Valley of Fog and Smoke : Beaverdell to Arlington Lakes

When we set out from the tiny community of Beaverdell this morning it was quite chilly, and there was still frost clinging to the edges of grasses and leaves in the shadier spots.  A strong smell of smoke hung in the air, which we initially attributed to wood burning stoves in the cabins and homes around us.

As we made our way out of town along the paved road we passed a convoy of Teck work vehicles parked along the road edge.  The driver of one of the trucks stopped to ask if we knew there was a forest fire up ahead.  He didn't seem to know any specifics, so we thanked him for the warning, and stopped at the trailhead to re-check the BC Wildfire app.  Nothing new was listed near us, just the same four fires that we'd been seeing for the past few days.  We decided to keep going, but to monitor the situation for as long as we had cell service.

There was a visitor's log book at the trail head, and we were very excited to find an entry written on May 31st, 2019 by Bonnie (aka @bonnbury on Instagram).  They (pronoun of choice) have walked much of the Trans Canada Trail as well, beginning on the Pacific coast and walking to Ontario pre-pandemic, and this year walking from the Atlantic back towards Ontario.  It is always lovely to find evidence of the 'trail family' of thru-hikers, even if we haven't actually met most of them in person.

We headed down the wide, level, gravel rail grade of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, almost immediately diving into a forest of tall pines.  A carpet of rich golden grasses covered the ground, mixing with a thick layer of reddish pine needles.  The dark trunks of the pines appeared almost black as they rose up into a hazy sky, spaced well apart so we could see deep into the forest.  As the sun rose above the valley walls around us, we realized it was casting a sickly orange light.  There was indeed smoke in the air.

As we continued onward we could feel the trail beginning to climb.  The trees became denser on either side, making us feel like we were walking through a tunnel of green.  Somewhat to our alarm, we noticed that the valley was beginning to fill with smoke behind us.  Ahead the sky looked okay, but behind us the hills were being swallowed up.  We checked the BC Wildlife app again, and sure enough, a new wildlife had just been reported, about 30 km ahead of us, near Arlington Lake.  Our trail this morning made a giant switchback, so we decided to continue forward and see what happened.  If things got too bad, we could backtrack to Beaverdell using logging roads from the far side of the switchback, and figure out what to do from there.

As we continued to climb we got periodic views out over the treed valley beside us, which had been pretty heavily logged.  In some areas grasses and small shrubs had begun to grow back in the harvested areas, while in others there was still bare earth, with huge slash piles heaped throughout.  We couldn't help but notice that many large, straight trunks were included in these piles, which seemed like a huge waste.

There was quite a bit of activity going on around us.  A work crew was clearing trees along the road, opening it up for logging trucks to come through this winter. Several pickup trucks were parked off in the cleared areas, their occupants up in the hills preparing for the coming harvest season.  We could also hear the rumble of logging trucks already hauling wood out of the forest, and several times during the day they crossed our path.

The smoke was quickly filling the valley, causing the Carberry Ridge above us to completely disappear.  It gave the harvested hills opposite an almost romantic look as they disappeared into the haze, individual trees standing out against the sky.  However,  the sunlight filtering through the haze was a creepy orange colour, which left us feeling unsettled. 

About an hour into our hike we came to Carmi, where there was a wooden kiosk with lots of historical information and a stamp!  Although little remains at Carmi apart from two small buildings that look like they are being renovated as homes, apparently this was once an important stop along the Kettle Valley Railway. 

When the railway was completed in 1912, Carmi was a watering point for steam locomotives. In 1927 a coaling plant was added so that coal fired locomotives could also refuel.  After WWII, a relay station was built for the Communications Department built in 1946.  In 1949 an oil tank was installed at Carmi, so oil-fired locomotives could refuel.  When CPR switched to diesel trains in 1953 the coal and oil facilities were removed, but the telecommunications hub remained until 1966.

Just below the kiosk, along the bank of the Kettle River, was the ghost town of Carmi.  It still contains the remains of a general store, a livery stable, a hardware store, and a Catholic Church. There was also a sawmill down below, and apparently a large pile of sawdust now hides the entrance to a gold mine.  There were once two prosperous mines in the area - the Carmi and the Butcher Boy.  Once again we were left amazed at how little evidence remained of all the activity that once occurred there.

We had been missing the historical plaques along the railway line since leaving the C&W, so we enjoyed our stop at Carmi.  We also took a moment to look at the progress of the wildfire, which was now reported to be 1.5 ha in size, caused by lightening, and still with a rather unhelpful status of 'new' (more helpful options would have been 'contained', 'under control', or even 'out of control').

We continued climbing through our forested corridor of trees.  A pair of white-tailed deer briefly struck a pose on the trail ahead before disappearing into the trailside trees. The smoke was rapidly getting so thick that it was becoming difficult to breathe.  It felt like we were standing a few feet from a campfire, directly in the path of the smoke.   We were beginning to think we might be in trouble, when the trail turned westward and we got some much needed reprieve.

While it continued to be smoky, the air quality was much better.  We took a short break, sitting on the edge of the gravel path, before continuing on.  A steep rock wall rose up to our left, and somewhere below us on our right the Kettle River meandered along in its steep valley. Periodically a gap in the trees would give us stunning views out over the smoke filled valley behind us.  Patches of brilliant yellow aspens stood out against the dark green of the conifer covered slopes.  In the logged areas, lone trees stood tall, like sentinels keeping a solitary watch.  It was eerie and beautiful all at once.

Around noon we came to the Wilkinson Creek Bridge, which took us across a creek of the same name.  The squat metal top was painted a bright yellow, and happily the decking was solid wood.  We paused midway across to look down at the shallow, rocky streambed that was more than half empty.  Although the water was very low, it nevertheless gave strong reflections of the blue sky and bright yellow fall foliage.

At the far side of the river a small campsite had been cleared under a stand of conifers.  A few log benches had been created beside a stone fire ring, and we took another break to enjoy the pleasant spot.  There was easy access to the water, making it a very tempting place to camp.  However, we must push on, so we contented ourselves with a small snack.  The only granola bars the general store in Beaverdell had were chocolate covered oatmeal bars, which are small and extremely sweet, so I decided to improve them by dipping them in peanut butter.

After this short break we headed back east again, climbing up the opposite side of the valley. While our walk out to the bridge had been in the shade of the ridge above us, this side of the valley was sun soaked and hot!  It was also much more heavily logged, meaning there was less shade on the trail.

The more open landscape did give way to beautiful views down the valley.  In some places the hilly, logged landscape was incredibly colourful, with the bright reds of the ground cover under the yellows of the aspens, set against a backdrop of blue hills receding into the distance.

In many places there were large rock slides or washouts above us, but thankfully the trail itself remained clear.  At one point we spotted three mule deer on the grassy slope above us, standing in a row and quietly looking down at us.  As Sean got the camera out they bounded up the hill ahead of us.

A short while later we passed an old wooden shed at the side of the trail.  Inside was a rusty pail hanging from a nail under the roof, and what looked like an old wooden storage bin of some kind built into the corner. We really wished there was something to tell us about its history!

We continued on in the hot afternoon, stopping to watch a Clark's Nutcracker that was perching in the top of a pine, telling us off with its loud, rough voice.  There was something a little unnerving about the hot, dry air and the baking sun when we knew we were so close to a forest.  However, we kept on climbing steadily, our footsteps crunching on the gravel and rocks of the trail. A highlight was encountering a cluster of bird activity, with the busy chatter of Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Dark-eyed Juncos, and the very loud, rough, calls of a Clark's Nutcracker.

We passed more tall, crumbling, rocky cliffs,  some of them bright pink, red, or yellow. We also passed more washouts,  one of which was labelled with a warning for sink holes.

As the afternoon wore on, we found ourselves heading northward again towards Arlington Lakes. For long stretches we climbed upward through a tunnel of dense conifers. Across the valley the setting sun began to turn the forested slopes to gold. Up ahead we could heard the persistent and constant sound of a helicopter.

Around 4 pm we finally reached the end of the Arlington Lakes Recreational Site. A sign indicated that we needed to see the site host before setting up, so we continued on down the road.  Small treed sites with picnic tables were stretched along the shore of the lake.  Quite a few were occupied by RVs, and more vehicles towing campers and trailers with ATVs were pouring in.  Given our earlier concerns about the 'new' forest fire that is burning just 3 km north of here, and the stream of helicopters that was collecting water from Arlington Lake to fight the blaze,  we were relived to see others flooding into the campground and not fleeing it.

We continued to the second campground where the site host was supposed to be located, but found the designated location empty. Not knowing what else to do, we simply picked a site, set up the tent, and proceeded to make dinner. We enjoyed a fantastic sunset, with the pink clouds joining the green and gold reflections on the tree lined lake.  It is a quiet, peaceful, and very beautiful spot. As I write this there are millions of stars visible above the tent, as well as the milky way.  Two Great Horned Owls are duetting and mumbling to each other above the tent.  Around us the sounds of people's generators can be heard, together with our neighbour's unsuccessful attempts to get his running.  Although it is strange to be surrounded by the noises of other people, it feels like a wonderful ending to a very long, smoky day on the trail. 

See you on the trail!

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