The huge waterfall in the previous pics was Hunlen Falls at the lower end of Turner Lake, the terminus of the chain of lakes that is very popular with canoe-ists. They start at the top, (Kidney Lake ??) and paddle and portage for 3 to 5 days down a chain of 5 lakes. Sounds like fun….except for the bears. Here’s another shot of Hunlen Falls as we were beginning our descent into Lonesome Lake in the valley below………..

Now, lined up for the distant landing, Lonesome Lake is clearly visible, and distinctive because of the unusual “islands” on both sides. Doesn’t look very big, does it ?? It’s not………..

The U-shaped valleys all thru this country give strong evidence of past glaciation. Must have been something to see, 10,000 or 12,000 years ago during the last ice age. Approaching fast now, old hermit John’s cabin is at the top of the green vertical stripe just about in the center of this picture……..

Here’s a little better look at it. This really is a fairly typical shack. My new friends came to be quite dis-illusioned during their visit………..

We made 2 circuits of the lake, buzzing the cabin to let John know we were arriving, and losing altitude while pilot Dale checked out his landing zone very carefully. Lining up now for final approach over the trees…….

And onto short final. This is a tiny lake in a deep canyon, and ol’ Lar kept very still and quiet during this phase, not wanting to distract Dale at his controls……….

And we have splashdown. As it turned out, with Dale’s capable hands at the controls, there was lots of room to spare, and the mighty Beaver yawned as it made the turn back to the dock from mid-lake………

Soon, we were tied up to the tiny, primitive dock and our intrepid adventurers dis-embarked and began off-loading their equipment and supplies for their overnight visit. Pilot Dale Leekie is in the background, wearing the brown jacket. I’m not completely sure how these folks came to hear of old John, or how they contacted him to arrange for the trip. They did tell me, but in the excitement of the journey…??…………

These were nice folks and very easy to talk to. John had to launch his little boat and come to get them, and it took a while. He wasn’t able to come all the way to the dock, due to the islands, so they had to hike quite a way to reach the boat. We’re really back into the wilderness here…….

While waiting, I noticed evidence of a major fire that had roared thru this area, and Dale confirmed it. I also found where tools had been lost or abandoned without being used. Handles were burned off the axes and shovels, and the saw is ruined from the heat………

Finally, Old John did make his appearance, and I was amazed at his age and frailty. I heard later that he suffers from throat cancer, and hasn’t long to go. He wants to spend his remaining time here……….

Now, tho’, it was time for our group to beat cross-country with their gear to the boat. It was quite a hike, and I’m not sure they’d quite realized what they were getting into. The mosquitoes were thick and very aggressive, too…….

Meanwhile, pilot Dale, new to the area, really enjoyed meeting the old man, and they had quite a talk……….

We waited a while to make sure our group got away safely, and soon saw them piled into John’s little skiff, heading across the main river………..

After the hair raising approach to the lake, take-off was ho-hum in comparison, and the Beaver roared into the air easily and with room to spare. Just to be sure, Dale circled once back over the cabin area to make sure all was well……….

…..and it was. Quite unexpectedly, a couple of days later I ran into them in a parking lot in Bella Coola, and they told me of quite an adventure. From the boat landing it was quite a hike to the cabin, and it was very cluttered and very primitive. I think they were quite pleased to have their tents for accomodations.

Meanwhile, we soon arrived back at Stewart’s Lodge at Nimpo Lake, base of Tweedsmuir Air……….

This is a 1st class facility, and owner Duncan Stewart is charismatic and friendly. A great pleasure to meet, and I give a huge thanks to him for arranging this *much* more than expected flight. I’ve been flying now for 12 years, and thought I’d had some adventures, (I have) but nothing even comes close to this trip. This was the realization of a dream and will be a lifetime memory. Thank You, Duncan.                        Lar.

Larry Bourne

Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com

Posted: May 25th, 2008 under 07 British Columbia, 07-6-18 To Lonesome Lake.
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