Oolichan

Acting on a tip from friends, we decided to drive to Prince Rupert on Friday afternoon to see the oolichan run on the Skeena River. This four hour drive traverses spectacular scenery and covering this ground evokes an upwelling reverence, the land is so intensely wild and beautiful. It's the landscape of my youth, I recognize that I might be a little biased.

Oolichan, or candle fish, are small, sea-run smelt that are harvested by coastal First Nations. For generations people have rendered oil from these fish and traded this valuable food to interior nations along well-established trade routes called grease trails. Some of these trails are today's highways, and Highway 16 (that took us from Smithers to Prince Rupert) is probably one of those.

About 100 km west of Terrace we encountered thousands of sea birds and hundreds of eagles, a sure sign that the oolichan were in the river. Misty puffs of breath alerted us to the presence of Stellar sea lions drifting down stream, enormous and a little frightening. Seals were also in the river enjoying the feast.  It was a brilliant display of an amazing natural event, especially powerful in light of the progressive loss of oolichan runs all along the coast.

We enjoyed sun and warm weather in Prince Rupert and watched the sun setting over Digby Island from the hotel window.

In the morning we drove back to Smithers, stopping to watch some guys bring in nets of oolichan. We made a campfire and cooked hotdogs just east of Terrace, on a gravel bar just down from the confluence of the Copper and Skeena Rivers. My family used to camp near here when I was a kid. Wren and Chloe scrambled around on driftwood while Paula and I searched for the perfect rock(s).

The girls wanted to catch a fish, so I set them up with rods and they flailed the water for a while. Then we headed for home.

It was a great little trip, but Wren was glad to be home again. Once through the door, she embraced the door frame, giving the house a great big hug. She has been away too much and loves to be home. Alas, we head down to Vancouver on Thursday for tests, and the next round of treatment begins on Sunday night. This round is the last, or at least that is our hope. Of course, it is impossible to know.

We have recently learned that the Make-a-Wish Foundation has granted Wren a wish, and they will be sending us to Hawaii for a week in April. More on that and other stories soon.