I'm knee deep in the icy Atnarko River in central British Columbia. A belt is cinched across my chest waders to prevent water from dragging me under if I slip in. Cougar tracks are pressed into the snow on the bank. At least the grizzlies, which feast on spawning salmon here each fall, are napping this time of year. On this morning, my guide Jai Condon demonstrates the art of fly-fishing. He flicks the rod. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. And, releases. "How do you lay the line down so nicely?" someone asks. "Practice," he says, laughing. I'm terrible. I don't get a nibble even though trout can be caught year round in the Bella Coola Valley, about 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver. I didn't come here to fish, but I'm hooked.
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The highest peak in the Coast Mountains is Mt. Waddington at 4,019 meters
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Coast Mountain's rugged landscape doubled for the Himalayas in feature films "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun"
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Guests at Pantheon Heli Ranch can ski uncharted terrain then name the new run
@placeholder, my fishing guide, later returns to the lodge cradling a block of that ancient ice.