Cold Feet, Warm Stories: A Weird Night in Smithers
okay so i'm sitting here in Smithers, British Columbia, and it's *-9.08°C outside. feels like -9.08°C too, which is basically "why am i alive" weather. i just checked and it's basically a deep freeze there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.
i rolled into town after a long drive from Prince George, and the first thing i noticed was how quiet it was. like, "everyone's hiding in their houses" quiet. the pressure's sitting at 1022 hPa and humidity's 89%, so you're not just cold-you're cold and damp. lovely.
anyway, i checked into this little motel near Main Street. the guy at the front desk warned me about the bears. "they're not hibernating yet," he said, like it was casual dinner conversation. i'm not sure if that's a joke or a threat, but i'm sleeping with one eye open.
Smithers has this weird Swiss-village-meets-logging-town vibe. there's an alpine-themed clock tower in the middle of town, and i'm pretty sure it's the only one within a 300-mile radius. i walked around for a bit, ducking into places that looked warm. found a bakery called Alpenhorn that smelled like heaven. got a cinnamon bun the size of my face. worth every frozen finger.
"Don't trust the river trail after dark,"
a local told me at the bar. "coyotes get bold when it's this cold." great, now i'm also scared of the dark. thanks, Smithers.
if you get bored, Terrace and Prince Rupert are just a short drive away. or you could just stay here and pretend you're in a tiny mountain village in Europe. same vibe, cheaper beer.
i heard from a guy at the pub that the best view in town is from the Glacier Gulch Trail*. he said it's a "moderate hike," which i'm pretty sure means "prepare to weep and question your life choices." still, i might try it tomorrow if my toes thaw out.
someone told me that the Bulkley Valley is stunning in the summer, but right now it's just... white. and cold. and silent. but in a good way? maybe? i don't know, i'm too cold to think straight.
would i come back? maybe. in the summer. with a better jacket. and maybe a bear whistle. but for now, i'm just gonna sit here with my cinnamon bun and pretend i'm not slowly turning into a popsicle.
for more on Smithers, check out the Smithers Community Website or read up on Bulkley Valley adventures.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/wuhan-with-kids-where-the-noodles-are-hot-and-the-schools-are-complicated
- https://votoris.com/post/best-afterschool-activities-and-youth-sports-in-yerevan
- https://votoris.com/post/salt-lake-city-shopping-chaos-vintage-hunts-mall-myths
- https://votoris.com/post/yogyakartas-sticky-embrace-a-budget-students-sticky-note-guide
- https://votoris.com/post/lisbons-a-blur-pastel-de-natas-and-perpetual-rain