Day 16 – Friday, May 27, 2022

This morning there are many more ducks and loons on the lake. The little groups make me think it’s the adolescents getting life lessons from their parents. A family group of ducks practices taking off from the water and then practicing their landings. The ducks fly in tight formations; the loons perform water ballet as each one in the line dives deep.

Our early start got us to Faro before the office for the campground opened. It’s cold and overcast so we don another layer of clothes before we go out for our first hike of the day. The rain comes and goes as we hike to the Pelly River Falls. When the wind dies down and the sun shines for a few minutes, we are too warm in our layers.

Faro is a sad little city trying to revive. Once a mining city of 1,600, Faro’s population has shrunk to about 400. There are abandoned, boarded up housing complexes; there are others that look abandoned but with evidence that people might be living in the derelict buildings. Faro is trying to recreate itself as a center for eco-tourism.  The visitor information center is a new log building that houses an exhibit of local flora and fauna and a history of Faro and the mine. The charming woman working there offered us coffee and cookies. The town has a landing strip and nine-hole golf course and nice hiking trails. The campground where we stayed has water, electricity and dump facilities as well as hot showers and a laundry. That’s a good start, but Faro is hours from anything (unless you can fly in with your private plane). One might be tempted to think of starting a café or small restaurant; then you remember it goes down to -50F in the winter!