Exploring the trails

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Days two and three were full of new sites, new experiences and some new scars. We set out west along the Carrier pack trail that leads along the Blackwater river upstream to trading posts throughout the region. The trail was in great condition and someone had come in and brushed it out, but as the day wore on and we started to have to swerve off the beaten path to re gain the trail fromblow down it started becoming obvious the trail was heading down hill in up keep fast. It seems amazing looking back that these trails that were such an important part of peoples lives would just be left to, perhaps not be forgotten but left to the ravishes of time. Time had started to take back the trail as the dead, blown over pine and spruce trees reaked havoc on our plan of making it to where the Mackenzie trail crossed with the Carrier pack trail 6 kms up trail and upstream of the blackwater river. As the day wore on and we were beginning to feel the effect of the sleepless, stormy night we decided to turn back to camp and pack up to head downstream to where we could gain water access without scaling a steep river bank. The horses were loaded down and ready to get back on the trail so we headed to the lower black water bridge to see our next camp site. Along the water we found the campsite amazing compared to the sites of the last. While I loved camp one and its beauty the actual beauty of the canyon on day two was beyond what I expected. The water had a nice little rapid coming down into a nice pool that allowed the cleaning of cuts and water collection for cooking, it was perfect. The horses drank for hours and we rested in camp for what seemed like forever with the knowledge that we survived the storms, the night of unsurity with the horses on the high line and the feeling of unease through fire threats. On day three we explored trails down stream more towards the fraser river and experienced views from the canyon trails that were amazing and paths that were blocked (once again) from blow down.
I woudl not have changed a thing, not the storm, the bruises from the trees or the cuts from branches. It was perfect all on its own and in its own way. The alexander mackenzie trail is amazing, beautiful and almost forgotten it seems as one travels down the trails and thinks back tohow it must have been used and how important it must have been to so many. It must have been a lifeline for so many along the way, to have been able to experience that with someone like jeremy and even just others in the area was a great chance. I loved every second of it.

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