When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

View of Deen's Inlet from Blue Jay Lake, BC

When we reached Prince George, the smoke from the many wildfires in British Columbia was so thick, we could hardly see a football field in front of us. Weather reports rated the air as toxic.

Smoke from BC wildfires near Prince George

Needing to catch our breath from all the driving, we decided to slow down for a day or two. We also hoped the air would be clearer on the other side of Heckman Pass. So off to Bella Coola, we went. Thankfully the air was, indeed, much clearer. 

 Bella Coola is a small, Nuxalk First Nation town along the western coast of Canada, with a population of about 2,000. Besides its beautiful scenery, Bella Coola is known for the “Hill” or Freedom Road. It is a steep, gravel road that connects the coastal town to the mainland. The Hill drops from Heckman Pass at about 5,000 feet to sea level in just over nine miles. Parts of the road are only wide enough for a single vehicle. With hairpin turns and switchbacks, there are no guard rails. The crazy part about it is the grade… in some places it can be as high as 18 percent. Good brakes are absolutely essential!

Legend has it that the townspeople got tired of waiting for the government to build the road, so they took it upon themselves. With experts saying it was an impossible endeavor, they set a bulldozer on top and one at the bottom, each working until they met. In 1953, the road was opened. 

While David was in the visitor center, an elderly First Nation lady in a walker came by the truck, admiring Sam. She stopped to talk. Her name was Cindy. Cindy began to tell me her story. When I couldn’t understand her pronunciation, she explained that it was because she had few teeth. When she was young, a drunk beat her so badly and her jaw was so broken that her brother had to pull most of her teeth with pliers. She didn’t trust the dentist, so she drank until she couldn’t feel the pain. Evidently she passed out during the first extraction. She only had seven teeth remaining. These encounters and stories people tell me touch me so deeply. I wish I could have spent hours learning more about her and how her life has turned out. Cindy left me to enjoy the music festival. 

 At the visitor center, David learned the ferry was due to land in the afternoon. Coupled with the small music festival scheduled for the weekend, both made accommodations crowded. We found a place to camp the first night just out of town. 

The next morning we decided to leave the hustle and bustle and take the Clayton Falls Forest Service Road to Blue Jay Lake. The road leads about 14 miles south of Bella Coola, along Deen’s Inlet (off Whisky Bay). We had attempted the road during our last trip in 2011, but we had a late start and turned around about midway. 

 The road to the lake was extremely rocky and rough with deep ruts and many washouts. It took us three hours to go just over fourteen miles and gain 4,900 feet in elevation. The lake and view of Deen’s Inlet, however, made the trip worthwhile.

Road to Blue Jay Lake

We spent the afternoon letting Sam swim, taking walks, and soaking in the fresh, brisk air.

David and Sam at Blue Jay Lake

Another early morning wake-up call by Sam put us on the road by seven. Onward we go, hoping to slow down once we get past the fires and on the Cassiar Highway.