One of the cooking jobs I had early in my career was at a place called Sheep Creek, located in Northern Yukon National Park, Canada. At one time there had been a small gold mining operation on the creek which flowed into the Firth River. You could still find the remains of sluicing troughs and if you had a bit of patience you might find a bit of gold dust remaining in the creek. At some point the miners fled perhaps for easier pickings and left behind a scary but usable air-strip and the remains of a crash just to give you something to think about when you flew in rolling toward the edge of the cliff hoping the plane, a twin engine otter, would stop in time. The whole Firth River Valley was a very beautiful, uninhabited place of rolling hills, low mountains and a glacier-fed river and creek.
Not far from the Alaskan border, there was a poaching problem with hunters flying in and killing wolves etc. from the air. There was also a medium sized dall sheep flock living in the hills and mountains that warranted protection. The Canadian Parks Service decided to build a park headquarters to deter the poaching and establish a visible presence in the area.
This was a remote, fly-in location with just a couple of trailers, one of which served as the camp kitchen and general hang-out. My job was to cook for a small construction and helicopter crew, usually not more than 6 to 8 guys. The coffee pot was always on and it didn't take long, however, for word to spread that the food and hospitality was good and it was a great opportunity to escape from telephones, faxes,etc. This was before our current range of never-to-be-out-of-touch-technology. We also had a few visitors who were enjoying the white water rafting experience on the Firth River and at one point a CBC film crew filming a show for David Suzuki. Even though we were quite remote with only a two-way radio for communication with the town office, it was never dull. If we lacked for visitors we were usually able to round up enough players for a good game of cards in the evening. I personally enjoyed going for walks in the evening although much mosquito protection was needed.
The summer was very enjoyable and when I prepared the camp kitchen for the winter, I washed walls, and every available surface well in an attempt to remove any lingering food odors. We closed up camp and did not return until late the following spring.
It was immediately obvious that we had company in early spring. The smallish window that was located above the stove was crashed in, the remains of the frame bent and twisted. Upon entering the trailer we discovered a rather large dent in the top of the stove. The remains of a bottle of mazzola oil was tipped on its side. When we went outside we were able to follow a trail of both bear scat and bits of a plastic bowl that had obviously retained food odors. I still have a rather clear picture imagining the bear strolling along the river bank perhaps unhappy at such meager pickings to satisfy his growing hunger after a winter of fasting. The local grizzly had come to call.
We were fortunate. Usually when a bear gets into a cabin or cottage they do not necessarily use the same entrance as an exit. They are also well-known for being quite destructive while inside. This one just drank the cooking oil and left. I think it was probably a pretty good cleanse after the long winter.
We were fortunate to often the see the big grizzlies although they rarely came near the camp when we were present. We were always careful with garbage, food preparation and storage so as not to attract them. They were likely as happy to avoid us as we were them.
Note: One of the delicacies of this region was fresh-caught Arctic Char. Char is similar to salmon with perhaps a milder taste depending on the size. We particularly enjoyed it stuffed, wrapped in foil and barbequed.
Not far from the Alaskan border, there was a poaching problem with hunters flying in and killing wolves etc. from the air. There was also a medium sized dall sheep flock living in the hills and mountains that warranted protection. The Canadian Parks Service decided to build a park headquarters to deter the poaching and establish a visible presence in the area.
This was a remote, fly-in location with just a couple of trailers, one of which served as the camp kitchen and general hang-out. My job was to cook for a small construction and helicopter crew, usually not more than 6 to 8 guys. The coffee pot was always on and it didn't take long, however, for word to spread that the food and hospitality was good and it was a great opportunity to escape from telephones, faxes,etc. This was before our current range of never-to-be-out-of-touch-technology. We also had a few visitors who were enjoying the white water rafting experience on the Firth River and at one point a CBC film crew filming a show for David Suzuki. Even though we were quite remote with only a two-way radio for communication with the town office, it was never dull. If we lacked for visitors we were usually able to round up enough players for a good game of cards in the evening. I personally enjoyed going for walks in the evening although much mosquito protection was needed.
The summer was very enjoyable and when I prepared the camp kitchen for the winter, I washed walls, and every available surface well in an attempt to remove any lingering food odors. We closed up camp and did not return until late the following spring.
It was immediately obvious that we had company in early spring. The smallish window that was located above the stove was crashed in, the remains of the frame bent and twisted. Upon entering the trailer we discovered a rather large dent in the top of the stove. The remains of a bottle of mazzola oil was tipped on its side. When we went outside we were able to follow a trail of both bear scat and bits of a plastic bowl that had obviously retained food odors. I still have a rather clear picture imagining the bear strolling along the river bank perhaps unhappy at such meager pickings to satisfy his growing hunger after a winter of fasting. The local grizzly had come to call.
We were fortunate. Usually when a bear gets into a cabin or cottage they do not necessarily use the same entrance as an exit. They are also well-known for being quite destructive while inside. This one just drank the cooking oil and left. I think it was probably a pretty good cleanse after the long winter.
We were fortunate to often the see the big grizzlies although they rarely came near the camp when we were present. We were always careful with garbage, food preparation and storage so as not to attract them. They were likely as happy to avoid us as we were them.
Note: One of the delicacies of this region was fresh-caught Arctic Char. Char is similar to salmon with perhaps a milder taste depending on the size. We particularly enjoyed it stuffed, wrapped in foil and barbequed.
2 comments:
Really this would be a wonderful experience, even with the bears. I have seen pictures, of course have never been, we tend to go to the warmer climates, but always say we are missing so much.
Loved your story.
Thank you so much for your feedback. It is indeed beautiful country. The people are very friendly and one of the things I like the most is that when something is going on in the area, everybody participates.
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