Lake would arrive on Southbank and leave for Francois Lake at 9.40 AM.

Playing Games On Ice

Francois Forester, The Ferry

Our Group (The Folks n' The Vehicle) On The Ferry

The Hamlet Of Francois Lake

After completing the tour we got back to Burns Lake and checked out out of our hotel. Next to be visited was Babine Lake Provincial Park (Pendleton Bay). This is a fairly huge territory and to take a complete tour of it, you should set aside at least 2 days for the job. There are pretty good spots on the North Side of the Lake as well and some on the other corners. We did not have that much time so we went to Pendleton Bay. It has an active Lumberjack Community. The road to Pendleton Bay is quite narrow and was completely packed with snow. Caution had to be exercised while doing the corners, as there was little yet some traffic coming down South and a skid round the corner meant trouble for both bodies.

Back To Our Hotel In Burns Lake

Babine Lake Road

The Turning Towards Pembleton Bay

Thick Ice Slates Forcing A Shift To Low Manual Gears

As we neared the Park, the snow seemed to have been scooped off, thereby unraveling a thick transparent layer of ice underneath. There were fresh prints of heavy lumber Semis (trucks) leaving their tread on the ice. The descent was fairly steep with narrow winding turns. I had long ago shifted to manual and 4X4. To avoid skidding due to manual brakes, I shifted to first/second gear and let the vehicle do the descent. Despite this precaution the vehicle was skidding at speeds as slow as 5 to 10 KMPH. At this juncture all hell could break loose had even a 60 feet Semi appeared from the front. Without chains on I could have easily toppled the 3.5 Ton SUV down the slopes into the cold waters of the Babine Lake. After doing a short round of the narrow trails, I meticulously backed the car and parked it at a level skid free spot.

Our Group At Pendleton Bay (Babine Lake Provincial Park)

A Snap Of The Couple - Poonam And Kunal

Cold Waters Of Babine Lake

Far Corner Of The Pendleton Bay

We were so far doing pretty good on our pace of covering the various spots. Our next destination, and the final one for the day was Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park. This is further North West of Burns Lake near the town of Smithers, which is about 150 KM from Burns Lake. You go all the way up to Telkwa on HWY 16 and then turn further North on the Telkwa High Road and ride for another 18 KM for the park. While still on our way to Driftwood, we stopped at Hungry Hill Grizzly Mountain for a short rest. The clock would have read 2.30 PM Eastern Time, had I looked at my watch then. Deep down the ice filled ravine, we heard long roars which were unmistakably that of a Grizzly. This place has a history which is mentioned in one of the photographs after this paragraph. We did not stop for a long time there and scurried off after a short snack.

North West On Trans Canada Highway 16

The Hungry Hill Grizzlies

There Are Grizzlies Down There

Half an hour later we had crossed Telkwa and were well within the confines of the Driftwood Park. From here you start seeing the beautiful peaks of the Babine Mountains, which become more profound after you cross Smithers. and go towards Meziadin Junction.

Peaks Of Babine Mountains As Seen From Driftwood

Telkwa High Road

Further Into Driftwood Canyon Park

As soon as we hit the Driftwood Road, I turned the music on to maximum volume. The vehicle started to rock on three counts - the undulating road, the volume of the music and the people dancing to its tunes. A few favourite numbers did the rounds, and those were all big hits from the late 80s and the early 90s - Jo Jeeta Who Sikandar, Qayamat se Qayamat Tak being the chart busters.

Driftwood Canyon

One Of Three Narrow Bridges

The Second Bridge

L-R: Kunal, Somy Da, Anand, Self, Avneesh (Red)

Our Yukon

Me a.k.a. Rahul Rane

Love Birds Pair 1 - Pravesh and Avneesh

Love Birds Pair 2 - Poonam and Kunal

If You Want To Cross The Stream!

I had started growing weary of the 300 odd arduous kilometers I had driven on the day and desperately needed a stop. Smithers was a few kilometers away and we had a very late lunch, it was almost supper (5 PM Eastern Time). We filled up the SUV as well, at a nearby bunk.

Stewart was another 330 KM. The first 120 KM till Kitwanga would still be okay, as they would be on HWY-16, but after that 150 KM would be on a tough HWY-37 North and the last 60 KM through an excruciatingly narrow and avalanche prone Bear Pass. With thick flurries of snow blowing right into the windscreen and the road fully snow packed,. it was getting very painful to maintain course. So bad was the condition that the rare on coming vehicle could not be seen until it was a couple of feet away. Equally painful was to find the centre line and stick to your side of the road. I was using 4X4 and manual transmission and never let the vehicle go past the 4th gear (The Yukon is 6 geared). Maintaining healthy speed we reached Kitwanga and it was pitch dark there. The gas station was closed but I had to take a stop as my eyes were literally on fire concentrating on the road.

The Petro-Canada Gas Bunk In Kitwanga  

From Kitwanga to Stewart it took another 3 and 1/2 hours. There were snow cleaning vehicles on the entire stretch of Bear Pass and I was always below 60 KMPH. The sight in Stewart however, was scary. Nothing was open and it was Christmas Evening. The fuel in tank had reduced to a trickle that would last another 150 KM at max and the Petrol bunk at Kitwanga was also closed. The Fuel Bunk in Stewart was closed as well. We tried calling the number that was posted on the Bunk's door, but no one answered. We were stranded here and after minutes of agony we were able to fetch The King Edward Hotel, which was also closed. There was a phone placed on the front door and we used it. The call was answered by a man who we came to know as Jim Hyslop, the owner of the Hotel. He was at his home that time but was kind enough to come over in his truck and give us rooms for the night. We felt so lucky. I give the credit in room finding to Anand Sastry.

Across the street from where the main building was, there were individual suites and we got three of them. It had been one heck of a day - 12 hours of continuous driving (excluding the stops we made) and lots of good spots covered. It was Jack time now and Somu Da gave me company.

The Suites Of King Edward Hotel, The Hamlet Of Stewart On The Alaskan Border

A Snap Of The Corridor - 10 PM Eastern Time

Somu Da And Me

Grand Daddy Of All SUVs - The GMC Yukon

Thick Trails Left In The Snow

The feeling which we got that time cannot be put into words. It was beyond elation. We were on the Alaskan Border and it had been great so far. We ventured out of the suite. Outside we could see the mountains in their icy gleam. Stewart is flanked by mountains on all sides. It was a wonderful night.

Stewart, Stewart and More Stewart (26-Dec-2011)

When I woke up this day I mentioned to Anand and Somu Da that if permitted and if provided with a Net Connection and a Phone, I could work from this place for another month. This was not possible and I was wondering if we could at least stay there for a day more. The plan that day was to see Stewart and get back to Prince George. As soon as I got ready, I came out of my suite. It was about quarter to nine, and the it looked as though night was descending. But I have always liked this dark aspect of these skies.

The Mountains Flanking Stewart, 8:45 AM

The North American Map - Somu Da Had Observed This At Night Itself

Our Ride - The Mammoth, Warming Up

One of our group accompanied me to the Gas Bunk, which was still closed and the person who was driving the Ice Cleaning Truck told us that it could open at 10 AM. Meanwhile Anand and the rest had gone in to check out of the hotel, which is when news poured in that there were possibilities of the Bear Pass being closed due to heavy snowfall. We had to see Stewart, so we hoped that the pass would remain open until we finished our tour.

One Of The Many Beautiful Houses in Stewart

It Had Snowed All Night Long

It Must Be Tough, Yet Fun To Stay In There

We packed up and started towards the Alaskan Border. The streets (well there is only one major street) in Stewart were lined with Christmas Decorations. As we did not have a US Visa, we could not enter Alaska. But we stopped just short of the Border on the inlet of Portland Canal. This was a very scenic site.

Right On The Alaskan Border

The Inlet Of The Portland Canal

While on our way back, we stopped at Quickee Mart, the Coffee Shop cum Grocery Store on 223 - 5 Ave  (Glacier Highway). A beverage before starting the day was customary. The store was quite antique and was operated by an old Swiss Couple.

Quickee Mart

Me And Anand (R) Enjoying Coffee

Avneesh Pouring Out Coffee

The Coffee Shop As Seen From Outside

By then we were pretty sure that the Bear Pass would be closed, yet we decided to try our luck. Staying for even a few more hours would land our complete travel plan in jeopardy as we had to reach Calgary on the next day in affirmative. My mind on the other hand was constantly craving to stay for one more day in Stewart. The place was growing on my mind like anything. After a few kilometers of leaving Stewart what did we find? A Government Truck blocking the entry to Bear Pass. We asked the person when would the road be cleared. He was not sure himself and asked us to check the radio for updates.

The Entry To Bear Pass Being Shut

I knew of the fact that during such severe snowfall, the avalanche prone areas are cut off at both ends. The authorities then trigger a forced avalanche and clean it up. This way it is made sure that no one gets trapped under ice accidentally. We turned back to Stewart, and Jim, the owner of King Edward was kind enough to give us a room for the afternoon at no charge.

Christmas Goodies Conferred Upon Us At Quickee Mart

We cozied in the room, waiting for the pass to open up. A few of us went to the grocery store to get something to eat. While they were away at the store, we started to play small games to kill time. The folks did return in sometime and they returned with a huge bounty of Christmas goodies which people at the store had given them. The Pass did not open until evening, when we heard rumours that it had opened. So at 6 PM we left off again. As we steered out of Stewart a fresh spill of snow on the road caused a drag in the vehicle which pulled it so hard to the right that it got stuck in feet of snow. We tried desperately to pull the vehicle out, but it did not budge. Anand, Somu Da and Kunal started on foot to get help, while Avneesh and me tried frantically to remove the snow. It was snowing profusely and we had to regularly come into the vehicle to keep our body from freezing. We discovered later that the engine block had perched itself on a thick block of snow and no matter how hard we tried, it would be futile. The heat of the engine had melted the snow at first and the resulting slush had then traveled into the wheel arches and quickly frozen, thereby completely immobilizing the vehicle.

Our Vehicle Stuck In About 3-4 Feet Of Snow

We asked the ladies to stay inside the vehicle. Three Quarters of an hour into the lame exercise, which Avneesh and me had been performing, a car passed by. Two guys in their late twenties hopped down from the car to help us. They had a shovel and we tried hard but to no avail. One of them even tried to run our SUV out of the snow but it did not work.They also told us that the Pass was not yet open.

15 minutes later, help arrived in the form of Uncle George. How did he come? Well, our guys had gone to get help, and the lady who worked at Quickee Mart - Ronway, she asked her husband who happened to be Uncle George to help us out. He had a 4X4 Truck and we used his rope and his truck to salvage our vehicle - we tried a few times, but each time the rope snapped. He then went back to the village to get some chains and finally was able to pull us out. After 2 and a half hours of toiling in the snow when we got back to the hotel it was fun time. Anand had organized some beers and in some time Ronway and George arrived with loads of food for us. It was a lovely night despite our ordeal.

The Journey Back To Calgary (27 Dec 2011)

This morning we waited intently checking out the condition of the Pass and as soon as we came to know that it had opened, we started our journey back to Calgary. But before leaving, we went personally to meet each one of the people who had helped us - the Swiss Couple from Quickee Mart and Jim Hyslop, the owner of Kind Edward Hotel. Unfortunately we were not able to meet Ronway and George. We hope to make it to Stewart someday in summer again and meet with these people without whom the stay would have been brutal.

Bidding Adieu - At Quickee Mart

With Jim Hyslop, King Edward Hotel

We had liked Stewart a lot and it was with a heavy heart that we bid adieu to this place. After carefully navigating the Bear Pass we stopped at Meziadin Junction for some photos.

Mountains Flanking The Bear Pass

Just Before Meziadin Junction

Meziadin Junction

Shot Taken In Sepia

Our Group At The Junction

The night was spent at Prince George where we had a wholesome Indian meal at the same restaurant from where we had picked up food while traveling to Stewart. We reached Calgary on the night of 28th. It had been a long sweet trip (3690 KM covered on the Odometer).