- Hyder and with it Alaska definitely left
- Drive south to Kitwanga
- From there eastwards towards Prince George
- Stop at 'Ksan Historical Village and Old Hazelton
I'm oversleeping, so I miss another fishing grizzly. Well, not that bad, after all, I've already seen a lot of bears. Even today the weather is only a little cloudy, a real rarity in rainy Hyder. I have breakfast, pack my things and go to Fish Creek again. As expected, nothing can be seen in the good half an hour. So I'm going back to Steward across the Canadian border.
So I'm definitely leaving Alaska - at least for this trip. Even though I was here for the second time, there is still a lot to see that would appeal to me. So it is very possible that I will come up here again - because of nature and especially because of the bears. In particular, the broken dream of a trip to Katmai National Park, the ghost town of Kennecott, and the Dalton Highway are still on my list.
Now I drive the last few kilometers on the Cassiar Highway south to Kitwanga. On the way, the road crosses several streams overflowing with bright red sockeye salmon. I also discover a black bear in the bushes looking for berries. Contrary to what I originally planned, I don't drive the Nass Road to the Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed due to lack of time. The very lucky ones can spot one of the rare Kermode bears in this area, including spirit or ghost bears. These are white black bears. The animals are not albinos and only occur in a small coastal area in northern British Columbia. Similar to the black panther, it is a recessive gene mutation which can only come into play if both parents carry this gene.
From Kitwanga on, I feel back in civilization for the first time in a long time. I refuel the car much cheaper than further north. Then I continue via New Hazelton and Smithers. It is still dry and in between the sun even shines through the cloud cover. So I make another short detour to the 'Ksan Indian village and the adjoining Old Hazelton, which is not really worth seeing. Shortly before Houston I find an RV park to stay overnight.
