Leaving Atlin

Atlin Lake, BC

July 18

Wow. Six days in this exquisite place. Three raucous Festival days followed by three more just to relax and enjoy the area and our new friends here who have enthusiastically shown us a quintessential mountain and lake experience. Yesterday we were taken out on the gloriously azure Atlin Lake to fish for our supper. We caught two Lake Trout of about 5lbs each. I was relieved to see how quickly and easily they died after a swift clubbing to the head. I'm actually wishing I had asked for the opportunity to experience that task to know how it would sit with me. I strongly believe that if you eat an animal, you should know that you could kill it without undue spiritual trauma. I've been a little distressed since I began eating fish in Africa (2002) as I'm really not sure how I would fare with that duty. In any case, it was good for me to witness the whole process in reasonable peace and with the knowledge that these fish that I would take into my body had a good life in a pure glacial lake and the most humane death possible. They were well appreciated by six hungry bodies.

The first catch went from lake to pan within fifteen minutes and we ate it right on the boat. I have never tasted more delicate and delicious fish. The second we took to the firepit near our RV and roasted it in the embers while Len, our hunter-fisher-mountain man host, fried up burgers made from a wild buffalo he had killed near Takhini Hot Springs outside of Whitehorse. This hilarious, friendly man regaled us with stories of his life in the wilderness. Earlier in the day he had helped us accomplish many errands and he left us with the most perfect gift -- a set of moose antlers which he handily affixed to the front grill of our vehicle.

As I write this, the Dodge Lark has developed an amusing new quirk. She is blowing her horn repeatedly at irregular intervals as we proceed along this bumpy dirt road back to Whitehorse. What a Lark! She is a jolly old RV!




Out on the lake


John (RO's trombone player) the pin-up boy




Can you believe the colour of this lake?!