Telegraph Trail Preservation Society NEWSLETTERS Home | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993

2009

Clearing of the trail
Before...	After...

Jan 10 -- Cleared the trees from the Telegraph wagon trail that were brought down by the heavy snowfall. Went as far as Diamond road. Met Donny coming down on his little motoski. Wolves have killed a deer beside the trail.

Jan 11 -- Went over the trail again as far as Bone meadow, snojet running well.

Jan 14 -- Mild. Snow sliding from roof. “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible”—Jonathan Swift.

Jan 15 -- Journeyed down to work on the river trail by way of the Telegraph route. Came up to a moose around a sharp bend in the trail. It startled us both.

Jan 20 -- Scott Bailey stopped in. Gave him some signs and an axe to use on the trail work.

Jan 30 -- “Success is quite often best measured with your own ruler”.

Feb 12 -- Finally finished pushing the river trail through to connect with Marshall road. Came upon two separate wolf kills (deer). Tracks indicate that one young wolf even grabbed a mouthful of hair before a moose escaped across the river on the ice. Met Donny crossing the river ice on his motoski.

March 5 -- “The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next”— Helen Keller.

May 10 -- Patched up the old Telegraph waggon road along Whittier creek for another year. The high water erodes it more and more. The Telegraph foot trail goes over the ridge at this point so is not affected.

May 12 -- Finished the pole bridge over Winger creek on the Telegraph road.

May 14 -- Light rain. Checked out the Telegraph waggon road trail, as far as the Diamond road, on my quad. Still small patches of snow in the deep shade at that elevation. Went by a dying raven. Put in a gate where we cross through the Sanford range fence.

May 15 -- Took the quad as far as Herkyelthtie (Goose) lake on the Telegraph waggon trail, clearing as I went. Saw a glossy black, medium size bear.

May 16 -- Widened out the quad trail on the old road. Some of the logs were too close.

May 18 -- Found some morels along the Telegraph trail for supper.

June 7 -- Cleared the ridge loop on the Telegraph trail. Met a couple out hiking.

June 8 -- Jim Foulkes stopped in on his way home from Kispiox river. Gave him a couple of insulator side blocks from the Yukon telegraph line.

June 10 -- Cleared the Telegraph foot trail as far as Diamond road (five miles). Not bad for windfall. Only one or two dead pine down since last year on that section.

July 6– Cut the grass in the trail park. Springer, the dog, has passed away. I will miss him very much.

July 30 -- Put up a sign in the Telegraph park, outlining the history of the trail.

Aug 6 -- Cut grass and brush where the Telegraph trail crosses Whittier creek.

Aug 16 -- Happened to meet Scott Bailey while out on my quad. He reports that he has the Telegraph trail nicely cleaned up in the Blackwater river area.

Aug 28 -- Received the following message in part from Tucker at Kispiox concerning the old Yukon telegraph --

“I just wanted to inform you that a group of 12 individuals, including myself, (5 Gitsxan from Kispiox, 2 from Kitwanga and 5 Whites) are currently being employed to build trail along the Telegraph route from Old Kuldo north, following the Skeena river for 60 km.

We have set up camp at the end of the Kuldo Forest Service road, cut access trails in from the road, and currently have about 10 km of trail opened up.

Everyone involved is very keen on the project with all the history along the trail. (One of our crew from Kispiox located a message tree with his grandfather’s name on it from the 40's).

A few of us recon ahead each day to try to locate the trail and flag it off for the trail builders behind us. The task is difficult at times due to the terrain and heavy devils club, and vanishing and reappearing of the trail.

We have located many notched trees where axes chipped wood flakes for kindling, 3 mask trees with faces carved in, as well as some message trees with writing for future travellers. Wooden fish hooks, poles used for crossing creeks, and leg hold traps reclaimed by the trees have also been found. Also the cable is visible, along with insulators, on many occasions. There are also many blinds built into the hillside along the trail. Soon we will be reaching Canyon creek and hopefully can find the Boneyard.

I have been using your website for info and thought you may be interested.

Thanks, signed Tucker”.

Happy trails everyone!
Dwight
250-249-5783