Into the North

There are signs, symbols, mental notes that accumulate. There begin to be spaces between settled areas. Then the settled areas become sparse, then widely separated. Then there aren't any except in the vicinity of ever smaller and more widely separated towns. The side roads into the bush become few, then rare. A note on the notices board outside a country store advertises to clean your house or cabin. The trees go from pine and spruce to spruce and poplar and occasional aspen. It is the beginning of the boreal forest. A beaver lodge. Igloos on the ice. .... OK, maybe not igloos.

The only town of any consequence north of here is Prince George, based on lumber and pulpmills. I was there last summer in the Pachyderm. My impression was that the grime left behind by melting dirty snow never got completely washed off the town. Maybe my impression will be better this time.

After Prince George there is land and not people.