I will be working in Northwestern British Columbia (BC) this year for seven months, based in the town of Smithers. The BC Ministry of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources has employed me where I will be focusing on Occupational Health and Safety at exploration sites and quarries.
The area of Northwestern BC is beautiful. The Bulkley River flows past Smithers. Highway 16 or the Yellowhead passes Smithers and Terrace. The Western end of the Yellowhead is at Prince Rupert which is also in Northwestern BC. North of Smithers is Stewart, Hudson’s Hope and Fort St. John. These are communities I know of and I am not sure which ones I will be passing through but it will be interesting.
I have lived for at least parts of three summers in Fraser Lake which is in Northcentral BC. This is a drive of about 220 kilometres (135 miles) Southwest from Smithers along the Yellowhead. While there, I worked at Endako Mine which is owned by Centerra Gold. This is about 200 km (125 miles) Southwest of Smithers along the Yellowhead to Endako and then turn onto the Endako Mine Road.
If time permits while I am in Smithers, I intend to catch some Steelhead trout in the area. While in Fraser Lake, I can remember enjoying myself fishing for Rainbow trout. I am also interested in old mining projects. One of these is ‘The Dolly Varden Mine‘ which is owned by the Dolly Varden Silver Corporation (close to Kitsault, a ghost town). Another is where ‘Atlin’s gold rush‘ occurred. TheT
