Tubing down the Atanarko

Annalee, Carol and Nina drifting by one of the lodge's guests and guide Lee trout fishing.

The banks of the Atanarko out just down the path from the lodge.

Today was fairly quiet for work. Got up at the crack of dawn and fed our guests and sent them all off on day trips-This was Carol's great plan-get rid off everyone for the afternoon and then we could go tubing down the river. The Atanarko river is a lake fed river that runs in front of the lodge, most around here are glacier fed so pretty cold but the Atnarko is warm enough to swim in. It's pretty fast moving so getting on the tube was a chore but once on you tear down the river at a good lick-which as Annalee pointed out is very good when there are bears on the banks! We put one car down at the fisheries pool- a fish-counting place and campground just about a mile downriver from us and then headed back up to the lodge where we got in. We passed one of our guests trout fishing on the river with Lee one of our guides. Very relaxing day.

The boss is in a very good mood today as we had some rain last night-We've had suh dry weather that forest fires have been burning in several spots in the park (we are just in side the tweedsmuir provincial park border on the west side) We have all taken turns going down to unofficial campsites in the area and feeling rocks to make sure fire hasn't gone underground, The natives had their annual powwow here in Stui last week so we had to have a pumper truck come up and soak the area just incase (Stuie is actually exactly where the lodge is, it is a thousand year old meeting place for the plateau natives and the valley natives, historically the two groups would meet once a year and trade. Stuie is a derivitive of a word meaning meeting place in Nuhalk language.