Along the Cassiar, we saw 7 black bears (including a mom and cub…see photos) and lots of incredible scenery featuring snow-covered peaks, emerald-green lakes and a few small communities. We decided to take a short side road to the mining town of Stewart. Stewart is reached by a 60 km road passing very closely to Bear Glacier and the gorgeous coastal mountain range that separates Canada and Alaska. (Note: Canadians use the metric system and use their own currency (complete with pictures of the Queen of England) which makes comparing prices to American products and services quite tricky.)
Stewart is the northernmost ice-free port in Canada and there is lots of interest in the proposals to create a rail line to connect to a large container port. At this point, however, the town is quiet and charming. People here were talkative and seemed to be in no hurry to get on with whatever is was that they had to do. We spent quite a while talking to a guy who prided himself on knowing the names of all the famous Dutch skaters. Aside from his statement about Canadian athletes, (“They are less competitive than American athletes; theyjust want to make a personal best in World competitions rather than win.”) he had plenty to say about local politics and the elections that took place on the17th of May.
From Stewart, it’s a 3 km drive to Hyder, Alaska, a run-down town of about 100 people that explodes with tourists in July and August as the grizzlies return to the local Fish Creek to feast on spawning salmon. We went to the bearviewing area even though we knew it was too early in the year to see bears and, lo and behold! Sitting along a sidecreek, was a black bear seemingly just woken up from his hibernation and just taking its time to look around. Including the next black bear that we saw crossing the gravel road on the way to view another glacier, we saw 9 black bears in three days! A new record!
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