Exploring the Gold Rush Trail - Lytton, BC

Lytton, British Columbia, Canada
sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.
(The Thompson is the darker blue river in the image above,
the Fraser, the lighter grey colour)

I wanted to walk through some deeper history of
British Columbia, and follow the
Caribou Gold Rush Trail.
With such fantastic names like Horsefly,
Likely, Gold Bridge and Cache Creek, I knew this
would an area that would not only be a trip through
British Columbia's history, but quite possibly,
a trip further back in geological time.

It draws on your spirit and sense of awe
that such wild, rugged areas were merely hindrances to overcome
in their drive to find wealth and riches.
I wonder if the prospectors took the time to
experience such incredible beauty that the whole area has to offer.

Today, there are several driving routes you can
take to tour the paths and adventures that the
gold miners and hope filled entrepreneurs experienced
from bygone days.

Lytton is along the Caribou Gold Rush Trail,
and was a stopping place for prospectors to replenish
both their supplies and waning spirits.
There was originally a First Nations village here
called Camchin, the meeting place,
and Lytton is one of the oldest continually settled
communities in North America.

She's a truly beautiful and wild area of British Columbia.
Peregrine Falcons abound here.
At the junction of #12 and #1 highways (across from
the old hospital, you can park here and walk across #12 just before the bridge,
look for 3 poles that have been erected),
the hydro company has erected a utility
pole for a nesting pair of falcons.

I was told by a native woman that the falcons come back every year, and
have for many decades. They are part of the heritage here,
and their haunting cries can be heard echoing along
the canyons walls and city streets of Lytton.
The city inhabitants know these falcons, know how many chicks have
been laid, how they are progressing and when they fledge from
their nest. Their lives are somehow intertwined
with the rhythms of nature.
It's all so perfect.

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