A Glacier Runs Toward Me at a Snail’s Pace
The Cassiar road to Stewart, B.C. has been described as having the most spectacular and rugged scenery in the world. Towering rock walls, which would be a challenge to the best rock climbers, stifle me from moving along the north end of the road. On the other side the rushing Bear River roars a few hundred feet below me. Around a sharp bend streaks of blue crease the white mass of the ever downward flowing ice of the Bear Glacier. Despite its size the thick meandering ice mass is hemmed by several crashing waterfalls and cascading tons of rocks and gravel ever drifting down the steep mountain. In cadence they all splash and gulp into the icy river water below.
It constantly rains here. The wet and piercing winds chill my exposed body parts. Fresh bear scat alerts me the bears do not fear the deep drop which has me tiptoeing close to the cliff. I keep moving having no clue of what I will do if a bear runs toward me. “This is true adventure”, I convince myself.