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Journal for 1999

Feb. 16 -- Protested to Forest Minister Zirnhelt about putting pheremone bait along the trail.

Feb. 20 -- The Alaska Committee approved the idea of a trail through B.C., using the Telegraph trail.

March 8 -- Asked Peter Couldwell to move a big rock out to the Telegraph trail road crossing at Goose lake with his big cat. He was working nearby with it. We can now put a bronze plaque on it to mark the trail.

April 22 -- Cleared the T. trail over the ridge from the Trailhead at Whittier creek. Came back along the old road down the creek.

April 29 -- Gordon Desjarlais and Mark Lauckner were installed as new Directors. Betty Motherwell, Charles Froese and Dwight Dodge were returned.

May 8 -- Don Thompson and I cleared from Goose lake to Whittier creek. Still snow in small patches in certain places. Saw two bears and five deer on the way out. Found more beetle pheremone bait along the trail.

May 19 -- Don and I cleared T. trail between Twin lake and Goose lake. The trail was very wet. Will have to relocate a section opposite the Canyon Meadow road near Five Dollar hill.

May 23 -- Don came with me out to Charleson creek to do that section of trail. Stopped for a swim in Little Twin lake on the way by. Warm sunshine.

May 29 -- Don and I relocated the by-pass section closer to the road near the bottom of Five Dollar hill.

June 3 -- Worked at clearing the re-route portion of T. trail near bottom of Five Dollar hill.

June 25 -- Trimmed up the Trail-head park with brushcutter.

July 3 -- Picked up Don and ventured out to work on clearing the stretch of T. trail between Charleson creek and Mile 34 ranch. A sunny day but lots of water in the low places from all the rain. Came up close to a blackbear.

July 6 -- Foggy this morning but it cleared out to glorious sunshine. Don helped me clear from Q road to past Muskrat meadow on T. trail. We also explored along Pantage lake. I found several stone blades used by Natives for skinning before the advent of knives. We found a kekuli pit and a huge Douglas fir that is 14' 7" in circumference. It could be close to one thousand years old. We observed eagles flying around a nest close by.

July 9 -- Blue sky. Picked up Don to help on the T. trail. We cleared from Muskrat meadow to Pantage lake turn off. We stopped for a swim in Punjab lake on the way back. Saw a small bear and two deer.

July 11 -- I started off on the section of T. trail toward Pantage creek while Don drove the car up to the other end of this section and walked back on the trail toward me. I called Gordon on the cell phone while we were sitting on a stump beside the trail having our lunch. A bear was seen eating ants on the side-hill below us. A beautiful view of the valley stretched out before us.

July 14 -- Since the weather is holding fair, I decided to drive out to Blackwater and finish the section of T. trail down to the river from Pantage creek crossing. Met a buck and two bears on the trail.

July 21 -- Don came down to help me fall the big cottonwoods that had died when the beavers flooded them. We fell them all. They were very dangerous. West Fraser dropped off some maps for me to mark in where the trails are.

July 25 -- Asked Don to come out with me on the old Native trail at Gillies crossing. We lost it for awhile and wandered around a bit. Will try again later. Talked to Ron Thompson, the owner at the Euchiniko crossing, on the phone. Very tired when we got back. Bugs very bad in the bush.

July 26 -- On hold for a couple of days until payday. Found the trail along the south side of Euchiniko river on an old 1929 map.

Aug. 1 -- Explored the old trail on the south side of the Euchiniko up from Gillies crossing to Nuntzen lake. Found it most of the way. Saw a deer and a bear on the road. Mosquitoes still thick in the bush. It will be a beautiful trail when cleared. Went swimming in the Euchiniko. Water very warm. Saw a deer in the river.

Aug. 13 -- Argo finally put chloride on the road by the Trailhead park for dust control.

Aug. 18 -- Picked up Don on the way out to Blackwater. We went over the Collins trail loop with the powersaw. We started from Frappier's. Went swimming in the river. Saw a deer.

Aug. 23 -- Brian Desjarlais and Don came along with me to Blackwater. We cleared the Nazkonate loop trails.

Aug. 28 -- Journeyed out to Nazko and up the Honolulu road to meet Don camped at the upper bridge. After going in to see an old ranch, we found the trail into the Nazko falls by using some good detective work. They are nice. We swam in the pool at the bottom of each one. We are camping out tonight so we can walk up the Nazko river from the bridge on an old wagon road. Nice weather. Saw a bear.

Aug. 29 -- Don and I hiked up the Nazko valley to an old ranch. Found what appears to be an old grave. Lots of geese. Stopped at the mouth of the Clisbako on the way home. Lots of salmon returning. Drove home. Saw a cow moose and calf on one side of the road and a deer on the other. Read Dawson's account of his trip down the Nazko river from Puntzi lake in 1875.

Aug. 30 -- Found out from Don's mom that the old fellow who lived on the now abandoned ranch up the Nazko river at the end of the road was named A1 Loomis. He had died when his horse fell on him and had broken his leg and hip. He had crawled back to the trail but was found dead several weeks later. He had died from shock and exposure. They buried him beside the trail at his place. That was the grave we had found earlier.

Sept. 2 -- Don came with me out to the Nazko falls. We then walked down the escarpment for about two miles until we were opposite the Tautri creek. We crossed the Nazko river to Tautri falls. George Dawson described them in 1875 as "a fine cascade". I agree. We found the old trail, well worn but overgrown, going up river, which we followed. Saw a deer. We found a hole drilled in a rock. Probably one made by George Dawson on his geological survey of 1875. A beautiful day.

Sept. 7 -- Picked up Don on the way out to Blackwater. We cleared the beaver pond loop down the Canyon trail. A nice day. Saw a small bear cross the road.

Sept. 16 -- Don came with me out to Blackwater river. We explored a route along the river down near the mouth of Charleson creek. Saw a bear, deer, fox and eagle. Nice weather.

Sept. 18 -- Went out to the Nazko falls. Followed the Native trail up river to Brown creek. A nice set of falls there, as well. A great-horned owl swooped down and landed nearby to give a good omen about the Nazko-Chilcotin trail. Drove to a viewpoint overlooking Brown lake. Spectacular views of the Coast Range.

Sept. 19 -- Reread a portion of Morice's French book, In the Land of the Black Bear. Confirmed that he did travel over the Nazko-Chilcotin trail in 1883.

Sept. 24 -- Don and I ventured out to Brown creek and continued up the Nazko river on the old trail as far as the Aneko river at the foot of Tschiniltil lake. We passed by Jennings falls on the Nazko along the way. These falls were named after one of the men in the CPR survey of 1875. They were checking out different routes for the transcontinental railroad as mentioned by George Dawson of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1875. We saw a bear, moose and a rabbit on the trip.

Oct. 12 -- Don and I started off for Blackwater in bright sunshine to clear the Lhtakoh Ti trail upriver. At the upper end, Don went over to look at the river canyon. He was privileged to see a lone black wolf out on the sandbar at close range. Before we got home, a steady rain had set in.

Oct. 14 -- Don and I ventured out to Blackwater. He went upriver to look for his wallet that he lost yesterday. I cleared the trail from Tako road to Mackenzie parking lot. Some big fir are blowing over where Weldwood has clear-cut too close to the trail.

Oct. 23 -- A nice day with a warm southerly breeze. Don dropped me off at Punchaw lake with my power saw. I cut toward Tako road on the Punchaw trail. He cut toward me from the Tako end. We met at Weldwood's big clearcut on the trail. They devastated the trail in that area. It makes a person angry and sad. Rustad Bros. have done a superb job of protecting the trail in their sector.

Oct. 27 -- Sent the following fax to Donald Bains of the Lheidli Native band in Prince George. It is a copy of a report from the Indian Reserve Commission in 1893 regarding the establishment of the #1 Blackwater Reserve at the terminus of the Punchaw trail.

"Sir:

I have the honor to inform you that I visited the Blackwater Band of Indians, in order to define reserves, on Aug. 22 and again on Oct. 4 and 6th when I completed the allotment of land for their use.

The number of this Band is very greatly decreased as is evidenced by the graves to be seen on the site of their old village and elsewhere. At present, the entire population numbers 13, the Chief being Nesketchinna.

These Indians are migratory, having no fixed place of residence. They possess neither cattle nor horses and they roam from place to place in search of fish and game, upon which they subsist almost entirely.

With the assistance of a few members of the tribe, I defined the following Reserve.

No. 1 Blackwater contains 36 acres and is situated about 3/4 mile above the mouth of Blackwater river on the right bank of Fraser river. The principal village of the tribe was situated here. There remains, at present, but one house, a dilapidated church and some 30 or 40 graves. There is no appearance of cultivation. The soil is of a worthless character, being principally of wash sand and gravel. Timber of good quality is found upon it. The Indians camp on this spot during the salmon run."

Nov. 1 -- Finally received a permit from Forestry to clear and maintain the Lhtakoh Ti and Punchaw trails.

Nov. 22-- Received a check from the insulator auction, $1170 U.S. This will be about $1600 Cdn, It was a green Tillotson used on the 1865 Collins telegraph line and was donated. Betty deposited the check into the Trail Society account.

Betty reminds us that membership dues are five dollars for single and seven dollars per year for families.

The next Annual General Meeting will be in April, 2000.

Happy hiking everyone!

Dwight Dodge