Day 6, Friday

Our route to Slocan Lake and New Denver is mostly level, as we skirt around the northern end of the towering and awe-inspiring Valhalla Mountains.

New Denver, about one-third of the way along fjord-like Slocan Lake, gives us a perfect view of the Valhallas. In Norse mythology, Valhalla was a palace where slain warriors lived on under the leadership of their god Odin. This area is part of the ancient homeland of the Aa-al-tkw't or Arrow Lakes Indian Band. Old winter lodge sites and ochre rock paintings are found along the shoreline. In 1983, the Valhallas were set aside as a 49,600 hectare (122,600 acre) provincial wilderness park and protected area.

New Denver began life as a mining town in the 1890s. By 1920, the mining boom had ended, except for a brief revival in the 1940s, to be replaced by logging. During the Second World War, New Denver became an internment camp for Canadians of Japanese descent. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, men between 18 and 45 were sent to labour camps in Eastern Canada. Women, children, and elderly men were sent to the "Orchard", a small section of New Denver. They lived in small shacks, often with no heat and little money for food. Today, the site has been restored as a museum and reminder of this period of Canadian history.

More information on:

• Nakusp
• New Denver, New Denver, Silverton
• Arial photo of New Denver
• Valhalla Provincial Park
• Valhalla Pure Clothing Company
• Nikkei Memorial Internment Centre, The Kohan Reflection Garden
• New Denver, New Denver, Silverton
• Slocan, Silver Ridge Resources, Slocan Forest Products
• Slocan Valley Watershed Protests, Ecosystem Management

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