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Nechako River - Cross Country Skiing
Entry 8 of 36 | show all | print this entry |
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Cross-Country Skiing Along the Nechako River
I have steadfastly continued with my regime of Nordic Walking since our arrival here in Prince George.
Since winter's arrival I no longer walk along the Fraser River in Fort George Park as we had done during the fall time. Instead I have opted for an hour's walk in the neighbourhood to the west of our new condo residence.
Barbara has retreated to the gym which is located here our condo building, but I have remained a big fan of fresh air despite the cold, and therefore around 22:00 I usually head out for what is often the beautiful experience of a wintery night.
Because of the Nordic Walking I had somehow pushed cross-country skiing out of my mind, besides I was somewhat put off by two facts.
Firstly the local cross-country ski area had an entrance fee of $10 per visit which I found to be somewhat stiff for cross-country skiing.
Secondly, I was somewhat disappointed that the cross-country skiing possibilities at the Otway Nordic Center, home of the Caledonia Ski Club, with its 30 km of groomed tails, did not measure up to the network of trails that the National Capital Commission maintains in the Gatineau Hills north of Ottawa.
So, it took this "Eureka" moment yesterday brought on by the beautiful weather which jarred me back to the beautiful days of cross-country skiing I have experienced for so many years in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec.
As I said, I was reluctant to pay $10 for the privilege of skiing for an hour or two. So it was that I decided to back to a beautiful trail along the Nechako River which we had also walked many times during the fall.
Besides, the steeply cut banks of the Nechako River loom on the northern horizon every time I look out the balcony doors from our kitchen. It is a beautiful view, so why not go skiing there.
My starting point was the Winton Global Wood Products Planer Mill and Finger Joint Division parking lot, located at 1850 River Rd., right next to the walking/skiing trail that borders the Nechako River. Since the public parking lots along the Nechako are quite isolated at this time of year, I opted for the comfort of a "This parking lot is under Video Surveillance" sign.
To get the maximum distance out of my route I firstly skied west along the Nechako to the Cameron Street Bridge.
This is the same Cameron Street Bridge that I mention in my previous blog on the Economic Outlook of Prince George. Due to structural failures it has been closed to traffic for about a year and is scheduled to be rebuilt pending financing.
From here I turned around, retracing my steps past Winton Global Wood Products (the car was still there) heading towards a very historical spot - the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers.
From this vantage points one can fully appreciate what I consider one of the physical hallmarks of the Prince George region - the steeply cut banks of the Nechako River. A natural phenomenon created by thousands of years of erosion, these spectacular banks are breathtaking in their dominance of the landscape.
The fact that my gaze frequently falls on these banks through the balcony doors in the kitchen of our condo only makes this close-up exposure more meaningful.
A little further one crosses a little creek to come upon beautiful Cottonwood Island Park with its majestic Cottonwood trees.
Previous to coming to Prince George I had never heard of the Cottonwood Tree and during the summer and fall I was looking in vain to any clues which might indicated why they bear this unusual name.
The tree is remarkable for two reasons-it is extremely tall and it has a very coarse bark. When I saw this same tree in other areas of the region, identification was relatively simple
During the winter time I ventured onto a part of the trail which is closed off leading me to an area which takes the trail very close to the edge of the fast flowing Nechako River. The current is really quite impressive as the small pieces of ice just go whizzing by.
One can't help but think of what one would do if one accidentally fell into the river. I concluded it would be game over because with my ski bindings it really takes the pressure of the tip of my poles to release the bindings. Pressure, that would be impossible to apply in fast flowing water. Unlacing the boots would also be problematic since one would have to undo a strap, a zipper and then untie the laces.
This paragraph only proves that one has a lot of time to think while cross-country skiing or that I should have heeded the signs and stayed on the detour.
Approaching the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers always conjures up thoughts of the vast geographical region which is drained of its waters by these two rivers.
The Fraser, one of Canada's major rivers, has its source in the east near Mt. Edith Cavell in the Rockies, while the Nechako has its source in the west on the Nechako plateau just east of the Coast Range Mountains that run along the Pacific.
Other than the vast territory they cover, is the significance which they held in the lives of the native people over the centuries as well as the conduits they provided to early explorers such as Alexander McKenzie and Simon Fraser.
Also located at this spot, is the Canfor Pulp and Paper Mill which of course dominates the scene with an unprecedented amount of vapour which is spewed into the skies on a cold winter day.
Making a turn in a southerly direction brings one comes face to face with two significant bridges that I never get tired of looking at because they stem from two different eras.
First, there is the Grand Truck Pacific Bridge (what a name!) now known as the CNR (Canadian National Railway) Bridge constructed as a railway and road bridge in 1914. What is interesting, other than its trellises, symmetrical concrete supports and length is the fact that it has lift span speaking of an age when there must have been steamer traffic on the Fraser River. Being a railway buff my eyes literally feast on this sight every time that I see it.
Just a short distance further is the Yellowhead Bridge built in 1986; it is a testament to new directions in steel and concrete bridge design. Standing tall on six concrete pylons the bridge provides a four lane crossing of the Fraser River for Highway 16.
This legendary highway, known as the Yellowhead Highway and sometimes referred to as the Northern Trans Canada Highway, runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba across to Prince Rupert.
It is legendary because it was said to be named after a Métis trapper with long, flowing blond hair; making the name Yellowhead or "Tete Jaune" a common name in the west. For instance, there is Yellowhead Pass and the village of Yellowhead in the Canadian Rockies and the town of Tete Jaune Cache (from the French word -"hidden"- as in hidden furs) at intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 5 which leads south through Kamloops. to join the Trans-Canada Highway at Hope, BC.
The Yellowhead Bridge proved to be my turnaround point for the simple reason that under the bridge there is a stretch of about 50 meters where there is no snow -a real problem when you are skiing, you are somewhat tired and out of time.
From here it was back to the car with one huge advantage - no more photography to slow me down.
Nevertheless, I was grateful for the fact that I had somehow gotten back to an old love - cross-country skiing.
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