A Week with the West Wind

Are seniors welcome? Website photos show young-looking people cavorting in the wilderness, and we don’t want to cramp their style. In fact, many guests at Nuk Tessli backcountry lodge are sixty-plus, old enough to remember the 1980s Morningside Program on CBC Radio, where host Peter Gzowski read letters from wilderness dweller Chris Czajkowski, who built Nuk Tessli’s first two cabins as an alpine refuge.

Stunning scenery, warm hospitality, and camaraderie we expect, based on Nuk Tessli’s five-star reviews; the array of rocks, the sun halo, and the newly installed shower are surprises.

Welcome to Nuk Tessli

A gaggle of staff, volunteers, and guests wave us welcome as our floatplane approaches the dock on the shore of Whitton Lake, at the southeast edge of Tweedsmuir, BC’s largest provincial park. From their website photos, we recognize the Erel Bucovetsky family, including the family dog Tashi. The guests are the ones enjoying a quick swim in the lake after a day of hiking in the mountains. The multinational volunteers add a youthful energy to the group.

Nuk Tessli is the First Nations term for west wind, which is the way the wind blows most of the time. Access is fly-in, a scenic twenty-minute floatplane ride from the Tweedsmuir Air airbase at Nimpo Lake. Professional mountain climber Doron Erel has operated the off-grid lodge with his family since 2011, when he purchased Nuk Tessli from Chris Czajkowski.

Of the three guest cabins, we are assigned Chris’s Cabin, built by Chris herself more than 25 years ago. Nestled among the rocks, Chris’s is an authentic, rustic log cabin with a wood stove and a few modern amenities: a composting toilet (requires some agility), solar lights and USB chargers, and a propane heat-on-demand shower installed just three weeks ago.

Don’t bother bringing your own snacks! Nuk Tessli’s food is plentiful, creative, and delicious. The breads and yogurt are homemade, the salads are varied and colourful, and the desserts are surprises such as baklava, chocolate souffle, or sticky toffee pudding. Guests make their own trail lunches from a platter of veggies, meats, cheeses – even peanut butter-and-jam for the non-Europeans.

New to us: shkedei marak, an addictive, versatile condiment that can be liberally sprinkled over soups, stews, salads, and even desserts.

Canoe days

Canoeing through a chain of lakes – without portaging a canoe – is what attracts us to Nuk Tessli, and there are two canoe trails from which to choose: Boundary Lake (full day) and The Three Brothers (half day).

The Boundary Lake route boasts glacier views, so pretty and pleasant that we do the route twice: a sunny Saturday with nimble guide Dylan and volunteer Ofir and a cloudy, wet Tuesday with our four new friends from the Lake Front Cabin: Carl and Heather, Rick and Marilyn.

Our Boundary Lake adventures begin with a motorboat shuttle to the end of Whitton Lake. A short walk brings us to Cohen Lake, where canoes are waiting for us. After paddling Cohen Lake, we walk two kilometres to Boundary Lake, where more canoes, paddles, and PFDs are stored. We circumnavigate Boundary Lake, then retrace our route and paddle down Whitton Lake with an assist from the west wind.

Lesson learned at Boundary Lake: even with four experienced people, a canoe cannot be easily launched if it is still tied to a tree.

The Three Brothers Trail is a bit more challenging for us. Leaving directly from Nuk Tessli Lodge, the trail goes up to Jetha Lake, where we have a choice of three canoes. After paddling Jetha, a hike brings us to Maila Lake, where we hop into our next canoe.

From Maila, the trail is rougher. Doug’s hip is stiff today (age-related arthritis), and he doesn’t want to tackle the rocks and roots all the way to little Kancha Lake, the third Brother. So for us, it’s the Two Brothers Trail, but two out of three ain’t bad for age 82. Turning back, we see a sun halo (or ice bow), an optical phenomenon formed by hexagonal ice crystals refracting light in the sky.

Paddlers, you won’t find kevlar or carbon fibre here. Nuk Tessli’s canoe fleet is a mix of brands at various stages of life. These alpine lakes are small, and the mountain scenery is the star of the show. Performance paddling gear would seem out of place.

Hiking trails

Hiking and backpacking trails surround Nuk Tessli. Doron and Dylan provide us with advice, bear spray, and an inReach satellite communication device, and we set off to explore the easier trails on our own.

North Pass from Whitton Lake is a six-hour lollipop trail with 550m of elevation gain and 32,493 steps recorded on Doug’s Fitbit. Rated “Hard” by AllTrails, North Pass is achievable by most people. We are plenty tired, but not totally exhausted by this worthwhile hike, which features meadows, streams, and big mountain views.

Twisted trees and a viewpoint are highlights of the Lookout Loop Trail. This trail is easy until the end, when it climbs steeply up a boulder-strewn mountain. Watch your step! It takes an average of 1 hour 37 minutes to complete this out-and-back trail, according to AllTrails. We won’t tell you our time, but let’s just say we can certainly claim the Slowest Known Time.

Simply beautiful

If you like cabins with character, wilderness hiking and paddling, and cultural exchange, join the Nuk Tessli extended family. 2024 bookings are now open.