July 30, 2015

Truth be told...I wasn't going to blog this little adventure but once it was underway...I knew I'd never forgive myself if I didn't take the time to make some notes,about this crazy adventure!

A couple months ago Lynda and I decided that a trip to visit her son Mitch and his partner, Viri, in Stewart was in order.  The value added piece to this visit would be that we'd be just a few minutes from the eclectic little Alaskan community of Hyder where one of the attractions is a grizzly bear viewing platform.  We figured....wth.....we marvelled at the African wildlife in January....so surely we were due for a little visit with some of Canada's big game too.

Within minutes of our decision to make the trip, we had airline tickets from Penticton to Terrace purchased and a rental car booked so we'd be able to make the rest of the trip north.  stewart is about 4 hours north of Terrace and we were looking forward to seeing the beautiful scenery this part of BC has to offer.

I'd lived in this region of the province for 7 years before (1 yr in Prince Rupert and 6 yrs in Smithers) but had never made the drive north of Highway 16. So many times I'd passed the turn at Kitwanga (junction of hwy 16 and 37) and said....."one of these days"....  Well, it was time for that day to arrive!

Before I dive right into the events of today....I should tell you that on the evening of the 29th, Mitch called to tell us to cancel our rental car because as it turned out he would be coming into Terrace to drop someone else off and so he'd be able to drive us back to Stewart with him.  We balked at this late change in plans for just a minute but realized that he was right...there was no need for us to spend the money on a rental car when he has a car sitting there that we can use for our stay in Stewart and he would be coming into Terrace anyway.  I made the call, cancelled the rental car and we hatched a new
plan to get into Terrace town from the airport as Mitch wouldn't be arriving till about 12:30, two
hours after our plane was scheduled to land.

Now back to the events of today.....

Our flight from Penticton departed at 5:50 a.m. on July 30th which meant a very early morning was in order.  In true Lorrie fashion, I didn't finish getting packed and ready to go until almost midnight and then was so excited about the trip that sleep eluded me until 3:00 a.m.  So....it was a very short night when my alarm rang at 3:45 and I must admit that I wasn't very cheerful as I climbed out of bed this morning!

We were on the road by 4:30 and arrived at the airport in good time so the day was off to a great start!       In fact, the day was looking so good that before we even got inside the airport we were presented with an opportunity to do a good deed.  There was a man in the parking lot who didn't have the
correct change for the parking meter so I was able to give him a loonie so he could get his ticket.  I
love it when I get a chance to pay it forward!

After a minor delay for random security checks we were on our way.  Flight from Penticton to Vancouver was pretty full but very pleasant and we were touching down just 42 minutes after taking off!

There was enough time for breakfast at Timmy's and then we were off again to our next gate.  Flight from Vanvouver to Terrace was even fuller than the last one had been but again....the time ( almost 2
hours) passed pretty quickly.  My guess is that one of the reasons it passed so quickly was that the sleep that had eluded me he night before had finally materialized and so I slept for part of this leg of the journey.  I was awake long enough to enjoy the magnificent views along this flight path.  Each time I've taken this flight I'm reminded of how overwhelmingly gorgeous and majestic BC is!  Today was no exception.  The sun was shining and the skies were blue. It was a gorgeous day and a fantastic
trip!

We touched down in Terrace right on schedule and as per our plan of the night before...called a cab to take us into the town where we'd wait for Mitch at a restaurant called the Elephant Ear.  Prices in the north are a little higher than we are used to but no complaints as the food was good and the place had a great vibe with plenty of character.

Right next door to the restaurant was a shoe store where April (the salesperson) provided a warm welcome and  great service while I found three....yes....three pair of shoes!  Remember this morning when I got to pay it forward with the guy in the parking lot at the airport?  Well.....April got to pay it forward to me when she gave me an extra 20% off all my purchases as there was going to be a special sale on Saturday in conjunction with a community festival.  She knew that we were headed out of town and so decided that she would make Saturday happen today for me so I could have the special
price on my shoes.  Thanks April!

At the same time as I finished up with April, Mitch and his friend Lars arrived in Lars' truck to pick us up.  Lars had to stop back at the airport to change vehicles before we could make the journey to Stewart so it was back to the airport for us.

Within minutes of our arrival at the airport, it became clear to both Lynda and I that our new 'vehicle' would not only handle some off-road travel....it would handle some above-road travel too!  Yes.....our ride to Stewart was a brand new, maiden voyage, limo sized helicopter!  Didn't take us long to agree to this shift in plans and within seconds we were ensconced in new leather seats with plenty of room to stretch out  and ready for take-off.

Before you get too excited for us though...I have to tell you that often on a choppers maiden voyage
there are little kinks that show up.  Well, this maiden voyage was no exception and so we were deplaned while the engineers replaced a faulty part.  The weather was still amazing so we enjoyed our wait on the tarmack.  Remember where we are though....this region of the province is notorious for its weather and today the sunny skies turned to cloud and fog as the rain began to fall.  Still our spirits weren't dampened though because we were still confident that it was just a matter of time till we were back inside and underway.

To cut to the end of this part of our story I will tell you that the replacement  part was also faulty and our  chopper was grounded.  But don't despair friends.....remember we are the luckiest people I know and....Lars is a helicopter pilot after all....and everyone needs to get back to Stewart so.....we just got another helicopter.  This one was smaller but still had plenty of room and I loved the fact that the side windows kind of bubbled out so you could easily see the ground below.  

The mist and the rain and the fog all added to the mystical quality of the trip we were on.  This was no quick 15 or 20 minutes in a tourist chopper....this would be well over an hour flying low in the valleys, almost touching the treetops, and then soaring high above the fog and clouds that blanketed the fiords and lakes.  We could clearly see the village of New Aiyansh and the lava beds that surround that area. We were headed due north from Terrace and the scenery was magnificent....breathtaking in fact!  The greens were greener than green and the mist enveloped our machine like a blanket when we came into a cloud or some fog.  Fog is not good for helicopters but Lars managed the weather like the pro he is.

I neglected to tell you that there is one more little catch to this story.....on the way down from Stewart this morning, Lars had dropped off two groups of geologists on the side of a mountain. His intention was to return to pick them up later in the afternoon. That plan was altered with the lengthy delay of the repairs to the new chopper he would be returning with and now that the weather had changed...he wasn't even certain he'd be able to land and retrieve them!

A quick decision was reached when we saw a tiny break in the weather.  Lars would drop the three of us, Mitch, Lynda and I somewhere down low so he'd be able to get back to us later. He would then take a run at the mountain the geologists were stranded on and attempt to get them out during this little window of opportunity.

Within minutes we were landing on a tiny sandbar in the middle of a little River that fed out into a bay from the ocean.  The three of us climbed out and just like in the movies crouched down right by the chopper as it took off straight up into the air.  Mitch had retrieved our suitcases from the back which meant that our stay in this untouched location would be much more comfortable.  You see....while Lynda and Mitch were appropriately attired, I was still in a sleeveless top and flip flops!  Temps were dropping and the rain was falling so more clothes were in order!  I had everything that I needed in my case and in a flash was layered up and shod.  Lynda and I had even brought umbrellas so we were able to keep ourselves and our cases dry!  I have to tell you....this was the most amazing adventure!  Here we were in the middle of a river on a tiny sand bar in the middle of nowhere and loving the adventure of it.  Had a grizzly decided to come for a visit right then we may not have loved it that much but....there were no bears there this day and so it will forever be a great memory for all of us.  Lynda and I built a little inukshuk that will likely stand his ground till the high waters next spring and about an hour later we heard the return of our chopper.  Once again we crouched down small and once again Lars touched down right beside us....and I do mean right beside us.  Seriously, the chopper was just a foot or two from where we were!  We reloaded our gear and climbed back in for the rest of the flight to Stewart.

Lars had been able to get to the stranded geologists, return them to Stewart, and rescue us as well.  While I think he's a bit of a hero...for him it's all just another days work.  What a life!

So here we sit in Mitch and Viri's home in Stewart reflecting back on this amazing day.  Who'd have thought that this is how our adventure would have begun?!  Yep....feeling pretty darn lucky and grateful once again.

Till tomorrow,
Lynda and Lorrie