English may be the language of Shakespeare, but he is not responsible for its unbearable inconsistencies. As I was preparing my post on "Buried Treasures" I typed the word "berry" instead of "bury." As a wildlife photographer I like to photograph "bares", oops, I mean "bears". Somewhere I have a photo of a bear eating berries, but I think the photo is buried among thousands of photos so I can't bare the thought of looking for it, which is unbearable.
My apologies for the tangent!
Back to Wells Gray. Winters in Wells Gray are almost unbearable. Even bears can't bare it so they hibernate. Okay, Den, stop it.
I remember one winter it was minus eleven degrees Fahrenheit. Being in the middle of nowhere I slept in the back of my truck (4x4 with winch). When I woke up I had that strange taste in my mouth so went to brush my teeth only to find that the toothpaste had frozen. In fact, everything in my truck was frozen --- EXCEPT WHAT WAS IN MY ICE CHEST. (So I kept the toothpaste in the Ice Chest from then on).
In terms of Wildlife, Wells Gray has black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, lynx, bobcats, wolverines, moose, deer, mountain goats, caribou, fishers, martens, minks, weasels, etc. So it has provided me with wonderful wildlife photos over the years.
But another amazing aspect of its nature are the lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.
Baileys Chute is relatively small waterfall on the Clearwater River that cascades a modest 30 feet. Yet, the Clearwater River's volume is so significant it creates quite a spectacle. In the fall, during the salmon run, the cascading nature of the falls and bedrock make it impossible for the salmon to move any further upstream. The salmon can be easily seen (and photographed) trying in vain to jump the chute. In the spring and early summer, the volume of the Clearwater River will often reach and exceed 35,000 cubic feet per second.
In 1998, Christine and I took our son Matt and his new bride Rung for a week in British Columbia and Alberta. I took them on my usual wildlife photo route. Our first stop was Wells Gray. Here then, photos of Bailey's Chute:
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| Here from a distance as we first arrive at Bailey's Chute (note the 20 - 25 pound Salmon trying to get up the Chute). |
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| I climb down to get a better photo (Christine's photo) |
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| The better photo |
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