After a drive down a dirt road that cut through the forest, the pickup truck stopped next to a wooden house, on which there are teeth and claw (爪子) marks left by grizzly bears. Kluane National Park, I later learned, has the largest number of grizzlies in Canada.
Luckily, I headed for the water. Climbing into a small boat, my guide Hansen and I rolled out onto Mush Lake. Thirteen kilometres long, the lake is the kind of place that would attract weekend visitors, were it close to human settlements. "Look around," Hansen said. "We're the only people on this big lake."
Lying in the far southwest corner of Canada, Kluane's 22, 000sqkm are 80% covered by snow and ice. Much of the rest is rainforest, thanks to the relatively warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.
As Hansen piloted our boat past snow-covered mountains, he showed me the survival pack on board. "If I die, this bag has everything you need to live," he said. "Just make a fire, and don't worry. They'll come for you by nine o'clock." Luckily, we both made it to lunch. At one fishing spot, Hansen caught three fish, and we set up on a nearby beach and cooked the fish over a fire.
After our lunch, we walked into the cold stream that emptied into the lake. We were looking for grayling, a type of fish found only in cold subarctic waters. Hansen showed me different casts (抛钓线), and — as I tried, I learned the hard way that fly fishing is more art than science. But the number of fish made up for my weaknesses. Sometimes two grayling would jump for the fly. Within an hour, I had caught some 40 fish.
Kluane also offers about 160km of trails, ranging from five-day treks (路程) to half-hour cakewalks. To experience the land's beauty, I joined guide Little for a long walk. Little told me, the park is home to the second highest mountain in North America, 5,959m-tall Mount Logan. To truly appreciate the park, Little suggested I see it from above. So we climbed aboard a plane. As we flew up over the mountain, I couldn't help showing surprise at its beauty.
