90 km. trail system one of B.C.'s most spectacular
The photo, featured in Stein Valley-Joy to the World poster was taken from the Stein Heritage Trail. Looking southwest towards the junction of Rutledge Creek and the Stein River, this image (actually two overlapping 35 mm slides digitally spliced by computer) shows just a small part of the Stein.
It is not hard to imagine that the Stein Valley is a mysterious and complex living organism. Photographed from a satellite, on a cloudless day last September, the Stein watershed looked like a light green alder leaf. Every surrounding watershed appeared like alder leaves too, except along their stems where they appeared to have a blight, the unmistakable rectangular brown scars of clear-cut logging.
Whether or not a watershed is a loving entity within Gaia is a moot question. But for sure, a major unroaded, unlogged, undammed watershed is becoming a very rare organism worldwide.
To really see the Stein Valley from a human perspective, one must walk the Stein Heritage Trail from river mouth to high alpine pass. Under the auspices of the Lytton and Mt. Currie Indian bands, Western Canada Wilderness Committee coordinated the efforts of hundreds of people who volunteered time to work on the trail, donated materials for cable crossings and bridges, and contributed financially to the project. They have made this trail system one of the most spectacular in B.C.
The system now comprises more than 90km of upgraded heritage trail, including 3 cable crossings and 3 foot bridges over dangerous river courses.
In the summer of 1987, a crew of volunteers cleared access via the Blow-down alpine pass into the heart of the Stein valley at Cottonwood Falls. This addition to the trail system allows the intermediate strength hiker to do an alpine-to-valley bottom traverse in a few days. The entire watershed can be traversed in nine days.
The lower trail from river mouth to Cottonwood Falls is 42 km. Of fairly easy walking, suitable for hikers of average strength. Trails branching up from Cottonwood vary from moderate to difficult.
The spring of 1988 will bring the construction of several food caches throughout the valley and two more trail head signs for the alpine accesses. Meanwhile, a detailed Stein trail map is to be printed in time for the 1988 summer hiking season.
Anyone who has walked for kilometres along logging roads appreciates the tranquility and beauty of the healthy intact Stein watershed and returns back to civilization with a deep appreciation of the giant 35 km. By 47 km. Natural Stein "alder leaf." Modern humankind's economic measuring stick-money-can never value or replace the magic of this sacred place.
