File:The continent we live on (1961) (20496514210).jpg

Title: The continent we live on
Identifier: continentweliveo00sandrich (find matches)
Year: 1961 (1960s)
Authors: Sanderson, Ivan Terence, 1911-1973
Subjects: Physical geography; Natural history
Publisher: New York : Random House
Contributing Library: New College of California
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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Trees, Fjords, and Salmon British Columbia and the Yukon The outstanding feature of this province is its trees. We remarked earlier the impression that the first paltry and isolated specimens that we encountered on coming down from the Arctic made upon us, and in the Canadian Lakes province we have already seen trees in as great a mass as anywhere on earth. But these were really very modest plants, having trunks of only a foot or so in diameter at the base; and few, even in the deeper and more sheltered valleys, topped more than fifty feet in height. As soon as we enter this province, however, we see many changes, most notably in the variety, size, and height of the trees. In order to understand this province properly one should probably attempt to see it both by sailing down the coast and by traveling overland. On land the ideal would be to start from a point east of Lake Mayo and travel straight south over the great Pelly Range to the region of Lake Teslin, cross the Alaska High- way there, and then proceed somewhat east of south over the Cassiar, Stikine. and Skeena mountains to Hazelton on the west- to-east road from Prince Rupert to Prince George (the only one that crosses the province apart from the Alaska Highway). From there it would be best to turn slightly to the east again along the Bulkley Mountains to Tweedsmuir National Park, and then go straight ahead via Lake Chilko to Vancouver. But you cannot do this today unless you organize a fairly large and expensive expedition because there are no roads, or even paths or hunting trails, anywhere along this line, while the country goes up and down like a mammoth roller coaster and is mostly unmapped and unexplored. Further, though the climate except in deep winter is comparatively mild, the country is exceedingly rugged in other respects, especially in the deep valleys, which are choked with vegetation great and small, and littered with rotting logs, boulders, and botanical debris. There is game here ample to support active humans, but it is very hard to see and for travelers bent on making a lengthy passage it takes too long to hunt. There is, however, an alternative journey which can be under- taken in perfect comfort by automobile but on which one sees little of the country, and not only on account of the trees that The coast of Alaska from Kodiak Island to the panhandle and south to Vancouver Island and the Olympic Range is clothed in "rain forest" resulting from warm ocean currents. 68
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