- Car pick-up and drive to Wells Gray Provincial Park
- Sighting of two black bears and a cub
- Explore the Wells Grays waterfalls (Spahts Falls, Dawson Falls and especially the impressive Helmken Falls)
After the wonderful night in the cabin, we take a short morning walk and bring our car to the garage again. With the pickup truck from Alexandra we drive again to Williams Lake to visit the village and the Walmart. The former is proving to be a relatively boring affair, so we'll soon move on to the second. We buy mosquito repellants, lighter cubes and other useful items. We return to the house around noon and find out that our car is now ready to be picked up. Of course we will not miss that anymore.
We say goodbye to Alexandra, pack our things and set off on an adventure. The drive heads south over 100 Mile House and then east to Clearwater and into the wilderness of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The road is lined with extensive forests, lakes and fields. From Clearwater in particular, the area becomes wilder. Soon we will reach the first large waterfalls in the park, the Spahats Falls. Other stops include the wide Dawson Falls and other lookouts. The last but largest waterfall in the park is the famous Helmcken Falls. What a fantastic sight this impressive waterfall in the golden evening light! When a car stops at the roadside in front of us, we can hardly believe our luck. A handsome black bear grazes on the side of the road. We take some pictures of the wonderful moment before we continue. The day before I had read on the Internet that this route is known for seeing black bears in spring.
When the sun is already setting behind the horizon and we are grappling with the late dinner, a mother black bear with her year-old boy is standing in the middle of the gravel road. We can hardly believe it and are just amazed. A few photos later, the two disappear into the thicket. At Clearwater Lake Campground we set up camp for the next two nights and set up the roof tent. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to find firewood, so we make pasta on the gas stove. It will soon be very cold and teeming with mosquitoes who love to bite, a real nuisance. Soon afterwards, stuck and tired, we climb into the roof tent.
