A Grizzly and a Dog Named Lonesome
September 15, 2009
Atlin, B.C.
We’ve stopped on the highway for caribou, a herd of buffalo and many black bears – I’ve counted nine on the road so far – but today we encountered our first grizzly of this trip.
After stops in Watson Lake and Teslin, Allan and I dipped below the Yukon border, to drive to the story-rich village of Atlin in the mountains of northern B.C. Our old car did not complain as it bumped along the twisting gravel road. We kept stopping to explore so the trip took several hours.
Just as we approached Atlin, we saw a hungry grizzly munching its dinner in the ditch beside the road. We didn’t stop but I rolled down my window slowly, and the bear looked up just as I snapped this picture.
A few days later, I was sad to learn that a grizzly bear had been shot at this same bend in the road. Was it the same bear? I’m not sure. Many people in the community were upset when they heard the news.
Here’s a happier animal story from Atlin. Tonight I went to a great concert at the restored Globe Theatre – an old silent movie house – and met Lonesome. Wandering up and down the aisles, this dog visited every single person in the audience for an ear scratch, and then went up on stage to visit the two musicians from Yellowknife. Lonesome even howled in tune. Everybody missed him when he finally nodded a goodnight, and trotted out the door.
This morning Patricia Kother welcomed me into Atlin’s excellent museum and took me into its archives so that I could begin my research. My notebook is already overflowing with story possibilities.
Surrounded by snowy mountains, lakes and wild rivers, Atlin is inside the traditional territory of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. After 1897, thousands of newcomers, including many babies and older kids, travelled on a difficult trek through the mountains when they heard about a gold discovery in Atlin. About 400 people live here now, including many artists and musicians. I hope to return next year for more book research and interviews, and to enjoy the well-known Atlin Arts and Music Festival.
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