British Columbia Magazine - Winter 2022

Sun Peaks. Where you belong.

Away from it all, but right at home.

EDITOR’S NOTE

I’VE GAINED AN appreciation for many things over the past three years, but perhaps none so much as the love of solitude in wide-open spaces. Between lockdowns, working remotely from home and a general social withdrawal, many of us have become incredibly ac quainted with the inside of our homes. While that has resulted in new hobbies, new furniture and relaxing nights in, it’s also driven some of us a bit stircrazy and looking for a way to get outside.

I do admit to being a lit tle more aware of crowds than I was in the past. I’m not avoiding them nec essarily, nor do I feel un comfortable when I’m at a concert or a Canucks game, but I definitely notice when I’m in the middle of a whole bunch of people. You could probably call it a light case of claustrophobia.

This has led to a shift in how I plan my outings. I used to love heading down town to get lost in the busy streets, or out to some new restaurant. The feel ing of complete anonymity while being surrounded by people was something I cherished about living in the city. Now I find myself gravitating toward places that are more… empty. Places where you can wander around for a few hours and not run into another living soul. They don’t have to be scenic or famous—those places have too many people—but they do have to have some charm, quiet and calm.

When I picture such a scene, the first thing that comes to mind is a snowy for est. Tree boughs bent with fresh snow, twinkling crystalline snowflakes float ing in the sunbeams, and a quiet still

ness that you don’t find in the warmer months when bugs, birds and critters contribute to the background noise. This feels like a place where I can walk for a while, get some fresh air and clear my mind, without fear of running into crowds of people.

This is precisely the scene I had in mind while reading Linda Gabris’ article on “Foraging for Winter Teas” in this issue. Linda is a long-time col umnist at our sister publica tion BC Outdoors, and is the real deal when it comes to living the outdoor life style in Northern BC.

At first, I wasn’t sure what direction this story would be heading. I am well acquainted with for aging in spring, summer and fall, which each have their own wellknown target species. But what can you find in the frozen forest that isn’t dried, dead or covered in snow. It turns out, quite a bit. I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

I’ve always been a big fan of “hiking with a purpose” whether it’s fishing or bird watching or something like that, and searching the forest for a herbal tea sounds oh-so appealing. I person ally can’t wait to get out and have a winter wander with the purpose of finding both solitude and something warm and refreshing to bring home.

And there’s the added bonus of it be ing a whole bunch cheaper than shop ping and eating out in the city. So, if you’re looking for a reason to escape the crowds and get outside this winter consider foraging. It’s not just for the warm months!

—Dale Miller

EDITOR Dale Miller editor@bcmag.ca

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FLIGHT 810

My grandfather was Karl W. Collett. He was a passenger on flight 810. He had caught that later flight so he could go to the football game and was travelling on the same flight as some of the players. The questions Andrew asks himself at the beginning of his article are questions that haunt families of those who died for years. Some 20 years later my grandmother wrote her life history and the chapter ti tled simply “Karl” is poignant. Life in the days, weeks and months after the flight disappeared were very difficult. Your ar ticle prompted me to read that chapter again. I have been putting it off but next summer I will hike Mt. Slesse and find sol ace in that cathedral.

Fred Robertson, Via Email

MOUNT SLESSE CLIMBERS

I just read the story about Mt. Slesse in the Fall 2022 BC Magazine and am very unpleased that the story is not correct. The first person to climb Mt. Slesse was Fred Harrison Houghton Parkes and he climbed to find the wreckage of the air plane. They realized that it could not be moved at all and so they left it there in

remembrance for the people who died. There is a mention of the late legendary Alpinist Fred Beckey but none of the first crew who did so much in rescue missions.

Wendy Holtz, Via Email

Our research shows that the first ascent of Mt. Slesse was made in 1927 by Stan Henderson, Mills Winram and Fred Parkes, while the wreckage was found by climbers in May of 1957, five months after the crash. We couldn’t find any reference to the names of the climbers who found the crash. —Eds.

THANKS FOR THE SUMMER ISSUE!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Summer 2022 issue! I read it from cover to cover: First, being a “dog person,” I initially rolled my eyes at “Happy Tails on Beau tiful Trails,” but after reading the article, all I can say is “so sweet and what fun to share beautiful BC with those whom you love, including felines.”

Second, Doh! Very clever providing a cliff hanger in “Call It A Ritual: Ex cerpt from Return to Solitude by Grant Lawrence (2022).” I can’t wait to find

out who or what lies behind the water heater!

Third, having recently returned from a disappointing chartered fishing trip in Alaska, I was quite jealous of Desiree Miller after reading her article “Nootka Sound Adventure.” However, I’m in spired to try again, having learned my lesson to not leave British Columbia in search of a “rugged fishing experience” elsewhere.

Fourth, I was oddly intrigued by “Pi geon Racing: Here to Stay or Gone the Way of the Dodo?” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised because our neighbourhood pigeons (on the roof of the Crofton Old School Museum, as it happens) delight me daily with their ability to swoop around in forma tion. The hobby of pigeon racing seems weird and wonderful; reading the ar ticle made me feel 12-years-old again.

Finally, thank you for “Coastal Crof ton: From Milltown to ‘Metropolis’.” What fun to see our house in the aer ial photograph that adorns the article! Crofton is indeed a great place to live.

Katie KellerLynn, Crofton, BC

BOWRON LAKES MEMORIES

Reading the recent article about the Bowron Lakes canoe circuit, brought back a host of memories sharpened by the fact that the weather the writer de scribed was uncannily identical to our experience, 21 years ago.

We first heard of the Bowron Lakes, as new immigrants from the UK, in the mid 1980s. Then along came fam ily and that adventure possibility had to be shelved for a few years. In 2001, the youngest was 12 and so we decided they were now old enough for the trip. We planned carefully, packed food, in cluding endless little bags with nuts and raisins into plastic buckets with tight fitting lids, and arranged for my brother and sister-in-law from England to join us. Being Brits we had limited canoe experience so we took the precaution of still water canoe lessons and learned the proper J-stroke and simple rescue.

When we first arrived and parked our trailer at the campsite at the top of Bowron Lake, it was windy, raining

Above: Wreckage from flight 810.

and thundery. But fortunately, the great launch day of August 8 dawned, with bright sun and still calm conditions, and incredibly it stayed that way for the entire eight days of our trip. I have wonderful memories of our 13-yearold daughter boldly trundling a canoe plus load single-handedly down the portages and all of us paddling lazily down a spectacular glassy Isaac Lake on a particularly hot, still day. We found slightly hidden Unna Lake and spent an incredible warm afternoon swimming and then crossing the lake to view the spectacular waterfall as did your writer. When it got dark the girls lay on the

beach watching for shooting stars. We had no forest fire smoke back in those days, and the clear starry nights are yet another enduring memory.

Our eldest daughter is all grown now, with very young kids of her own. One day, when they are old enough, I hope she will take her offspring on a fam ily bonding, memory building canoe trip round Bowron Lakes just as she did with us. And I hope she will have weather as fantastic as we did!

Roland Alcock, Sooke, BC

Send email to mailbox@bcmag.ca or write to British Columbia Magazine, 1166 Alberni Street, Suite 802, Vancouver, BC, V6E 3Z3. Letters must include your name and address, and may be edited and condensed for publication. Please indicate “not for publication” if you do not wish to have your letter con sidered for our Mailbox.

Gonna send a bunch out to friends and family as tried and true gifts. Thanks for doing this.

TALES OF BC

Fabulous job editing and compiling Tales of BC. Such an exceptional tribute to Daniel Wood.

After my initial rush to check out fa vourite pieces Daniel wrote, I’m enjoy ing it slowly now, one article/chapter at a time.

Sage Birchwater, Williams Lake, BC

Thanks Sage! We have just printed our second run of Tales of BC, having sold out the first, and they should be available with plenty of time before the holidays. Glad you enjoyed it! —Eds.

Due West

CLIMATE

A Fiery Fall

In contrast to years past where forest fires plagued the province for most of the summer, 2022 saw unseasonably warm and dry conditions last into fall. Photographer, Kat Harvey captured this image of the blaze near Hope.

Hot Mugs to Take the Chill out of a BC Winter

BY LINDA GABRIS

LET’S FACE IT, our province can dish up a hefty dose of extreme winter weather. No, I’m not a meteorologist, but in my northern neck of the woods to tell a cold day from a really cold day I just stick my nose out the door for a few seconds and breathe deeply. If it takes my breath away, I figure it’s close enough to being a record breaker.

Speaking of record breakers, BC’s temperature has been recorded since 1900, and the lowest temperature on record was measured at -58°C (January 1950 and again in December 1968).

Of course, in those days it would have been noted as 0°F, because in 1975, April 1, to be exact, our country switched over to the metric system. And it certainly felt like an April Fool’s Day joke to many folks like myself who were schooled in the imperial system.

Our minds were (and many still are) frozen stiff at “forty

below”, a lyrical term that’s common and easy to relate to. You know the song, “when it’s springtime in Alaska, it’s forty below…” which makes a die-hard “imperial-ist” like me shiver instantly at the thought. But summing it up and singing it in metric takes a lot, perhaps a lifetime, of practice! Fact is,

cold is cold no matter what scale it’s measured on.

And bottom line is, after having lived here in the great white north of BC, for as many winters as I have, I’ve conjured up some super-hot drinks to thaw out with after coming in from ice fishing, snow-shoeing, sledding or just warming up

with my camera and a basket and taking off into the snowy woodlands to see what I can shoot or forage.

Try my hot mugs below the next time you come in from the cold. I use a big old-fashioned 15-ounce mug, not a metric one, as a measure for my liquids, which I heat in a cezve (a long-handled small Turk ish pot). Recipes below are geared for one mug but can be multiplied.

Choco-Chili Chill Killer

This Mayan-style hot choco late instantly warms up your whole body! Put 1 cup of milk into the cezve and stir in 4 tablespoons of instant hot chocolate, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a generous pinch of ground chili (or cayenne) pepper. Don’t go too heavy on the chili powder or you’ll set yourself on fire! Heat the milk to scalding, pour into the mug and inhale while sipping.

Mitt’s-off Miso.

Steaming Mulled Wine.

Simmering Cider

Here’s a hot one that’s spicy and delicious. Put a mug of good quality (buy BC) apple cider into the pot. Add 3 whole cloves, 1 star anise and a small piece of cinnamon bark. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Strain into a mug and sweeten to your liking with honey.

Shiitake Scorcher

A cross between a broth and a tea, this sipper is a sure-fire cure for the chilblains and other common complaints of winter! Put a mug of water into the pot. Break up 3 dried shiitake mushrooms into small pieces, add to the water. Stir in 1 ½ teaspoons of soy sauce, a generous pinch of dried chili pepper flakes and a shake of celery salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes to soften the shiitakes. Add a drop each of sesame and chili oil, stir and pour. Drink the brew and when the cup is empty, spoon out the mushrooms and eat them for good measure.

Blistering Butter Milk

Spiked with booze, so adults only! Put a mug of milk into the pot. Add a teaspoon of honey and a pinch of sea salt. Heat until scalding. Pour into your mug, stir in a jigger of dark rum and top with a dollop of butter. One sip and you’ll instantly feel the warming effects from head-to-toe.

Mitt’s-off Miso

Warm your hands up around this Japanese-rooted hot drink! Put a mug of water into the saucepan. Grind 2 dried shiitake mushrooms with a pestle and mortar into powder, stir into the water. Grate a peasized lump of peeled ginger and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, simmer covered for 5 min utes. Strain into your mug, stir in 1 tablespoon miso (brown rice miso is my choice).

Spicy Smouldering Caesar

Oh, yeah! I love cold caesars in the summer and hot ones in the winter! Not hard to make, either. Put 1 mug of tomato (or better yet tomato-clam) juice into the saucepan. Add a dash each of Worcestershire and

tabasco sauce. Season with celery salt to suit your taste. Stir in a pinch of chili or cayenne pepper to stoke the fire. Bring to a boil, pour it into your mug and stir in a shot of vodka (optional, but better with than without). Garnish with a lime wedge and a celery stick.

Steaming Mulled Wine

Last, but not least, the oldest warmer-upper on my list. And, no doubt, the most popular. Choose one of our province’s many fine domestic red wines. I find merlot is a good pick for getting the blood flowing! Put a mug of wine into the pot. Stir in enough honey to sweeten. Add a pinch each of ground cloves and nutmeg. Heat until the wine is steaming but do not let it come to boil or else your alcohol will go up in steam and we don’t want that to happen! Pour into your mug, garnish with an orange wedge and pop in a cinnamon stir stick.

Awe… feeling warm and fuzzy already!

Simmering Cider.

Sacred Journey at Science World

FOR THOUSANDS OF

years, the traditional oceangoing canoe (“glwa” in Heiltsuk) was the main means of transportation for Indig enous Peoples in the Pacific Northwest. It was essential for sustenance, transportation and for developing social and cere monial life for the First Nations Peoples. Told by Indigenous leaders and participants of today’s canoe resurgence for the first time, Science World’s Sacred Journey exhibit unveils this story through the Indig enous framework of “nuyum” (traditional narratives) ex pressed through figurative art,

immersive audio and extensive interactive video projections and displays of those who have participated in a Tribal Canoe Journey.

“Amongst the Heiltsuk Nation and other Indigenous Peoples, the last 150 years have seen massive societal changes that have had devastating and detrimental impacts on our people. During this time of suppression and technology change, the ocean-going canoe, the Glwa, was almost lost. Sacred Journey allows us to share the knowledge and experience of this journey from an Indigenous point of view,”

It all starts here

Nanaimo is the perfect starting place for your Vancouver Island getaway — with biking, kayaking, whale watching, shopping, ziplining and more. The moment you take the bikes off the roof rack, get onto the water, take that first sip of wine, or open the door to your hotel room: now you’re really on vacation.

said λáλíyasila Hereditary Chief Frank Brown, of the Heiltsuk Nation.

In this exhibit, visitors will experience stunning art pieces including a monumental can vas canoe with four prominent Heiltsuk clan crests in striking colours painted by Heiltsuk artist K.C. Hall; overarching house posts and paddles to accompany the canoe, carved by Chazz Mack; and an eagle-human mask, located at the entrance to the exhibit, carved by Ian Reid. Renowned Heiltsuk/Tsimshian artist Roy Henry Vickers created a moon and salmon logo for the exhibit and a “Many hands” canoe image.

The exhibition will be on display at Science World until February 20, 2023.

BOOKS

British Columbia publishers have another banner year Winter Reads

BY MARIANNE SCOTT

In 2022, a spate of new books highlighted such topics as seaweed, history, travel and drink. Heritage House (HH), Rocky Mountain Books (RMB), Touchwood, and Harbour Publishing (HP) have printed tomes for young and old, for travel enthusiasts and history buffs. From the wide-ranging titles published this year, we’ve chosen a few by BC authors and researchers whose books may delight you and serve as holiday presents too.

flashes “vibrant red, blue, green and yel low light internally” (it has bioluminescent plates). Diving into kelp forests makes her “feel the presence of something deeply spiritual.”

An extensive section is devoted to sea weeds’ healthy qualities. Their medicinal and nutrient-rich food properties have been known since ancient times and in the past few decades, science has verified them. Swinimer hails seaweeds’ vitamins, high fibre, minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins, and even includes a photo of a toddler chomping on a piece of dried seaweed.

The book concludes with recipes that range from Vancouver Island Niçoise Salad to Seaweed Crackers to Chocolate Macadamia Ginger Kelp Pavement.

The Science and Spirit of Seaweed is a highly informative, readable book that may inspire you to dive into a kelp forest or collect your dinner on the beach. The book was shortlisted for the 2022 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize.

“Seaweeds are my muse,” writes Amanda Swinimer in The Science and Spirit of Seaweed (HP, $28.95). From the moment she tasted the explosive flavour of dried bull kelp, she vowed to make seaweed her life’s work. She founded a company, Da kini Tidal Wilds, and sustainably harvests the seaweed in our coastal kelp forests. Beautiful photos illuminate the green, red, and brown seaweeds she describes (the pages are colour coded), and the images

of the most common species show us how to identify them, and describe their range, nutritional and culinary properties, medici nal value, and how they’re harvested. As she focuses on sustainability, she has deep concerns about our oceans becoming dumping sites.

Swinimer intersperses personal reflec tions and experiences throughout the book. While snorkeling, she meets “disco jellyfish,” the lobed sea gooseberry that

Jessica Schacht and husband Jeremy became interested in Vancouver’s cocktail culture while studying at UBC. With Jer emy’s parents, Stephen and Ramona, who ran an organic vegetable farm, the four of them co-founded Ampersand Distilling Co. in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley.

I generally avoid making cocktails, often discouraged when a recipe demands what to me are esoteric ingredients—some I’ve never heard of. Schacht has solved this problem: The Five-Bottle Bar: A Simple Guide to Stylish Cocktails (Touchwood, $28) demystifies the process of cocktail making.

Having developed cocktails over many years, Schacht realized she kept reach

ing for the same five bottles: gin (Amper sand’s prize-winning version, of course), whisky, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and Campari are the go-tos for her. These five alcoholic beverages form the base, but you also need “accoutrements” which include ice, soda, tonic water, aromatic bitters, citrus and some form of sugar. Within these categories, extra ingredients do show up, such as left-over espresso, herbs or eggs. Schacht demonstrates how to make simple syrups, describes garnishes, and lists basic cocktail-making tools—a shot glass, shaker, strainer and citrus squeezer. Nor does she neglect the glassware you’ll need—no champagne flutes for your mint julep. Why James Bond’s vodka martini was “shaken, not stirred” is also revealed.

With the basics in place, Schacht presents her cocktail recipes, from traditional to contemporary. She describes the origins and history of each cocktail, which is also accompanied by a mouth-watering image. Starting with the classic G&T, we can also concoct “In Dark Trees,” which contains gin, dry vermouth, nocino (Ampersand’s green-walnut liqueur), lime juice, spruce-tip syrup, egg white and mint. And then there’s the breakfast martini you can make from your hotel’s mini-bar.

It’s a fun and beautifully prepared book. Bottoms up, everyone!

Bryan provides context by describing BC’s mad Cariboo Gold Rush beginning in 1858, when 40,000 miners arrived mostly through Victoria. The gold diggers brought along diseases, including the disastrous smallpox that literally decimated many Indigenous villages. She follows it with descriptions of 47 churches built along the two miners trails from Vancouver to the Cariboo. Missionaries had arrived earlier, but in the wake of this large group of gold seekers, some of whom became settlers, Anglicans, Methodists and Roman Catholic proselytizers arrived.

Descriptions of the churches reveal the names of architects and various building methods. The 1865 St. Mary the Virgin An glican Church, for instance, is an example of “Carpenter Gothic” architecture, and the structure’s nave is supported by hockeystick style, wooden buttresses, so unlike the heavy, stone flying buttresses of European cathedrals, which counter-balanced walls riven with large stained-glass windows and helped negate the pressures from heavy bell towers.

Bryan’s photographs show the churches themselves, and also reveal such unique features as stained-glass windows, baptis mal fonts, pulpits, pipe organs, cemetery stones and altars.

by first-rate photos, she maps several routes that follow natural valleys carved by tectonic plate movements and sculpting glaciers—the places where it’s been the least complicated to lay out roads. Moun tains cover 75 percent of BC.

To put the size of our province in perspec tive, its 944,735 square kilometre area is more than 2.5 times the size of Germany, Texas is 73 percent the size of BC, and the only state larger than BC is Alaska. So, when Bryan lays out scenic and historic roads and their many attractions, they cover long distances, offer wide vistas, detailed geological descriptions, historic structures, and anecdotes on people who lived and live here. As one example, local rancher Rudy Johnson, when ready to sell his cattle, was forced to truck them long distances or make many trips across Soda Creek by ferry. But when his wife nearly drowned after falling off said ferry, Rudy’d had enough and bought a bridge in Alas ka. Deconstructed into 3,000 pieces, the bridge was delivered to the creek, pains takingly reassembled and then became the single private toll bridge in BC. It’s unknown if Rudy recovered the $200,000 he spent to establish the bridge.

Switching from food and drink, we hit the road with Liz Bryan, who penned Pioneer Churches along the Gold Rush Trail (HH, $24.95). Bryan is a well-known journalist, who has researched the history, architecture and social role of BC’s pioneer and Indigenous churches. Some of these are now in decline or abandoned; others have entered the rosters of historic places.

Her church histories also reveal how often fire destroys wooden structures. And not just in the past. Fire wiped out the 1871 St. Mary and St. Paul Church in Lytton in 2021, along with 90 percent of the town. We’re fortunate to have Bryan’s history and pho tographs before the churches’ demise.

Adventure Roads of BC’s Northwest Heartland (HH, $24.95) is Liz Bryan’s take on road travel. Again accompanied

If you like road travel and want to know more about the BC’s northwest landscapes, this is the book for you.

Educators Sue Harper and S. Lesley Buxton have written the second volume of their children’s book, Time to Won der: A Kid’s Guide to BC’s Regional Museums. It reports on the museums on Vancouver Island, Salt Spring, Alert Bay and Haida Gwaii. Like Volume I, this ver sion covers a variety of institutions, from former famous homes-turned-exhibition

hall to purpose-built structures that house repatriated artifacts. Although designed for children aged six to 13, there’s plenty to learn by older kids and their parents.

The authors have developed a format for each entry: From each organization, several items are chosen as representative of the region or era, with photos and ex planations of the items’ significance. From Craigdarroch Castle (Victoria) they chose a sewing kit, including a silver earwax spoon, to describe how earwax was used through the ages—to coat sewing thread and in illuminated manuscripts. They also highlight orca and sealion skeletons found at Telegraph Cove’s Whale Interpretive Centre, and the gorgeous potlatch artefacts at the U’Mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. Campbell River’s Museum features a floathouse, which like today’s studio apart ments, includes all living arrangements.

It’s an innovative approach to museum visiting and a useful guide when travelling the islands of BC.

the spit, crisply white rowboats bob on the chop, craft that belong in Hyde Park with parasols and poetry.”

And these lines describe a ramble on Quadra Island: “A short distance from the trailhead a colossal old spruce stands like a wizard guarding the forest. And, in fact, it might be something from the past assuming the shape of a tree, captured in a conjurer’s spell. It has a hundred arms, the look of a mythical god reaching every which way, one of those feats of nature impossible to capture in a photo.” In addition, Arnott’s illustrations embellish the words he puts on the page.

This is a tome you can read in a single sitting, or you can save it for bed and read a few stories before sinking peacefully into the arms of Morpheus.

—Marianne Scott

Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest

edition. Additional colour photos and newly altered names have been added to this field guide and it covers marine life all down the West Coast from Alaska to northern California. What further recom mendation does it need?

More than 500 species are shown and examined in the book. Almost every local sea creature and plant can be quickly identified, even by novices, due to the colour coded sections, the photos, and the brief but accurate info that accompanies each species.

I’ll be glad to replace my well-thumbed and salt encrusted second edition with this new one. I really like that the additional information contains a section on non-na tive species as well as instructions on how to identify what molluscs has just squirted at me by looking at its siphon rather than by digging down to uncover the culprit. Most of the book’s photos are taken by the author, and must represent years and years of diving, uncovering and discovering the ocean’s inhabitants.

A Season on Vancouver Island (RMB, $20) is the latest collection of tales by travel writer Bill Arnott. He, with wife Deb, spent three months on Canada’s larg est western island and turned his highly observant eye on his surroundings, noticing things that others might skip. Taking time to observe, Arnott stays put in cottages or small apartments and then ventures out from there.

Arnott writes of his experiences in short essays, lining them up like beads on a string. His language is evocative—he paints pictures with words. Here’s a sample from a visit to Campbell River: “Off the shore of

By Rick M. Harbo, Harbour Publishing, 352 pages, $28.95.

When the first edition of this field guide came out in 1999 it was immediately hailed as the definitive guide on West Coast marine life. It soon became difficult to obtain, so not surprisingly 12 years later the book was reprinted with some changes and updating. I recall reading this second edi tion and then adding it to our limited space bookshelf on our boat Aquila, where it has received copious attention over the years.

So, I was very happy to read that Whelks to Whales was once again hitting the bookshelves in its third revised and updated

Blissfully unaware of its impending dismissal from my marine bookshelf, my second edition will not be wasted—my niece has asked for it. She grew up with her aunt consulting the compendium every summer to answer her numerous “whys, wheres, whats and how comes?” Many of the muddy thumbprints on the photos are hers.

Author Rick M. Harbo lives in Nanaimo and is a diver and retired senior marine bi ologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He also volunteers as a research associate with the Royal BC Museum. He has au thored three other books on marine life as well as several pocket guides, so readers are in good and well-informed hands.

—Cherie Thiessen

New Titles in the BC Mag Bookstore

Browse our growing collection of local authors, covering a range of genres in: outdoors, adventure, boating, fishing, nature, historic, memoir, family, kids and more. Here are just a few new titles this season, visit our store for tons more.

*SPECIAL OFFER

For a limited time, $10 OFF orders over $50. Just copy this crazy code 6S7PX8DEZ39F in the discount code box at checkout and receive the special price. bcmag.ca/bookstore

species of fungi than any other region in Canada, British Columbia is a rich playground for mushroom hunters. Now there’s Mushrooms of British Columbia, the newest handbook from the Royal BC Museum. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to know more about BC mush rooms—whether for study, harvest, photography or appreciation.

The Zone: Rediscovering Our Natural Self, by: Rob Wood (RMB, $15), looks at the unshakeable faith in the power of nature and our own need to reconnect with the natural world. Rob Wood takes the reader on a step-by-step journey documenting how— through the author’s deep connection to what he calls a “universal conscious ness”—even the most difficult physical limitations can be dealt with effec tively and successfully, with limited medical or pharmaceutical support. The Zone is an inspiring manifesto of resilience and a love song to the power of nature.

Midnight Sweatlodge, by: Waubgeshig Rice (Theytus Books, $18.95), tells the tale of family members, friends and strangers who gather together to partake in this

ancient healing ceremony. Through their stories we get glimpses into their lives that are both tearful and true. Capturing the raw emotion and unique challenges of modern Indigenous life, this book offers an unflinch ingly realistic and genuine look at the struggles First Nations people face.

Sea Kayaking: The Classic Manual for Touring from Day Trips to Major Expeditions, by John Dowd, Foreword by: Freya Hoffmeister (Greyston, $24.95), is regarded as “the bible” for both new and experienced kayakers after more than 30 years in print and 60,000 copies sold, Sea Kayaking covers the basics of equipment and technique as well as how to read the weather and the water, plan for long-distance expeditions, and survive in raging seas. Fully updated with

hints about worthwhile digital technologies and tips for successful kayak angling. The best-selling comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of sea kayaking for those seeking adventure on the open ocean.

Mushrooms of British Columbia by: Andy Mackinnon & Kem Luther, (Royal BC Museum, $34.95), features more

Backroad Mapbooks

(BRMB, $29.95) includes topo maps, park overviews and detailed trail and city maps of varying scales for every region of BC. Maps feature highways, log ging roads, land & water features, parks, adventure points of interest, camp grounds, hiking trails, motorized trails, paddling routes, hunting & fishing areas, winter recreation and more. Have in the car for endless adventures off the beaten path.

DESTINATION REVELSTOKE

BY LESLIE ANTHONY

When you slide off the top of the high-speed Stoke chairlift, you might find yourself pausing for a moment to drink in the scenery. Above and behind looms the serrated peak of Mt. MacKenzie; across the Columbia River Valley are the Monashee Mountains, with prominent Mt. Begbie and glaci ated Blanket Mountain; to the north, guarding the entrance to historic Rog ers Pass, stands Mt. Revelstoke, with its popular national park. And once you’ve had your fill of alpine majesty, your second move might be scrambling to the edge of the North Bowl and dropping into a piece of chute-ad dled terrain whose complexity rivals that of any ski area on the continent. These vignettes

A small town makes its mark as a skiing mecca

The

on-mountain apres in Revelstoke is as stunningly scenic as you’ll find anwhere.

Destination BC/Andrew Strain

WINTER DONE RIGHT

Destination BC/Blake Jorgenson

offer unexpected wows for skiers but are only two of the numerous draws to Revelstoke Mountain Resort—one of BC’s finest skiing locations since open ing in 2007.

The resort boasts 1,263 hectares of skiing on 1,710 metres of vertical— North America’s biggest drop. And though that’s impressive enough, there was a time when these kinds of things were really all there was to talk about in Revelstoke—skiing, skiing and more skiing. Main street was a collection of offices for the many heli-skiing, cat-skiing and backcountry touring operations accessible from Revelstoke in every cardinal direction. Save for the newly erected hotel at the resort’s base, the town’s accommodation were humble—creaking downtown digs and roadside motels punctuated by a few B&Bs. Restaurants were scarce. This arrangement well-served the un demanding snowmobile tourists, flythrough backcountry ski contingent, and Trans-Canada Highway stopover crowd, but it didn’t align with the sud denly world-class hill lighting up the radar of international ski cognoscenti.

Flash forward to to day and the resort’s presence has trans formed everything from the feel of the town accommodation offerings to a matur ing food-and-beverage scene. It took a while, but the range of op tions in eateries, brew eries and distilleries is diverse, eclectic and high-quality, while boutique accommo dations continue to sprout like crocuses through the snow. After having written much about Revy before this article, I was “stoked” to re turn last winter to experience some of its newly minted character.

WHILE “FLYING MOOSE” might be a perfect pop-cultural meme for a car toon superhero, cereal box icon or chil dren’s book, the phrase takes on an

Heli-skiers descending on a slope near Mica Heliskiing Lodge.

entirely different meaning with the Flying Moose Chalet, where it becomes a symbol for comfort, convenience and the kind of intimate luxury that’s hard to engineer into large, wood-beam structures.

Hugging the base of the re sort, the Moose is the ultimate edifice on a street of similarly grandiose group chalets, yet somehow outdoes them all. There are eight beautifully appointed suites with private bathrooms that can accommodate up to 20 guests; a lounge with projector screen; a fitness and massage room with steam shower; an outdoor sauna, large hot tub and infinity pool; a rockclimbing wall; an airy, bistro-style kitchen plus outdoor cooking and din ing area; a spacious ski room for stor age and gearing up; the largest private helipad in the area; and, most impor tantly, an enthusiastic team ready to as sist with whatever you might need.

We arrive on a sunny day in midFebruary, ready for three days of skiing. It isn’t the mountain or snow that first get our attention, however, but the in terior layout and detail as we tour the chalet with manager Erin. Our necks crane upwards, trying to comprehend the exquisite and unique timber work. The style—known as Hammer Beam Truss—figured in large, open-timber roofs thru the Gothic/Medieval era. A legendary example is London’s New Westminster Hall, erected in 1399. To create the feel of soaring, open space, these hammer beams rely on a com bination of traditional mortice and tenon, oak pegs and blacksmith-forged tie-rods. The chalet also features woodslab tables made from old, reclaimed timber, a massive version on the deck being particularly inspiring.

Having driven through a snowstorm from the coast and not wanting to leave our newfound cradle, we decide to eat in, ordering sushi from Kawakubo Japanese Restaurant in town. Hailing

1. Locally crafted Monashee Spirits.

& 3. The Taco Club.

Top: Kootenay Rockies Tourism/Mitch Winton: Above: Monashee Spirits

WINTER DONE

from Whistler, our sushi standard is sky-high, so we’re pleased to find that Kawakubo went up to that bar and be yond. Their sushi is as fresh as a dockside catch, with exceptional knife-work and art-class presentation.

In the morning, after breakfast around the light-filled kitchen’s marble dining skirt, we gear up to ski. Were we not experiencing an unusual snow drought, heli-skiing might be on the menu utilizing the chalet’s super-sized helipad—the only private landing in the valley large enough to accom modate a 14-person Bell 212. Guest groups can book directly with local heli-ski operators CMH, Selkirk Tang iers and Eagle Pass, or have the chalet’s concierge arrange skiing on their be half. Today, however, we head to the moun tain and the certainty of plush corduroy.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort spreads skiers well over its abun dant acreage, so we lap wide-open pistes unencumbered by crowds or line-ups, never tiring of the staggering views.

After skiing, we go for a stroll through town, tracking bear statues, century build ings, post-war com pany houses and an occasional art-deco surprise. Located along the navigable Columbia River near where the trans continental railroad’s famed last spike was pounded in, Revelstoke’s history is mostly that of a transportation hub. But it was also a ski-jumping mecca for over 50 years that saw five world records set. So, adding in its current galaxy of ski options, renowned curling club, Grizzlies hockey team and legion of snowmobile trailers sporting license plates from Nova Scotia to Texas, it is clear that this community has achieved a reputation as an all-star winter des tination. Where explorers, builders— and yes, ski jumpers—were once

Revelstoke’s heroes, today it’s more likely professional alpine skiers. In deed, the town’s modern-day favourite son may well be ski-mountaineer and climate crusader Greg Hill, who gained international celebrity in 2010 by as cending/descending 2,000,000 verti cal feet in a year under his own power and remains a high-profile ambassa dor for Protect Our Winters Canada. Clearly this rugged outpost—a frontier boomtown since its 19th-century inception—still attracts innovators and trailblazers. And since the opening of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, they’ve come out of the woodwork to overhaul the town.

AFTER AN OUTSTANDING snack at The Taco Club in town centre, we duck into Monashee Spirits on a word-ofmouth whim. The tiny, storefront dis tillery balances in-house produc tion of vodka, gin and liqueurs with a quality cocktail service at cozy wood tables. The drinks are superbly creative—from names like Strange Stolen Wish es and Cadillac Corpse, to their execution with a range of local ingredients. Scanning the menu, the Huck Me Baby One More Time sells me in a second with Huckleberry-infused gin, aperol, cassis, lemon juice, triple bitters and garnish described as “an ed ible wafer print of a stick figure couple from the Kamasutra… You’ll want your camera for this one.” Indeed, I did.

Returning to the chalet we spread out to enjoy some of its comfort features— like the massive double-sided fireplace that hosts a warm and spacious living room on one side and a cozy fireside chat-spot on the other. Lazy again, we grab some IPA from reliable Mt. Beg bie Brewery, operating in town since 1996, and pick up food from Old School Eatery, considered by many to be Revy’s best restaurant. Located in a historic elementary school building, it serves thoughtfully crafted dishes whose nouvelle interpretations of clas sics are best-described as sophisticated comfort food.

The next day’s skiing is a carbon-copy

Paul Morrison/Flying Moose Chalet

Flying Moose Chalet, a beautiful and relaxing spot to stay while visiting.

IF YOU GO

of the first: a groomed, uncrowded par adise followed by a return to the chalet by early afternoon for sauna, steam and whatever people decide they need—a go at the climbing wall, the day spa at the mountain, cross-country skiing at the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club at Mt. Macpherson, or in my case a nap before dinner.

One of the benefits of a private chalet is being able to choose between doing your own thing food-wise, having it fully catered, or striking a balance. We’ve opted for one private chef-prepared meal, choosing starters, main course and dessert from a menu in advance. When we’d returned from skiing, Chef Jimmy had already been deep into prep for the evening—which we now joyously find includes charcuterie and champagne in the upper lounge. Din ner itself begins on a butternut squash soup with truffle oil, accompanied by sourdough bread so delicious I force myself to stop consuming it in order to accommodate a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin with pommes Anna, broc colini and Béarnaise sauce (Toto, we’re not in 2007 anymore). Pulling in the reins also leaves room for wine pairings from the nearby Okanagan Valley, and a finale of chocolate torte.

The stars are out so an after-dinner jaunt is in order. And there, set under an eave as we file out onto a deck ringed by mountains with the twinkling town be low, is the chalet’s resident moose. He’s not flying unless you count the flight of fancy represented in his creation by lo cal artist Zuzanna Riha—a sculptural bricolage of cleverly upcycled objects from shoes to computer keyboards to tennis rackets to mountain-bike parts to cellphones cobbled into a life-size rendition of every Canadian’s favourite cervid. It does, however, cut a cartoon ish, thought-provoking figure that of fers a counterpoint to our love-hate relationship with stuff, and I think it says this: in the choice between quality and quantity, the former should always prevail.

And it seems that Revelstoke, as a burgeoning winter resort, has found its way to exactly that.

Breweries

Mt. Begbie—Revelstoke’s awardwinning craft brewery is celebrating 25 years of making cool beer—and you should, too. mt-begbie.com

Rumpus Beer Co.—With a motto of “brewed for fun in downtown Rev elstoke” what more could you ask? rumpusbeerco.com

Distilleries

Monashee Spirits—A spirited and inventive micro-distillery in the centre of town, you cannot order anything bad here. monasheespirits.com

Jones Distilling—A small-batch gin and vodka specialist located in the historic Mountain View school build ing. jonesdistilling.com

Coffee

Dose Coffee—Aussie ownership, great coffee, maybe even better food. dosecoffee.ca

La Baguette—Revelstoke’s long standing quality café and bakery now has a mini-me outlet at the resort. labaguettecafe.ca

Dining

Terra Firma’s Kitchen—A true farm-to-table that runs its own farm to supply the restaurant. terrafirmaskitchen.ca

Quartermaster Eatery:—Located in the Explorers Society Hotel, popu lar with the cat/heli crowd. explorers-society.com/eat-drink/ The Taco Club—Vibrant main-street venue for Latin street food serving seasonal tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tequila drinks. thetacoclub.ca

Old School Eatery—Revelstoke’s best to many, located in the historic Mountain View elementary school and serving sophisticated comfort food. oldschooleatery.ca

Kawakubo Japanese Restaurant—Inspired sake, steak and sushi as fresh as it comes, with exceptional knife-work and art-class presentation. kawakubo-revelstoke.com

Accommodation

Flying Moose Chalet—if you’ve got a group keen on heli-skiing from your own luxury chalet whilst having all the conveniences of town and the option of skiing the hill, this is your place. flyingmoosebc.com

Skiing and Mechanized Backcountry

Revelstoke Mountain Resort + Selkirk Tangiers Heliskiing: revelstokemountainresort.com

Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club: revelstokenordic.org

K3 Cat Skiing: k3catski.com

Great Northern Snowcat Skiing: greatnorthernsnowcat.com

Eagle Pass Heliskiing: eaglepassheliskiing.com

CMH Monashees: cmhheli.com/destinations/mona shees

Mica Heli: micaheli.com

From downtown Revelstoke you can see the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashees to the west.

1. The Revelstoke Railway Museum offers a cool glimpse into the history of BC.

2. The Arrow Lakes were once part of an aquatic highway that ran through the Kootenays—now you can get a free ferry ride across.

3. Sandon is an old silver-mining town in the foothills of the Selkirk Mountains.

Stopping in the middle of the street in Revelstoke I scan the horizon. Past the historic buildings and golden foliage I catch sight of a few snowy mountain peaks, but I’m not entirely sure which range is which. “The Selkirks are the mountains to the east of the Columbia River and the Monashees are to the west,” says Kyle, our guide from Revelstoke Lo cal Tours. Orienting myself, I realize we’re headed east. We’re about hike up the lower slope of Mount Revelstoke for the guided Nels Nelson Tour.

As we walk, Kyle tells us about Nels Nelsen, a local ski jumper who set two world records on the hill back in the 1920s. But as I make my way up the steep switchbacks, I miss a bit of the history (something about a car for a prize and new ski-jumping fans coming by train from as far away as Vancouver) because I’m focused on my feet. This is my first time hiking in this part of the Selkirk Mountains and it feels like the kind of momentous experience I should be absorbing.

As much as I like to proclaim them as my own, the Selkirk Mountains are ac tually named for Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, not me or my family. Along with the Monashee and Purcell mountains, they’re all a part of the Co lumbia Range and lie just to the west of the Rocky mountains. They have a num ber of claims to fame—including the fact they were a major obstacle when build ing the Canadian Pacific Railway; and remained that way until the discovery of Rogers Pass. Geologically they’re also quite fascinating. Mined for coal, copper, zinc, silver and gold, they’re older than the Rockies and were once a waterfront range. To their west was the Pacific while to the east was the inland sea that sepa rated the mountains from the Canadian

Shield many millennia ago.

The Selkirks (and the entire Kootenay region, actually) also played an outsized role in my family history. So, visiting a mountain range with my name on it seemed like as good an excuse as any for a road trip—especially heading into the second winter of the pandemic. Not only was there the name thing, but the Koote nays are home to a bunch of picturesque little towns I’ve always wanted to visit. Add in a little late-autumn colour, pos sible early snow and hot springs(!) and my husband Evan and I had the makings for a perfect getaway.

Huffing and puffing, I reach the first viewpoint at the base of the historic ski jump. Eager for a break from the upward climb, I look down at the leafy town and try to recall a few family stories. I tell Evan and Kyle that my dad (a Selkirk) had a bad pickup line that he used as a teen while living here: “I’ll show you my mountains if you show me yours,” he’d say to the girls he dated.

When my hiking companions don’t re act (admittedly it’s an awful line), I offer up a less offensive anecdote. My greatgreat grandfather brought his entire family from PEI to BC. After travelling much of the way by train, they boarded a stern-wheeler paddle steamship in Rev elstoke and travelled along the Columbia River to Trail. Then they took a wagon to Rossland where g. g. grandpa worked as the local train station manager.

A day after the hike, we explored Revel stoke’s fascinating Railway Museum and popped into a variety of shops in the historic downtown (it was definitely the season for new wool socks and a toque) we set off to catch the ferry across Upper Arrow Lake. The Arrow Lakes (Upper and Lower) are actually just a wide part of the Columbia River, and as we sail our way south, I imagine how it must have been for my ancestors to ply these waters on their way to their new home. They arrived here around 1898—pretty much peak steamship time—only when a dozen or so boats made stops in re mote communities from Revelstoke to Fort Colvile, Washington and Nelson to Kaslo.

One place I’m pretty sure my ancestors

REVELSTOKE

wouldn’t have stopped on their journey south was Halcyon Hot Springs Re sort—which is unfortunate, because af ter a couple of days of hiking and driving, our first soak in the hot springs feels like a revelation. During our two-day stay we stroll back and forth between the Selkirk

Cottage (yup—it’s a theme) and the four pools. At one point I decide we should stop soaking long enough to see more of the region. In the nearby village Nakusp, I comment on how the entire commu nity is oriented to the lakefront, the way port towns often are, a sign that even

Rossland

Halcyon Hot Springs Resort

Halcyon Hot Springs Resort.

Destination BC/Kari Medig

WINTER DONE RIGHT ROAD TRIP

though the steamships are long gone, they left their mark.

Driving along the winding road past Goat Range Provincial Park, Valhalla Provincial Park and Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, I realize I’ve never given any thought to how many mountain ranges run through the province (tour ism BC says there are 10 major ranges and 8,476 mountains). But on the road from Nakusp to Ainsworth, as we pass mountain after mountain, I recognize that as much as a mountain range might have a clear definition (a group of moun tains bordered by lowlands or passes) distinguishing the difference between a range, sub-range and sub-sub-range is best left to cartographers.

It also becomes clear that exploring theses Selkirk-range parks is best left for warmer months, when a brief stop to see the old mining town of Sandon proves chillier than expected. As a misty frozen rain falls in, hiding the peaks and diming the gold of the larch trees, we limit the time outside the car to a walk through Kaslo to see the steamship S.S. Moyie. The ship is the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world. I try to round out my vision of my family steaming to their new home, imagining a similar vessel.

We arrive at Ainsworth Hot Springs just as it’s growing dark. After checking into our room my first goal is to soak in the hot pools. The big pool seems like a standard outdoor pool, but when we head into the source of the springs, a ser pentine cave lined with stalagmites and stalactites, I get a sense of the region’s age and rich history. Long sacred to the Ktu naxa People—the hot springs and resort were recently bought back by the Yaqan Nukiy, the Lower Kootenay Band. And while settlers in the region have been stopping at the pools for a therapeutic soak for almost 200 years, that history is a blink in terms of how long the Ktunaxa have been caretakers of this land.

From Ainsworth we carry on to Nelson.

Though we slip out of the Selkirks and into the Purcells, I joke to Evan that this still counts as a stop on the all-about-me road trip, because one of my great grand mothers was a nurse here during the 1918 to 1919 influenza pandemic. Fortunately Nelson’s wide western streets are filled with diverse mom-and-pop shops and restaurants that are well worth check ing out. After a hike—we head to see the Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History and the informative (and slightly creepy) Cold War bunker located in the basement of the Gray building.

After Nelson, we head to Rossland. We’re now fully out of the Selkirks, but

I feel compelled to follow my ancestors’ journey to its end. I already know part of the story—but still have questions.

Arriving mid gold rush, the fam ily thrives. My great grandmother, Alice grows into a young woman and marries a young miner named David. At the local museum, the exhibits show me how life must have been during the gold rush—at home as well as deep in the mines that run under the pretty town. After the rush, as the town contracts from 7,000 to 2,000 inhabitants, the entire extended family stays and the families grow. By the time she’s 30, Alice and David have five kids under eight, including my grand

mother. When I locate their house in the historic district, it seems like it would have been a comfortable home for their fast growing brood.

Then starting in October 1919, 50 Rossland residents succumb to the flu over five weeks. My great great grand father, Alice and her younger sister and brother, and Alice’s youngest baby all die. My grandmother is six when she and her siblings end up in an impov erished, overcrowded home with their father David’s elderly sister. Her grand mother is committed to Essondale, a mental institution, where she later dies. David, her father, disappears from her

life—and the historic records.

It feels raw to weave together the tragic pieces of this story. At one point I head to the Calvary Cemetery here in Rossland to try to honour them all, but because of the rapid burials, the grave locations were lost. So, I head into the mountains and out along a snowy trail through old growth trees. I wonder if my ancestors were also mesmerized by the mountain peaks and dark lakes, forested valleys and rushing rivers that make up this heart breakingly beautiful part of the world.

I wonder if they’d find peace in know ing that 100 years later, their family is still here.

IF YOU GO

Revelstoke

Stay: Immerse in history at The Explorers Society Hotel. The rooftop guest lounge is a great place to meet other travelers.

Eat: Quartermaster Eatery for great food and craft cocktails.

Do: Visit the Revelstoke Railway Museum to learn about the CPR as it cut its way through the mountains.

Halcyon Stay: Choose between cabins and chalets at Halcyon Hot Springs Resort.

Do: If you’re feeling splurgey, book the private pool experience. You and a guest can soak in privacy for an hour in the evening.

Ainsworth Stay: Try the lakefront rooms with gorgeous views at Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort.

Eat: The Ktunaxa Grill for its Indig enous inspired menu.

Do: Check out the J.B. Fletcher Store, the first and largest General Store and mining supply establish ment on Kootenay Lake.

Nelson Stay: Connect with local history at the Hume Hotel & Spa.

Eat: Red Light Ramen for a steamy bowl of fresh ramen.

Do: Take the self-guided Mural Tour, walk around Nelson and learn more about the history of the region.

Rossland

Stay: Immerse in the gold rush era with a stay at The Wild Turkey Inn, a gorgeously renovated heritage home.

Eat: The Flying Steamshovel for casual (and delicious) comfort food.

Do: Hike or snowshoe through oldgrowth forest to the day-use cabins in the Rossland Range.

Rossland is one of the most picturesque and charming towns in BC.

SEARCHING

HIDDEN SKATING GEMS FROM AROUND BC

BY BLAINE WILLICK

LIKE A LOT of British Columbians, I grew up in cold winters with frozen lakes not far away. While I was never a hardcore hockey player, I still appreciate a nice outdoor rink to skate on with family and friends. The outdoor rink has become a staple of a Canadian winter, so we’ve looked high and low around the province for the most spectacular and unique skating spots for you to check out. So, lace up and hit the ice on these winter wonders.

Kootenay Rockies Tourism/Mitch Winton

Lake Windermere Whiteway.

BY MARIANNE SCOTT

FOR ICE

Inks Lake Kamloops

Inks Lake is a beautiful spot for a skate and is just a short 20-minute drive from downtown Kamloops. The lake is nestled off the side of Lac Le June Road with a forest to one side, snow swept grasslands on the other, and a small mountain in the distance. On a clear day (or any day, really), it is a gorgeous spot.

The most magical thing about this location is the sense of community. The Kamloops Outdoor Skating Association works to take care of this ice for a month or two of the year, start ing in mid-January to the end of February. Weather dependent, of course. With volunteers they maintain two skating ovals and a couple of rinks. We hear there will be a community festival or two with long track races this winter, check their social media sites for more. There is parking on the side road adjacent to the lake. Inks Lake has some quality ice and is a great spot to learn with younger or older loved ones. If you live in the area, the group is always happy for more volunteers.

Lake Windermere Whiteway

Invermere and Windermere

Are you looking for a skating experience that is renown not only in BC, but worldwide? Look no further than the Whiteway on Lake Windermere. Whiteway was deemed the world’s longest skating trail by Guinness World Records in 2014 with over 30 kilometres of skating. This looping trail con nects the towns of Invermere and Windermere by lake and has lanes for both skating, cross-country skiing and walking. If the length sounds daunting, don’t worry. The trail is comprised of short and long segments for every type of skater. Note that the trail length does depend on the weather.

The Whiteway is maintained by Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club. They are a non-profit who make sure the ice is thick enough for the trail and regularly clear the ice. Typically, the trail is run from January to March, but it is all weather-dependent. Check their social media sites for updates. The cost is $5 for a day pass or six days for $20. All profits help maintain this one-of-a-kind trail.

This may be one of the best kept ovals in BC. The Prince George Outdoor Oval is a short drive from anywhere in the city. This 400-metre round track is made with natural ice and the grounds have a heated change room. There is much seasonal delight to be had as you skate late into the evening, illuminated by the rink’s lights. In the past they have had won derful New Year’s Eve skating nights and fun events like Ice Disco. Keep an eye on their website for more info. It is a relaxing venue to try out speed skating if you’re a newbie and one of the most easily acces sible rinks on the list.

A day pass will run you $2, and a family goes for $5. They do have season passes available and if you are visit ing, they have skates for rent (speed skates and Nordic blades). The oval is maintained by a group of great volunteers and supported by the city. The sound of metal blades slicing through ice and the laughter of families cruising around the oval make this one joyous and beautiful place to lace up.

The Prince George Outdoor Oval Prince George

Grouse Mountain

North Vancouver

A mountaintop winter won derland awaits after a short trip from North Vancouver. Grouse Mountain is a great destination for a daytime adventure away from BC’s largest city. The Skyride gon dola provides access to the area and gives a breathtak ing view on the way. Once up, to the left of the gondola is the Skating Pond. It is one of the quainter rinks on this list and covers an area of 8,000 square feet, but it makes up for its size with its character. The pond could have come out of an old holiday movie with forest to one side, two small cabin huts and a firepit surround this whimsical spot. We do recommend mixing in the skating with the other activities at the mountain. Nearby is the Light Walk, a short snowshoe trail that is illuminated with lights and adds even more whimsy to the area. The Sliding Zone will get every kid excited as they cruise down two lanes of snow on sleds. And of course, for the more active types, you could end your day of skiing with a relaxing skate on the pond. This is a great spot for young families or couples out on date nights with some food spots offered at the mountain. Know that this pond is a part of a fully operating ski hill and as such will be the priciest of the bunch. With $69 tickets for adults, $36 for children, and a family deal for $179, with some additional costs for rentals. However, it is worth the price of admission just to skate among the stars at the top of the world.

Adventure Skating Loop at Apex Mountain Resort

Apex Mountain

A Zamboni cruising through the forest? That’s right, this marvellous one-kilometre loop trail veers through the dense evergreens with no lake in sight. At Apex Mountain, when not hitting the slopes, you can strap on your skates and glide through this magical route known as the Adventure Skating Loop. The loop does have some inclines that are tricky to adjust to at first, but after a few corners you’ll be cruising around with no prob lem at all. Skate late into the night with lights and branches

dangling overhead and have the sound of the world disap pear into the calm quiet of the snowy forest. This track is breathtaking and one of the most unique around.

The loop is located just a short walk from the main resort. The rental shop offers skates and at the start of the loop there is a cozy cabin for changing your footwear. Apex also has a regular outdoor rink if you’re looking for a more traditional skate. Daily loop tickets are $5 plus tax and a loop ticket with a rental is $17 plus tax. Open December 10 to around midApril, depending on weather. The Adventure Skating Loop is a definite must-see if you are ever in the area.

Gates Lake Pemberton

Now this is outdoor skating, Gates Lake is around 30 min utes north of Pemberton and the large lake is often windswept. No shoveling needed, but bring one just in case there is a fresh covering. This is mountain country and there are stunning slopes everywhere you look; the lake is surrounded by the tower ing trio of Mt. Birkenhead, Mt. Marriot, and Mt. Oleg. This is a great spot to set up a legend ary hockey game or do some speed skating with a mountain ous background.

The Gates Lake Community Park is a good place to set up and park your vehicle, but be cautious. To access the lake, you must cross some train tracks—so look both ways before heading out. This is a great lake for families who want to explore the province and who want to show younger Canadians the beauty of our outdoors.

Whistler Olympic Plaza

Whistler

Here is an inspiring spot to skate, right in front of the Olympic rings! Whistler has always been a beacon of winter sports, so it is no surprise that they have one of the coolest skate venues around. Right on the main street of Whistler Village is the Olympic Plaza, a concert venue in summer but in winter the twinkling lights come out and it is transformed into an ice skater paradise. There is an inner and outer ring that are connected by two ice paths at each end. The inner ring has a roof covering and colourful lighting. If you have a new skater in your crew, the Plaza has “walkers” to hold onto, allowing nervous new

skaters to cruise with confidence. This venue adds to the Whistler experience. You can stroll down the main avenue, grab a hot chocolate, see the sights, and end the evening by throwing on some skates. It is a blast, and the wonderful, cheer ful spirit of Whistler is put on full display.

Admission fees are $2 if you bring your own skates and $9 with rentals. Helmets and other skate assist equipment are available for no additional charge. Open from mid-December to the end of March. Don’t worry about surprise hot days, the rink has cooling pipes underneath. So, there is great ice no matter the weather. If you’re winter plans include a ski trip to Whistler, don’t forget to add skating to your itinerary. You won’t regret it.

Top: Destination BC/Mason Mashon; Right: Tourism Whistler/Justa Jeskova

FORAGING FOR WINTER TEAS

BY LINDA GABRIS

YOU MIGHT NOT THINK WINTER IS AN IDEAL TIME FOR FORAGING, BUT LOOKING FOR WILD TEAS IS A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO THE HOBBY

Madeleinesteinbach/Dreamstime

Some folks are apt to think winter is not an ideal time to break ground as a forager. This is likely because it’s cold and the fact that there are not as many edible wild plants available in Mother Nature’s win ter pantry as there are in spring, summer and fall. But I disagree, for a number of reasons!

For starters, most of us have more free time in the winter to indulge in learn ing new things, so why not take the

opportunity to cuddle up with some good reading material on the topic. It’s a great way to get yourself “hyped-up” for the main foraging seasons and, more importantly, to gain knowledge about your new hobby.

For example, looking up wild straw berries in an edible wild-food handbook may sound silly because we all know these common wild berries closely re semble their cultivated kin. However, finding them in their woodland habitat is a lot more challenging than heading out to the backyard garden or driving to

a “U-pick” berry farm to fill a pail.

Studying up, you’ll learn about the pre ferred habitats of wild strawberries and you’ll start to see the plant in an excit ing new light. You’ll discover what fam ily the wild strawberry belongs to, how many species there are in Canada, their common names and so much more. You could even be introduced to a new herb al tea you have never tried before.

Once you whet your appetite on wild strawberries, you’ll be eager to move on to other edible, less-familiar ber ries as well as an array of wild fruits,

Svetlana Kolpakova

Rosehip Tea.

flowers, green plants, shoots and roots, nuts and even mushrooms. I guarantee you’ll have plenty of items on your for aging list for the upcoming seasons.

Learning about a plant’s botanical de scription, Latin and common names, various species, distribution, season and habitat will help you track it down. These details are also vital for making a positive identification, which is the number-one forager’s rule—never pick or eat a plant you cannot positively identify! So read on, and the more books you accumulate on the topic, the

better prepared you’ll be when you en ter the field.

Fortunately, you don’t need to spend the whole winter just reading about your new hobby. As soon as the thermometer rises a little, you can round up the family, jump into your snowsuits and take off in search of a wilderness pick to “cut your teeth on.” There is nothing more satisfying than bringing home a super-healthy, self-harvested treat from the wilderness to share with your fam ily and, as a bonus deal, it’s free for the picking. But the greatest reward, as grandma often reminded me when I was learning to forage at her side, is spend ing time in the woodlands, fields and meadow because, she’d wink, “it keeps your body spry and your soul sane.” And since grandma lived to be 102 while still active until her last day, I think she knew what she was talking about!

Novice foragers should get into the habit of taking along a good field guide on their expeditions. I don’t mean your foraging friend, but rather that wellillustrated and finely detailed handbook you’ve been paging through all winter long. Oh, and if that experienced for ager wants to join your family outings, don’t pass up the excellent opportunity of learning from a pro.

As always, whether leaving the house on foot or going by vehicle, especially in winter when days are colder and shorter, it’s common sense to file your agenda with a family member or friend. Let them know where you are going

and when you expect to return. Sudden snowstorms and blizzards can quickly cover your woodland tracks making it easy to get turned around.

Be sure to have an emergency winter kit in your vehicle. Naturally, your cell phone and charger (which may not be too dependable in remote areas such as where my family frequents), first aid kit, a flashlight with extra batteries and/or candles, matches, portable jump starter or at least booster cables, shovel and blankets or sleeping bags. I find the trunk of the car (or behind the seat) are handy places to store sleeping bags yearround—and they’re there if you ever need them!

Load up your survival kit with nonperishable foods. You know the list— energy bars, dried fruits, nuts, fruit leather, jerky, and, last but not least, water! You can tote bottled water or do as I do and pop a gallon jug of tap wa ter into the vehicle (along with the day’s picnic and hot drinks) to be saved for emergencies. Any medicines your fam ily cannot do without should be taken along, just in case.

WONDERFUL WILD WINTER TEAS

Time to make tracks! What could be better than venturing out into a pristine winter forest in pursuit of a mouthwatering picks destined for the teapot! I mean, really, when your family arrives back home chilled from the nose to the toes, nothing is going to warm them up quicker than a steaming cup of tea—or “tisane” as wild plants for the teapot are rightfully known. Since wild teas are caffeine-free, the kids can enjoy them too, and you will all derive a lot of pride and pleasure from sampling the joys of self-sufficiency!

ROSEHIP TEA

Rosehips are the fleshy, appley-tasting red fruits of wild rose plant which ripen in autumn and cling to the bare branch es all winter long. Bramble bushes

grow in thickets around pasturelands, fences and railings, skirting meadow lands, hemming the sunny open edges of forests and along wilderness trails. After the leaves have shed and the ground is white, the bright red hips are easy to spot on the bare branches against the snowy backdrop. The bushes

are thorny so keep your mitts or gloves on for picking.

Rosehips often grow in such profu sion you can harvest enough for boiling down into a delightful syrup, just like the commercial product imported from Hungary. When the hips are cooked,

Top: Andrey Poroshenkov; Left: Linda Gabris

Evergreen Tea.

pureed and sweetened with honey, they come out of the food dehydrator as a very tasty fruit leather. I find rosehips make mouth-watering sauces for up land birds, waterfowl, venison as well as domestic meats and poultry.

One of my family’s favourite ways to enjoy rosehips, especially in winter, is in the teapot. The hips are richer in vitamin C than oranges, which is why grandma vouched for rosehip tea as be ing a good brew for warding off seasonal ailments like cold and flu.

TWO METHODS FOR MAKING ROSEHIP TEA

1. By the cupful—which is a big hit with kids! Give each member a little basket and let them pick their own hips for making tea. All that’s needed is a small handful per cup of water. At home, rinse the hips in cold water. The “tails” (or blossom ends) can be pinched off or left on, it makes no difference to the tea. Put the hips into an infuser, set into a cup and pour boiling water over top. Cover and steep until the desired strength is reached. Sweeten with hon ey, garnish with lemon and serve with a cinnamon swizzle stick, if desired. The flesh of the hips can be eaten for good measure but instruct your family not to eat the seeds as they contain tiny hairs which can irritate the mouth.

2. By the potful—to make an even more potent immune-booster, gather the hips in a communal container. At home, pinch off the tails, pop open the hips, thumb out the seeds and discard. Put the hips into a preheated teapot (three to four cups of hips per four to six cups water) and cover with boiling water. Steep, swishing a few times with a spoon, for 15 minutes. Pour the tea through a strainer and serve as above. When the pot is empty, divvy up the dregs on saucers, drizzle with honey, spear with toothpicks and eat.

ROSEHIP TEA CHAINS

Rosehips can be strung and hung to dry for tea-making. It’s a fun winter activity for kids. All that’s needed are a needle and spool of undyed string or

nylon fishing line. Lace the hips up into “beaded” chains and hang in a warm place to dry. Once the moisture is gone, in about two to three weeks, unstring the hips, crush with a pestle and mor tar and store in a tea canister. To make tea out of the dried hips, use one to two tablespoons of crushed hips per cup of boiling water, steep, strain and enjoy. By the way, these dangling rosehip chains make beautiful garlands for the Christ mas tree and when it’s time to take the tree out, the “edible” decoration can be recycled for the teapot!

Top: Linda Gabris; Above: Elena Korzh

Highbush Wild Cranberry Tea.

EVERGREEN TEA

A cup of evergreen tea captures the refreshing, piney-sprucy essence of a winter forest and this pick for the pot is an easy target for novice foragers to set their sights on. Just head to the nearest conifer stand! Spruce, pine, cedar and balsam make fragrant healthful teas, which like rosehips, are loaded with vi tamin C.

To harvest, pinch or snip off the tips of boughs about three to four inches from the end. You will not need many, and it’s good practice to harvest from random trees instead of taking all the

tips from one donor.

Teatime. Put about eight, more or less, fresh boughs into a preheated teapot, cover with four to six cups of boiling water and steep until desired strength is reached, keeping in mind: the longer, the stronger. It may take a little tweak ing to find a balance that suits your taste to a tee, pardon the pun! Strain into cups, sweeten with honey and add orange zest or a slice, if desired.

HIGHBUSH WILD CRANBERRY TEA

Juicy, tart, fragrant wild cranberries are good immune boosters and also make

an amazing cup of cold weather tea. They, like rosehips, cling to the bare branches long after the leaves have shed and the hanging clusters of lustrous red berries stand out brilliantly against the winter snow.

You’ll find highbush cranberries grow ing on small trees, seldom reaching over 12 to 15 feet in height, in shady, moist woodlands. Often at the edges of de ciduous forests, along riverbanks and stream sides, near bogs and marshes, and along backcountry roads. Sometimes they look as though they were deliber ately planted to enhance the scenery.

For a satisfying, family-sized pot of tea, gather about four to six cups of the berries. Harvest the berries by picking off the clusters into a container that will keep them cool. Don’t use a bas ket as they will become juicy as soon as they get warmed up in the vehicle on the ride home.

Rinse the berries and put them into a saucepan along with a couple whole cloves, a one–inch piece of cinnamon stick and the juice and grated zest of an orange. Add six cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the berries burst open,

Winter is the best time to harvest chaga because the black fungus stands out well against the white snow and birch bark.

which takes about eight to 10 minutes. Strain, and return to the pan, discard ing the dregs. Reheat and add enough honey or sugar to sweeten to your lik ing. Transfer to a preheated teapot, let settle a few minutes and pour.

CHAGA TEA

Chaga mushrooms are the latest craze in the natural medicine world, sold in health food stores at hefty prices. But it’s more fun foraging your own and they’re free. Chaga mushrooms do not look like traditional “um brella-shaped” mushrooms. They are irregular-shaped bumps resembling large black warts on the white bark of birch—thus I think “fungus” de scribes them more accurately.

This fungus can grow to enormous sizes but most common ones my fam ily have found are about the size of a grapefruit. Even though they can be located growing on other types of deciduous trees, only the chaga from birch trees is reputed as being a pow erful antioxidant and anti-inflamma tory, thus considered a natural rem edy for arthritis, high blood pressure and lowering blood sugar. Fascinating claims, indeed, but please do not start doctoring yourself! Just enjoy the tea, which resembles the taste and aroma of imported Assam black tea, and let the healthy benefits do their thing.

Winter, after the trees have shed their leaves, is the best time to forage for chaga because they are easier to spot against the white bark and snowy

backdrop. A small compact camp saw can be used for cutting the chaga off the tree and a roll of strong tape comes in handy for taping the saw to a long pole in order to retrieve growths which are higher up than you can reach. Removing chaga from a tree does not harm or shorten the tree’s lifespan. I visit the same birch woods often and the same trees I have har vested from years ago are still stand ing, tall and proud.

When home, rinse the chaga under cold running water to remove dirt. Us ing a mallet, break the mushroom up into chunks, which will speed the dry ing process. The chaga must be dried before using so spread the pieces on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and sit in a warm place for four or five weeks, or until moisture is gone. Grind in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar to the consistency of coffee grounds.

To make the tea, put one to two tea spoons of ground chaga into a dispos able paper tea bag, place in a cup and cover with boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. A touch of honey and squirt of lemon adds to the enjoyment of this tea.

NOW THAT YOU’VE sampled the plea sures of winter foraging, just wait until you see what wonderful, wilderness treats await you in Mother Nature’s bountiful, ever-changing pantry.

Starting with spring, which could be around the corner sooner than you think.

Top Right: Linda Gabris

Chaga Tea.

HOT AIR BALLOON

BY

But the flashbacks continue. I see them with a vividness that still causes loon ride as dangerous. Whitewater rafting: perhaps. Ultralight flying: possibly. Ocean kayaking: on occasion. But, it was an uppercrust recre ation like croquet or polo. Trips ended with champagne.

This excerpt is from the anthology Tales of B.C., by Daniel Wood, which is now in its second edition and available from the BC Magazine bookstore.

I could remember the film Around the World in 80 Days and envisioned David Niven and friends soaring over the Alps in their balloon. I’d seen pho tos of the annual Albuquerque Festival with hundreds of balloons rising above the desert in a colourful airborne arma da. What, I asked myself, is more ethe real, more transcendent than a balloon? It floats, it hangs, it drifts, suspended in space like an intangible idea.

I brought Belgian chocolates along to celebrate.

Because I was a journalist, there to write about the excursion, I was given a guided tour within the horizontal, halfinflated nylon canopy as it lay on the grass at the Langley airport, 50 kilome tres east of Vancouver. The early evening sun shone through the balloon’s geomet ric red, orange, and yellow panels, suffus ing the interior as if it were a translucent Mondrian cathedral. Our pilot, who had 27 years of experi ence, explained that he could not steer his craft at all; it went with the wind. The only aspects he could control were the propanepropelled ascent and—using a system of ropes and parachute-like louvers in the canopy—the gravity-pulled de scent. He pointedly checked that these control ropes weren’t snagged.

THE CONTROL ROPES, USED ON LANDINGS TO RELEASE THE BALLOON’S HOT AIR, WERE SNARLED IN A DENSE, GREEN CAT’S-CRADLE OF BROKEN BRANCHES.

cul-de-sacs, cornfields plowed in ovals like braided rugs, blue-eyed swimming pool, cars shrunk to Lilliputian size scurrying along the Trans-Canada.

A 30-second burst of propane-fire and the 12-story-high balloon rose vertical ly, still held in place by ground crew as the eight passengers clambered into the wicker basket. Another ear-shattering burst, a shout from our pilot, and the voyagers lifted slowly away from the terra firma and upturned faces and re ceding smiles.

The mid-summer sun was heading toward the Coast Mountains behind Vancouver. I watched our shadow gradually shrink to nothingness—like a message written in disappearing ink. We climbed to 750 metres and the pat terns that humans have imposed upon the Fraser Valley stood out in crisp contrast: the neurons of suburban

We joked about the hair-curling heat that issued at times from the twin pro pane jets that the pilot triggered above us. There were morbid comments about who would be designated excess ballast and jettisoned from the basket were the balloon to crash. Mostly, we oohed and aahed and stared down, drifting northwest, caught in the aerial reverie. Life, it seemed, was good; the moment blessed. It felt like a dream.

But then something changed—al most imperceptibly at first. After an hour and a half and 12 kilometres of flying, our pilot stopped firing the propane burners and the balloon sank toward the farmland and forests near the Fraser River. Dogs craned their heads upward and barked our sudden appearance. Cows ran after us, mooing as if seeking deliverance

from an airborne bovine god.

The pilot searched for a farm field to land in and kept repeating in an unwor ried tone that he was surprised by the strength of the unprecedented, lowlevel wind. It drove us over the first landing site. He burned propane, a pro longed deafening blast, lifting us above an approaching roadside powerline.

That’s when I had the first eerie feel ing that—maybe, just maybe—things might be going wrong. Just beyond the wires the balloon’s open gondola sailed into the tops of 20-metre-high maples,

tipped partially sidewards, and all of us, ducking with each new impact, clung silently to the wicker framework as branches flailed at our exposed hands and heads.

I asked myself whether he had done this purposely to mark our otherwise peaceful ride with a final exclamation point.

Then I looked up.

The control ropes, used on landings to release the balloon’s hot air, were snarled in a dense, green cat’s-cradle of broken branches. The pilot fired the

propane and we rose from the treetops. But I knew from my introductory tour we were in deep, deep trouble: If he could not open the louvers high in the canopy, he could not deflate the bal loon. Gravity and friction—not our pilot—would decide exactly when we hit the ground and where we’d stop. I offered to climb up the balloon’s rig ging to try to free the tangle, but he dis missed the suggestion.

As we sank again toward the farm land—just clearing the roof of a green house—a grim silence gripped the

passengers. The ground rushed up, the basket slammed into the earth and halftipped. I’d never felt such an impact. My knees buckled. The nine of us were hurled to the gondola’s floor in a tangle of limbs.

But the balloon couldn’t be deflated and the wind, blowing at an estimated 30 to 40 kilometres per hour, dragged us across the field in a ricocheting series of crashes as the basket would rise a few metres then fall, pulled across the land by the huge, spinnaker-like canopy.

“Stay in the basket!” the pilot

shouted. He then fired the propane. We lifted above some trees and the passen gers struggled to their feet. Next to me, the face of a man celebrating his birth day was covered with blood.

We rose to 50 metres, high enough to see in the near distance more powerlines and in the middle distance the snaking sliver of the Fraser River. I knew contact with the wires would be fatal: We were riding a propane bomb. I suspected landing in the swift flowing Fraser would be only slightly less dan gerous.

What was really strange was this: No

five bruises, from my grip, on her arm.)

I kept looking up, trying to anticipate where the next crash might occur.

I didn’t have to wait long.

The third major crash threw those who’d regained their feet to the floor once again. We were dragged and battered more. But this time the canopy of the runaway balloon impaled itself on a row of tall cottonwoods and slowly de flated—like a dangerous idea that had lost its force.

Then, just as I began to assure myself that the nightmare was over, there was a terrifying poof sound and a brilliant

loon again. I heard the old saying about climbing back on a horse after a spill. I like the idea—essential for a journal ist—of living on the edge. Real danger is often a prerequisite for real thrill. But the horror of the balloon crash has made me face my mortality. And the pain and vivid flashbacks are a daily an tidote to an urge toward risk.

Adventure travel isn’t without hazard. The very day after my accident, wrapped in a Demerol-induced haze, I read in the newspaper that a woman on the rafting trip had just drowned in Class III rapids near Whistler.

In the ocean of Tofino, two people drowned earlier this year when their whale-watching boat flipped over.

Two others died while tandem ultra light flying near Vancouver.

A pair of Whistler skiers also met their maker—as Sonny Bono did—by crashing into obstacles.

one spoke. We merely clung to the bas ket’s wicker, studying the runaway bal loon’s trajectory, trying to judge where fate would next deposit us.

The ground came up again—a stumpfilled clearcut.

Our second crash was even worse. Mo mentum pitched us into a twisted, groan ing mass of arms and legs. The balloon dragged the half-tipped basket through 100 metres of fallen logs and fireweed. We’d rise a mere metre or two, then fall, in a second series of crashes. I fought to regain my footing. Over the edge of the wicker, I saw the big stump coming. My partner—half pinned beneath the birth day celebrant’s wife—didn’t.

The corner of the stump smashed through the wicker. I flew. The stump caught my friend in the shoulder, and she screamed in pain as her collarbone shattered. I took the hit directly to my chest, fracturing two ribs. Still the bal loon didn’t stop. The pilot fired the propane burners again and we lifted skyward, high enough to see the Fraser River ahead.

In truth, I didn’t once think of my past. My life did not flash before my eyes. I fought desperately to pull my moaning friend from beneath the tumble of bod ies on the basket’s floor. (Weeks later, I could still see the distinctive pattern of

orange flash directly above our heads. Leaking propane had found the pi lot light and exploded. Oh, my God! I thought. This is it.

I saw the pilot’s hand reach up and flick a red emergency toggle switch. We lay in silence for a few seconds before slowly, painfully extricating ourselves from the wreckage. Soon, from far away at first, I could hear the wail of ap proaching sirens.

In the weeks that followed, people of ten asked me whether I’d go up in a bal

A parachutist died recently near the site of my balloon crash.

A dozen others have died in the Rock ies over the past year, buried under avalanches while ski-touring or snow mobiling in the rugged backcountry. Several more have died this year heliskiing.

Death, it seems, is sometimes adven ture’s companion.

I don’t want to be a sissy. Life is meant to be lived. But the balloon crash has been a reminder that if you want to smell the roses you do have to be alive.

THE BOOK

With a career spanning five decades, award-winning writer Daniel Wood has inspired, informed, and entertained generations of readers. Whether he’s exploring human nature, scientific discoveries, oddi ties, or environmental wonders, at the centre of these stories are people, their ideas, and their dreams.

This one-of-a-kind anthology features 28 of Wood’s best magazine articles including a near-death hot air balloon ride, BC’s pot-growing pioneers, Elvis impersonators in the Okanagan, the province’s first dino-dig, and its last free-range cowboys. Get this compelling collection of BC tales at a bookstore near you or order online at bcmag.ca/talesofbc.

In the bay the mirror calm of the inlet’s surface is broken by a million stipples. It’s beautiful and mesmerizing.

But come in out of the rain anyway. It rains a lot here in Ocean Falls, with its back against the Coast Range. Pacific clouds, full of moisture from their slow transit across the world’s largest ocean, arrive at these steep slopes, rise and dump staggering amounts of precipita tion on the inlet and the occupants be low. The annual rainfall is 169 inches or 4.3 metres. Do the math—that’s almost half an inch per day. It’s more than four times what North Vancou ver gets. And yet, for all that amount, it falls gently in the summer. The locals like to joke about how you can tell it’s summer—the clouds are still there, but the rain is warm.

It’s early August and it’s been raining on the mid-coast, without a break, for almost a week. We have been travelling along the coast on our powerboat for weeks. We are getting tired of watch ing it run down windowpanes and we’re tired of watching the pipes on the upper deck jet it overboard. What to do?

We head to Ocean Falls, a place we’ve frequently heard about but have never visited. It’s out of the way, and not easy to combine with anything else. But those who have visited say it’s well worth the detour, and so here we are, tied to the dock in the little marina. There are benefits to being off the main routes.

OCEAN FALLS IS only accessible by BC Ferry or floatplane via Bella Coola or Port Hardy, or by private boat. No matter what method you use to get there, approaching along Cousins Inlet is a treat. If the clouds aren’t blocking

the view, the soaring peaks above the town are dramatic. At the head of the bay is the wall of the Link Lake Dam— almost 700 feet across and 70 feet high. The recent rain has meant the spillway is in full flood. You can see white water plunging down the wall and churning along the raceway. It’s worth the effort to walk up to the overlook. It’s about a 20-minute amble through town, where the roads are cracked and grass pokes through, up the hill to where the pav ing turns to gravel, the bush encroaches from either side, and then you’re there.

The lake behind the dam is almost 30-kilometres long and is the result of the first dam, built in 1910, being raised during the First World War to provide more power to run an ever-expanding pulp mill. Today, there are two pen stocks driving turbines. Unlike most places in the world, Ocean Falls has a surplus of power that can’t find a mar ket. As you travel up Cousins Inlet you’ll notice the power poles on the west side. They supply the communities of Shear water and Bella Bella.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD start at the beginning. First there was a sawmill in 1909, and so it wasn’t long before they built a dam to power it. A pulp mill quickly followed. In 1921 the dam was raised for the second time. More power. More pulp. And before the end of that decade a 550-foot tunnel had been bored through a mountain to ex pand the catchment. Ocean Falls was on a roll, as the mill grew and people streamed into the growing community.

Pacific Mills knew they had to be spe cial to attract people to a place that was effectively the end of the line. Sure, there

was ferry service, and even air service at times, but to compensate for the re moteness, they paid above average wages and sponsored anything that helped to build a community—churches, societies and sports teams (see sidebar).

In 1954 ownership shifted to Crown Zellerbach (Canada) Ltd. The town was still on the move. A few years earlier, the Martin Inn had been built with 264 rooms. Five years later they added another 105 rooms. Imagine that—it was the biggest hotel on the coast, including Vancouver! A ski resort was built. The baseball fields were expanded. It is es timated there were about 3,500 people living in Ocean Falls at the time.

Sadly, like many isolated communities, when conditions change, sometimes half a world away, the ripples wash up on one-industry towns. In the early ’70s, Crown Zellerbach closed the mill. Un der pressure, the BC Government took it on, but by 1980 they too had to call it quits. Workers and their families left. Plant and equipment were sold off. The hydro station was privatized to Boralex, a Quebec company. Homes with water front views sold for as little as $2,000.

Later, the government sent in ma chines to flatten much of the place. The remaining residents resisted vig orously. After a standoff, much of the town’s centre was spared—but it was a false hope. Slowly, inevitably, the forests encroached, despite the best efforts of those who stayed.

Ocean Falls needed a new economy, as the permanent population shrank to about 50 souls. For a while it looked like the conversion of the old mill site by Norwegian fish food giant Mowi into a hatchery raising Atlantic salmon fry for fish farms might be the answer, but the staff lived in their own accommodation and came and went on company trans port, with minimal benefit to the town.

WHAT DID OCEAN FALLS OFFER?

It was a small, hardy community. It had magnificent scenery. And 13 MW of mostly surplus electricity. That last feature attracted an unlikely customer. In 2010, crypto-currencies were just

COME IN OUT OF THE RAIN. SURE, IT’S A GENTLE RAIN THAT DRIFTS DOWN FROM THE LOW CLOUDS OVERHEAD—YOU CAN TURN YOUR FACE UP TO IT WITHOUT BEING PUMMELED.

Ocean Falls

The once beautifully cared for town is being retaken by the forest after the mill closed in 1980.

Top: Vancouver City Archives; Bottom: Rick Hudson

gaining traction. To ‘mine’ Bitcoin, you needed a lot of computing power. And computers guzzled a lot of electricity.

Early miners were based in western China where power was cheap, but it came from coal-fired plants, which was a no-no. After numerous false starts, Vancouver-based entrepreneur Kevin Day convinced Boralex that his compa ny was solid and, after a bit of back and forth, it agreed to sell Day up to six MW of power (at an undisclosed rate). Day set up his data centre in one of the least crumbly buildings in the old pulp mill. In 2017, Ocean Falls Blockchain began operations. His timing was good—the cryptocurrency went from $200 to al most $20,000 that year. But that was followed by some serious price hiccups in 2018 and 2019.

None of which has really benefitted the town. Computers don’t need a lot of attention or employees. Toni Ziga nash and Les LeMarston own the Old Bank Inn and Little Licker Ice Cream Store—pretty much the only businesses in town. They aren’t sure about Block chain, but they like that there’s someone else looking to Ocean Falls’ future. The average age in town is 70-plus, so there’s little energy for anything new.

Sure, there’s a town hall, a post office, a first aid clinic and an RCMP post, but all of it is part-time. (The RCMP keep a vehicle on charge outside their building, but they rarely come to town.) Which is a problem. LeMarston worries that every time someone does a ‘ghost town’ story on Ocean Falls, it attracts odd people who arrive to squat in the deserted build ings. “People don’t realize that these properties are owned. They may be ne glected, but they aren’t up for grabs.”

Right

1. Despite having a small resident popula tion, BC Ferries services the town bi-weekly from Port Hardy and Bella Coola. 2. The Ways are over a century old. Now owned by local Les LeMarston, who also runs the Old Bank Inn and the ice cream shop, it’s worth a visit, if Les is available. Ask at the inn. 3. Initially built to provide power for the growing pulp mill, the Link Lake Dam is a short walk out of town, and was spilling hard after a week of steady rain.

IN 1928, USING local beer parlour profits, the residents of Ocean Falls built a swimming pool. The logic seemed to be that if you were going to spend your time being wet, it might as well be indoors doing it for a good cause. The pool was just 20-yards long, and four lanes wide—less than a quarter of the international standard (50 metres by eight lanes). Little did those early instigators realize the splash that pool would make around the world.

It turned out the locals had the talent. They lived in a com pany town, and the company prohibited private vehicles, so everyone walked everywhere. And the houses were up and down endless stairs. The youth of Ocean Falls were fit before they even started swim train ing. The only thing missing was a coach. In 1950, George Gate started as the pool man

THE OCEAN FALLS SWIM CLUB

ager, but that quickly changed to inspired swim instructor. In the 1950s and 1960s the club produced many exceptional swimmers out of all proportion to the size of the community. In total, they won a remarkable 26 national swimming events. At their peak, they accounted for a quarter of male placements on Canadian international swim teams, and those athletes took a third of all swimming medals

won by Canadian men in ma jor international competitions. It’s one of the great un derdog stories in Canadian sport history. Over a 14-year period, one or more Ocean Falls swimmer was on every Canadian Olympic, Com monwealth or Pan American Games team. Under Gate’s direction the team won 26 national competitions. Half the Olympic team in 1964 was from this club.

The pinnacle came in 1965, when the team of four men, two women and one coach travelled to the National Swimming Championships in Red Deer, Alberta, and won the Speedo Trophy as combined team aggregate champions.

The men dominated the meet, adjusting to the larger size of the outdoor Red Deer pool. Sandy Gilchrist, on scholarship at the University of Southern California, won three gold and three silver medals. At the University of Denver on a swimming scholarship, Jack Kelso took silver in the 100and 200-metre breaststroke. The events that Gilchrist didn’t win, soon-to-be three-time Canadian Olympian Ralph Hutton did, as he captured two gold, four silver, and one bronze.

Six years later, Crown Zellerbach closed the town.

All the abandonment doesn’t help those left behind. Your house might be well cared for, but when the ones on either side are being swallowed by BC bush, it doesn’t look good. The other problem is that much of the downtown is owned by a small group of businessmen on Vancouver Island who have shown little interest in renovating or repairing.

ZIGANASH AND LEMARSTON would like to see more young people. With the imminent arrival of fibre-optic cable, this might happen. If Covid has taught us anything, it’s that a lot of people can telecommute. In the interim, they are busy. Their inn provides accommoda

in them, make for an impressive sight. Older visitors will remember Herb and Lena Carpenter, who previously owned The Ways. They have retired to Kere meos where Herb said he had ‘one final house in him’ to build.

Others may remember bearded ‘Nearly Normal’ Norm Brown, a local charac ter who had a museum of memorabilia, salvaged from the town’s slow demise. An inveterate collector, his accumula tion was housed in the co-op building until 2008, and then moved to the up per floor of The Ways. It too is worth a visit—green toy frog collections, no tice boards from the sides of buildings, ladies’ face cream jars, Walt Disney LP records, dream-catchers and Christmas

in Ocean Falls. Until Covid, Eva, a European-trained chef, ran one that delivered elegant cuisine quite out of the normal fare. No longer. There’s also no fuel and no garbage collection.

For exercise, there’s the dam over look—about a 20-minute walk through town—or you can hike the two kilo metres to Martin Valley, named for Archie Martin, the mill’s first manager. The road follows the shoreline and brings you into a residential commu nity which is better cared for than the downtown area. Using the Merlin bird app on our phones, we identified 11 bird species on that walk, although we saw only one—a violet-green swallow. A short distance along the road is the

With 370 rooms the Martin Inn was the biggest hotel on the coast. It closed in 1988 and fell into a state of disrepair. Right: The Martin Inn still stands today, but is far from its former glory.

tion to visitors who arrive by ferry from Bella Coola or Port Hardy. You can also fly in from Port Hardy on Wilderness Seaplanes.

LeMarston has taken over The Ways, a magnificent old marine structure built at the end of the First World War. A cen tury later, there’s a slight list to landward, but the pilings are sound and Les is jack ing the base beams back to level. He has the original engineering drawings of the place. In the short term, there’s no plan to provide commercial haul-outs, but the building is worth a visit. He is often found there and if not busy will give you a tour of the place. Massive timbers, clear first-growth beams without a knot

diorama cutouts crowd other unrelated objects in the large loft, which in past times was the paper testing lab for the mill. Norm Brown died of cancer in early 2022. The collection is now lightly managed by LeMarston.

EVA BRINE IS the harbourmaster at the marina. Her husband was born there and she’s lived in Martin Valley for more than two decades. There’s 1,500 feet of dock space, 20 and 30-amp electric ity and potable water. There’s also “The Shack” where you can hang out and use the free wifi; there are tables and chairs, lights and a book exchange.

There are no longer any restaurants

Fairy Rock, a remarkable place for little people, with a variety of fairies about, and even coins lying around to be col lected. (Please advise the harbourmaster if you have found treasure, so she can ensure it is replaced later.)

THE BAROMETER WAS rising, the gale warning on the outer coast had been downgraded, and the rain had eased. It hadn’t exactly stopped, mind you, but it looked encouraging for the first time in days. We let the lines go with a feeling of genuine sadness, leaving Ocean Falls in our wake. Our stay had been unexpect edly upbeat despite the grey days, and we were sorry to be going.

Right above: Chris Grabowski

CORMORANTS

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT AN AQUATIC BIRD THAT IS BOTH REVERED AND DESPISED

BY MARIANNE SCOTT

The ubiquitous pelagic cormo rant has a green sheen during the mating season.

A Brandt’s cormorant showing its breeding season colours while sitting on its nest.

Cormorants are a family of about 40 species of aquatic birds within the genus Phalacrocoraci dae and they live all over the world. In Britain and some of its former colo nies, they are often also called “shags.”

Controversy reigns about their exact classifications and the number of spe cies—some sources state there are 30 species, for example, and that’s only one of many controversies surround ing this ubiquitous bird.

Resembling a small goose, their sizes range from 45 to 100 centimetres and they weigh between 340 grams and five kilos. Cormorants, or birds close ly resembling them, have been around for tens of millions of years. Scientists say they have a very ancient body plan, with similar birds reaching back to the time of the dinosaurs.

British Columbia’s three most com mon species include: pelagic cormo rants, the smallest and most ubiqui tous type, with a thin, snakelike neck and mostly black feathers, although they may develop a green or pur plish sheen during mating season; the Brandt’s cormorant, a larger version with a heavier neck and bill; and the double-crested cormorant, the largest of the three and the most common in North America, with black feathers and a yellow/orange face. All three have relatively short wings, stiff tail feathers, a hooked beak and inhabit both salt and freshwater territories.

Pelagic cormorants belie their name, as they, along with the other species, are coastal rather than venturing far out into the ocean. On other continents, cormorants have evolved to dis play a host of other markings, includ ing red legs and white breasts.

CORMORANTS ARE PRODIGIOUS

fishers, able to dive up to 37 metres or more to catch their prey. They can hold their breath for up to 70 seconds. Most cormorants, including those in BC, have fewer oil glands than other aquatic birds and when diving, their feathers become water-logged. They then take their characteristic pose with spread-out wings on islets, rocks, pilings and navigation buoys thereby allowing the air to dry their feathers. The advantage to this low oil gland production is that cormorant buoy ancy is reduced and they can use their webbed feet and stiff tail as a “rudder” to become streamlined torpedoes when chasing their lunch. The lack of buoyancy also causes them to sit low in the water, making them easier to identify from similar-sized loons who float higher.

To take flight, cormorants seem to struggle and use their feet to “walk” on water. But after that ungainly takeoff, they fly well and fast, and can make use of thermal updrafts.

Cormorants live a complex life and build strong social relationships. Re maining in BC year-round, they con gregate in colonies, sometimes num bering in the hundreds. Depending

on location, they nest in trees, al though in BC, the crevices and cran nies in the abundant coastal cliffs are also favourite nesting locations—the white guano coating the cliff faces reveals cormorant habitat. They also fancy small, bare, rocky islands, although in some areas, cormorants may build a nest on the ground. The latter method makes them more vul nerable to egg and chick hunters, both human and animal. Some try to build nests under urban bridges in Van couver. Having built a nest, couples, who usually remain paired, will often return to it for years. The female lays about four light-blue eggs and both parents incubate them for a month or so. The hatchlings are born with dark, leathery skin, later covered by down and transforming into feathers within one-to-two months when they are taught to fly. Both parents feed the chicks by carrying captured fish in their gullets which the fledg lings retrieve. The chicks, with a life expectancy of up to 25 years, will start reproducing between the ages of two and three years.

CORMORANTS ARE OFTEN dis liked for their smell and for their destruction of trees. I once saw a small island in Quebec’s St. Law rence River completely denuded of live vegetation and wildlife. It stood out starkly among a group of small islands covered by trees. The sec ond such island I spotted lay in the Baltic Sea. The bare branches of trees stuck up above luxurious, green un dergrowth, but no birds were visible. In my mind, I called them (unscien tifically) “cormorant islands.” Later I discovered that cormorants’ guano is highly acidic and kills the trees they nest in. Once the island is barren, the birds abandon it. Later, when weather and time have reduced the soil’s acid ity, new plant life resumes.

In the 1950s and ’60s, the numbers of cormorants decreased drastically along with many other bird species. Unchecked pollution and especially the toxic insecticide/pesticide DDT, which weakens birds’ eggshells, took a marked toll on cormorant populations,

A double-crested cormorant drying its wings.

although the poisoning was less severe in BC. After DDT was phased out in the mid-1970s, the numbers began to grow again.

Non-native animals—those intro duced by humans—aren’t protected by Canadian federal law. Cormorants are included in “introduced species,” and thus provinces control their numbers (other sources say that cor morants are native birds). In BC, the Hunting & Trapping Regulations don’t include cormorants as a species to be hunted, likely because the BC Con servation Data Centre has flagged Brandt’s cormorants as being at risk, double-crested cormorants as an eco logical community at risk, and only pelagic cormorants as secure.

CORMORANTS ARE OFTEN seen as too prolific and a species that needs to be controlled. In some parts of Can ada, notably Ontario and Newfound land, the provincial governments have allowed culls of their omnipresent Brandt’s cormorants for several years.

They are seen as conflicting with hu man economic interests, competing with fishermen for fish, with other birds for habitat, and for being habitat destroyers. Although multiple sources report they don’t eat fish of commer cial value, this view of cormorant de structiveness has elicited enough ink that since 2020, Ontario regulations allow a hunter to shoot 15 cormo rants per day during the fall hunting season. Environmentalists strongly object to these killings, observing that the hunts lack underlying scientific evidence of cormorant overpopula tion and are fostered by hunting and fishing organizations looking to lower the birds’ fish consumption, which is estimated to be a pound of fish per day for adult birds.

In a podcast interview, Carleton University professor Steven J. Cooke revealed he’d posted to Facebook asking for comments on the Ontario cormorant hunt. “I received three responses opposing the cull, a few neutrals and the rest were loudly sup

portive,” he said. “I was perplexed by the hatred expressed. A few writers wanted to exterminate them alto gether. One claimed their poop liter ally dissolves islands. I propose that their ecological change may add to biodiversity… by creating localized niches for other organisms.” Cooke also thinks the cull is a province-wide overly severe response to a few, local ized cormorant impacts. And he add ed that when it comes to habitat de struction, humans far outpace other species by continually expanding cities and gobbling up prime agricultural lands.

ARE CORMORANTS EDIBLE? That depends on whom you ask. Some have claimed they were a tasty protein choice in wartime Britain, but the most common view is that their meat is fishy tasting, tough and stringy. Un like ducks, pheasants and partridges, they’re not included under game birds. They are also difficult birds to pluck.

Yet when I googled “cormorant reci pes” several popped up, including in structions for cormorant breasts with lentils, Scottish cormorant pot stew, and cormorant in cream sauce. Ten derizing the breasts requires 48 hours of marination and about three hours of oven baking, longer than other birds of this size. Others spoofed cor morant recipes by creating an elabo rate, time-consuming cooking process and then tossing the final product into the trash.

In their book, Traditional Ani mal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America, McGill professors Harriet V. Kuhnlein and Murray M. Humphries write that cormorants constituted part of the diet of the Coast Salish, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka’wakw), Nuxalk, Haida, Tlingit and Red Earth Cree, among others—although some avoided the bird for its meat’s toughness. “The Coast Salish called them diving ducks and owned colonies of them,” the au thors state, and “to lure them closer hunters would imitate their call.” Eggs were also collected during the birds’ breeding season.

The double-crested cormorant has black feathers and a yellowish orange face, and is the largest cormorant found in BC.

The authors describe how some cul tures used nets to capture cormorants; others employed whalebone snares, or spears made of a wooden shaft and pointed four-pronged barbs of yew or deer/whale bone. Coast Salish hunt ers boarded their canoes at night, lit a fire and while making noise, captured the confused waterfowl. Once caught, the birds were plucked and roasted, or hung to dry near a fire for later winter consumption. Cormorant skin was used in making parkas.

CORMORANTS HAVE LONG had a checkered reputation, with many cul tures having portrayed this diving bird as ominous, ugly and sinister, even the bearer of evil. In Ireland, for example, a cormorant perched on a church steeple is a warning that bad luck is imminent. But in the northern part of Norway, a gathering of cormorants is a harbinger of good luck. Much of the prejudice against this coastal water fowl is associated with its blackness, a colour the Greeks assigned to the un derworld, while the Judeo-Christian devil is usually draped in black skin or cloth.

The bird has been described in myths and poems dating back as far Homer’s Odyssey. Cormorants are mentioned in the Bible—they are among the un clean animals not to be eaten by the Israelites. John Milton, in Paradise Lost, portrays Satan seated “like a cor morant” atop the Tree of Life bearing the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

One explanation for the bird’s name, “cormorant,” is that it’s a contraction of the Latin corvus marinus, or sea ra ven. It was long thought that cormo rants and ravens were related. Raven is another black bird associated with both good luck and misfortune. In West Coast Indigenous lore, for in stance, the raven is portrayed either as a guardian spirit or as a super trickster, a selfish glutton, and a scheming de ceiver.

In Japan and China, fishermen have used the cormorants’ excellent abil ity to dive and catch fish by placing a snare around their necks to prevent them from swallowing larger prey.

Upon the cormorants’ return, the fishermen removed the fish and keep it. More modern fishing methods are now popular, but some still follow this 1,300-year-old tradition. One YouTube video shows a fisherman in a small, motorized boat following a group of cormorants who dive regu larly. When a bird emerges with a fish in its gullet, the fisherman hauls it in with a stick and then makes it regurgi tate the catch.

Cormorants have left their legacy in BC nomenclature. Cormorant Island, which lies east of Port McNeil in Queen Charlotte Strait, was named after HMS Cormorant, the first Royal naval ship powered by steam on our coast during the 1840s. The vessel, of course, was named after the ubiq uitous bird (at least 10 other vessels carried the name HMS Cormorant). Boaters can find a series of undevel oped islands in the Cormorant Chan

nel Marine Provincial Park between Hanson Island and Cormorant Island.

WILL CORMORANTS EVER become popular birds? Considering the long history of disdain for this avian, it’s not likely. When humans and cormorants compete for the same re source, the birds are unlikely to win the battle. They’re not cuddly like some of the deer overpopulating our neighbourhoods. Their hue has been associated with darkness and ma lign omens for millennia. And when we feel no affection or respect for an animal, it’s unlikely we will see their positive environmental contributions, such as their consumption of invasive species. Nor do we pay much atten tion to their virtues: the ability to live in communities, their spousal fidelity and parental sharing of raising their offspring. It may not be fair, but as the cliché goes, it is what it is.

Cormorants have been used for fishing in Japan and China for more than 1,300 years.

PORT ALICE

Some like it wild on the west coast of Vancouver Island

BY CHERIE THIESSEN

We pull over right by the ‘Welcome to Port Alice’ sign. Tanya Spafford, an admin assistant and deputy CAO/CFO for the village, had advised me earlier that the humpback whales were around but I hadn’t expected them to greet us as we arrived.

Here they are, two adults and two smaller ones, judging from the velocity and volume of those spouts and the size of those rolling backs.

We made it to this charmed spot and to this magical moment after a 530kilometre drive north from Victoria on Vancouver Island’s Highway 1, and even without the whales’ welcome we would have gasped. It’s a charmed entrance to the village on a beautiful and unchar acteristically warm October afternoon. The grass is verdant, the mountain views across Neroutsos Inlet are stunning, and the small village looks well cared for. “This reminds me of England,” says my

partner, David Dossor. “Who would have expected this way out here? It looks so orderly. I haven’t seen lawns like this all year.” We sit for a moment and take it all in.

We love how most of civilization falls away after leaving Campbell River on Highway 19. It seems we can drive for ever, with a better chance of seeing a black bear than a gas station. The high way shrinks to two lanes with scant pass ing lanes, but it’s no problem because the traffic becomes scant too. Tree-lined,

with lake and mountain views where the evergreens permit, the highway is a paved path through the forest. We’ve driven this route many times over many years, but today is the first time we have visited Port Alice, tucked away in the re gional district of Mt. Waddington, and so far north.

When we finally turn west off Highway 19, a curvaceous but paved road, High way 30, lures us westward for the last half an hour, a road that seems bordered by lakes on both sides and tempting dirt

“OMG David, look! Those are whale spouts.”

Located on beautiful Quatsino Sound, Port Alice is a gateway to West Coast outdoor adventure.

roads with signs that tug at us to explore recreational and camping areas. Only moments later I yell “PULL OVER,” startling my partner. “I want to see that lake.” He obliges me and I gaze at the majes tic scenery while he drums the steering wheel, looking at his wristwatch. Bea ver Lake is one sweet spot, with a wharf for swimming, picnic tables and beach. I envy the family that has set up here, complete with towels, swimsuits, blan kets, and hamper. They have the whole

lake to themselves in the bright sunshine of this midOctober day—it seems crazy that there is still swimming weather this late in the year.

The chauffeur refuses further stops for the rest of the trip, pointing out that we are well past happy hour.

After our ‘ohhhhh’ moment at the vil lage entrance, we stop at the municipal office. It seems the best place to start uncovering the story and attractions of Port Alice, and David be damned,

happy hour will have to wait. Spafford and the economic development officer, Ryan Nicholson, greet us. “What made you come here in the first place?” I ask him. “It has some of the most breathtak ing scenery I’ve ever seen,” he smiles. “I think it’s a mystical part of the world, one of the few remaining places where you can find crowd-free spaces to en joy and reflect on what really matters. Climb mountains, spend time with the ocean and its vast sand beaches, travel endless miles of resource roads and

pitch a tent for the night under tower ing old growth forests.” I guess he likes it here; someone else who likes it wild.

Spafford takes us over to the Heritage Centre next door and leaves us to explore, but the photos, the memora bilia, the art and the scrapbooks in this historical treasure trove are just too up staged by the nearby wild—the whales are performing just outside the windows and this museum in the making does not get the attention it deserves.

After, we head to Inlet Haven B&B to check in with host Bonnie Overland and to take advantage of her earlier invi tation to join her for happy hour on the deck overlooking the inlet. Our adven ture has barely begun and already we are becoming sybarites: it’s the intoxicating overload of our senses (and spirits).

Located on the most southerly ma rine access point to Quatsino Sound, 31 nautical miles from the open ocean, Port Alice has been called the gateway to outdoor recreation with kayaking in the pristine waters, fishing, hiking, swimming, mountain biking, boating and exploring the backroads. Our host asks us if we intend to get on to those roads tomorrow and drive the popular Alice Lake Loop, and we confirm that is exactly what we’re going to be doing. Spafford told us to put it at the top of our list too.

ALICE LAKE LOOP We wanted to visit Port Alice because it was remote, with its attractions still largely undiluted by tourism and development, so it’s with keen anticipation that we take off when the mist is still twisting low along the inlet and the sky is contemplating the colour pink.

The section of the Alice Lake Loop that we choose to explore features many karst marvels. It’s what you get when water goes to work on limestone. We re trace yesterday’s route a few kilometres until we come to the signed logging road on our right and head off in search of ancient karst formations, a mysterious river that disappears and then resurges somewhere else and the Eternal Foun tain, where I will learn about swallets

(where a stream sinks or flows under ground) and sinkholes.

First, it’s the Devil’s Bath, a flooded sinkhole (cenote) that is said to be the largest in Canada at 359 metres in di ameter and 44 metres in depth. We climb a platform to look far below us at the large, seemingly bottomless pool. Next, backtracking a few kilometres, we enter an enchanted forest and hear the rhythm of a waterfall. We follow the

ALICE LAKE LOOP

trail a few moments and head down to a bridge where we see the tumbling water. It looks like it is flowing from nowhere. On one side of the bridge the cascade flows seemingly eternally, but when we turn to the other side, all is still and dry. It has disappeared into a swallet. We have this fascinating and almost mysti cal experience to ourselves as we have not seen the dust of another car on the roads all morning.

Eternal Fountain

Alice Lake Main Rd

Port Alice

Port McNeill

PORT HARDY V i ctori a Lake

Al ice Lak e Devil's Bath

Keogh Lake Maynard Lake

Keogh Main Rd

Beaver Lake

Link River campsite

Marble River Prov. Park

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BACKYARD GETAWAYS

This loop trail is magical. While the road is rough in places, four-wheel drive isn’t necessary. We visit the Link River Regional Park on our way back for a picnic in the pretty park overlooking a part of the vast Alice Lake. This is where we will camp in our VW van when we come back. When we roll out of the backroads in late morning we realize we have only explored a min iscule part of this wild and wonderful place. There’s Side Bay, Gooding Cove, Marble River Provincial Park, all on sideroads that take adventurers to wild, secluded pieces of paradise. And then there’s that inlet and swath of deserted ocean full of whales and wonders to ex plore as well. Please give me a second lifetime to do it all!

AMENITIES For a town of just over 700, there’s a surprising amount of fa cilities for locals and visitors to enjoy: a marina; an active community centre that offers activities from exercise classes to ball hockey, mahjong to yoga; a threekilometre seawalk built in 1999 by vol unteers that follows the community’s coastline with benches, picnic tables and informational signs; a health centre; Lions Park & Playground; RCMP offic es; coffee shop; restaurant; liquor store; full service market and a firehall. There’s even a historic nine-hole golf course that locals joke about, saying it helps to have one leg shorter than the other as you work your way up the mountain.

HISTORY Port Alice is located within the traditional territory of the Quatsino First Nation, although in pre-history times the Nuu-chah-nulth probably also in habited the area.

Top: Eternal Fountain.

Bottom: Devil's Bath.

It was not until 1918, when the Wha len brothers constructed a pulp mill, that the area saw significant change. The brothers named the settlement that sprang up around the mill after their mother, Alice. The impetus for the mill was the demand during the First World War for cellulose prod ucts. Sixty acres were subsequently cleared adjacent to the mill site and soon 50 homes, a hotel and a boarding house were added. A few years later a

one-room school and hospital were constructed and in 1927 a four-floor community hall was built, containing a library, pool room, res taurant, stage and basketball and bad minton courts. Every small community should have such a hall! The golf course followed. Locals were always happy for the regular visits of the Princess Ma quinna—the largest built-in-BC steel steamship of its time—and the Princess Norah, and found they had plenty to keep them busy in this mill town.

Port Alice became the province’s first

instant municipality when in 1965 it was moved from the mill site to Rumble Beach, five kilometres south, in order to attract more families to come to the area, with newer ameni ties in a more pleasant surrounding. No doubt it was also moved in the hopes of avoiding the earlier landslides of 1927 and 1935, which threatened the com munity and did some damage as well as taking a life.

However, it did not avoid every land slide. Two more ripped through the re located town in 1973 when 15 houses,

along with boats and cars, were swept into the inlet, with damages estimated at half a million dollars, and again two years later when half of the town’s 2,000 people were evacuated.

In the 1970s, the arena, community centre, fire hall and a new hospital were built in the new town and in the 1980s, 2,000 people lived there, with 565 em ployed at the mill.

The mill’s history and fortunes went up and down with subsequent owners and finally in 2015 it closed for good. In 2020 a huge dismantling and reme diation got underway, as the venerable Neucel Specialty Cellulose Ltd mill is taken apart. It’s a huge ongoing endeav our and exorbitantly expensive.

With the closing of the mill, the pop ulation demographics subsequently

changed with less young families and more newly retired seniors who discov ered they could get halcyon views, pure artesian water, nosefuls of air so pure it hurts, and access to the emptiest water ways we’ve ever seen. Along with the mild weather, of course, comes copious rainfall, and along with opportunities to explore and enjoy the wilderness, comes the need to be wary of wildlife like cougars and bears. Dog walkers and hikers generally carry poles, even in the village, although attacks are extremely rare.

“This is authentic Vancouver Island,” Nicholson told us when we arrived, and he is so right. It’s the Vancouver Island I remember as a child and con tinue to seek out. For readers who also like it wild—go.

IF YOU GO

BC Ferries. Depending on where you start, BC Ferries has several cross ing options. Ferries cross from Tsawwassen to Sid ney near Victoria or Duke Point in Nanaimo, or from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Departure Bay in Nanaimo.

Where to stay. We choose Inlet Haven B&B because of the propri etor’s long history with the area. A retired nurse, Overland had lived and worked in Port Alice for several decades. A fully serviced campsite opens in the summer months while several rustic camp sites are located in scenic areas outside town. General tourist info and accomodations for Port Alice: portalice.ca.

Info on North Vancou ver Island: vancouveris landnorth.ca.

Did you know?

Port Alice has a wet and mild climate and is, in fact, one of the wet test places in Canada, receiving 3.3 metres of rain annually. No wonder the village has endured four landslides caused by torrential rains, which occurred in 1927, 1935, 1973 (when it was moved to its present location) and 1975. “That’s what happens when you build a town under a mountain that’s just been logged,” a local told me. Villagers are sure it won’t happen again.

Flowers anyone?

A new orchid hybrid called “Port Alice,” grown by Pat Diamond, has put the village on the horticultural map. It has been officially listed in London, England, in the Royal Horticultural Soci

ety’s Book of Registered Orchid Hybrids. It was the result of crossing a complex hybrid with a second species.

A church on a golf course?

Up until 1967 St. Pauls Anglican Church actu ally sat on the seventh hole. Golfers used to hate Sundays when they could not golf during services because of the danger of golf balls assailing the faithful. The golf course was built in 1927 and the church a year later. This unusual placement of golf course and church made Rip ley’s Believe it Or Not! as the only church built in the middle of a golf course. As to why it was built there, I never could find out.

Snowshoeing the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in Myra Canyon.

STAY SAFE WHILE EXPLORING WINTER

Quick tips on staying safe this snowy season

BY AVERY LABELLE

eager to see what the mountains and forests have in store this season, these tips could make for a safer trip—maybe even save your life.

Winter season opens up a world of ex ploration in BC. As popular winter sports like snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and snowmobiling get more ac cessible, the ability to get out and see some truly amazing winter wonder lands has never been easier. But without proper preparation, these journeys can easily take drastic wrong turns. No one goes out thinking they’ll get in trouble, but winter weather can be unpredict able and unforgiving. For enthusiasts

British Columbia has 78 search and rescue groups across the province, with more than 3,000 volunteers skilled in rescue operations in mountains, can yons and urban settings. They work with ambulance, fire and police ser vices to help locate individuals that are hurt, stuck or lost in the wild. These SAR groups assist in hundreds of op erations every year. Their goal is to help save lives and educate people on safety plans before heading into the bush, and it all starts with following the three T’s: trip plan, train and take essentials.

TRIP PLAN From rugged mountains to remote coastlines, BC has diverse

terrain that can be unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Plan your travel route by knowing the terrain, condi tions and weather, and create a detailed plan that you can share with a reliable person who understands the impor tance of holding this information.

AdventureSmart, a national preven tion program designed for people who engage in outdoor recreational activities, says a trip plan should cover the who, what, where, when, why and how of this journey. Who you are go ing with as well as their level of experi ence; when you are going and planning to return; why you are going, is it an overnight expedition, snowshoeing day hike, and so on; where are you going specifically, as well as alternate routes you may look into; what supplies and gear are you bringing and how you are

getting to the starting and ending point of the trip.

There are useful apps that can help in prep. Map apps such as Gaia GPS or OsmAnd will provide a better understanding of the area you are going into. AdventureSmart has an easy to use and share Trip Plan app.

TRAIN Before heading out, make sure you have the appropriate knowledge and training for your sport, destination and goals. Train ahead of time, so you know where your limits are. Don’t fol low other tracks, but rather do your own research and make sure you know how long your objective should take you (not the average person!) and allow plenty of time to complete it before dusk.

Sean “Rookie” Nyilassy, patrol team lead and avalanche forecaster at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and search and rescue manager at Golden and District SAR, says his team constantly responds to individuals and groups who went ex ploring and unexpectedly got in over their heads.

“Trekking deeper into the forest, climbing further up the mountain, or going off course in some way has result ed in people stranded, lost or otherwise unable to make it back to civilization on their own,” says Nyilassy. “The root cause was most often underestimat ing the magnitude of what they were setting out to do and the equipment, education, experience and fitness it re quires.”

Avalanche Training

For individuals who are really interested in exploring the back country, avalanche training and education is one of the best things to do for preparation. Avalanche Canada offers great resources that include daily weather and avalanche forecasts, introductory online avalanche training and safety resources specific to activi ties like skiing, ice climbing and snowshoeing.

“An Avalanche Safety Training course is the gold standard for recreationalists,” says Nyilassy. “Once you’ve checked the weather and avalanche fore cast for the duration of your trip, bring a form of communication that will work where you’re going, and make sure you are equipped and prepared to spend the night out if something unexpected pre vents you from making it home.”

Interesting Fact

Snowshoe trails often cross avalanche paths or travel through potential runout zones of large avalanches. Users of these trails are frequently unaware they are even exposed to avalanche dan ger, but there have been seven avalanche-related snowshoer fa talities in BC in the last five years.

Winter condi tions add layers of potential hazards and things to consider. Temperatures can change drastically in the mountains; terrain can be slippery and challenging to navigate. In addition to whatever gear you are bringing, AdventureSmart com piled a list of items to have within reach for every expedition (see sidebar). Also, hiking boots trump running shoes, as runners are often the reason for many ankle breaks and sprains, which can be life threatening in remote areas, es pecially in the winter. Always pack for what could potentially take place, not for the best case scenario.

TAKE ESSENTIALS

Always Have on Hand

•Flashlight

•Fire-making kit

•Signaling device: whistle and mirror

•Extra food and water

•Extra clothing: rainproof, water proof, wind protection, toque

•Navigation/communication devices: maps, compass, cell phone, SAT phone

•First aid kit

•Emergency blanket/shelter

•Pocket knife

•Sun protection

Bulletin Board

Resort is open Wednesday – Sunday. Visit www.ainsworthhotsprings.com for updates on public access to the Hot Springs pools and cave plus Covid 19 updates.

Contemporary rooms and suites

Roof Top Patio opening Spring 2021

Ktunaxa Grill open Wednesday – Sunday Dinner reservations are required

blown away by the beauty of the huge 1,000-year-old trees and the world’s gnarliest tree. At the time the road was terrible but navigable at very low speed, which added to the sense of adventure. We really appreciated the well laid out boardwalks which made it so much easi er for us senior citizens. So much so, that on the way back to town we stopped by the boatyard again and upped our con-

Port Renfrew is close to Sombrio and Botanical beaches, which are so much easier to reach than they were 27 years ago. The rock pools are teeming with life at low tide and took me right back to my childhood exploring the rock pools on

We ate dinner at the Renfrew Pub on our last night. During dinner a famil iar voice behind me said, “Aren’t you from Thetis Island?” Expecting to see someone local from Southern Vancou ver Island, we were surprised to see a couple who had been on the Maple Leaf schooner with us eight years ago while we toured the Broughtons. Meeting up with old friends after eight years was co incidental enough, but when you realize that they are from Edmonton and were on a short holiday in BC, the long arms of coincidence were really stretched. Anyway, we were delighted to see them and spent a most enjoyable evening with them around a propane fire on the deck

Driving home via Lake Cowichan over the now paved roads was almost anti climactic, it was so civilized. But very

Far from F standing for failure, Plan F

Have a funny or interesting BC story? BC Con fessions is a reader-submitted column and we are always looking for another good yarn. Send your 600-word story to editor@bcmag.ca and it might be featured in the next issue!

PLAN F

BY GRAEME SHELFORD

In late September 2017, we were plan ning a short holiday on our boat. As we were loading up on the gloriously sunny day of departure, the marine forecast issued a gale warning. Scratch our holiday Plan A.

Veronica suggested we fly to the Maritimes, since we’ve never been, but I couldn’t get a flight at such short notice. Scratch Plan B. I suggested we try taking the ferry to Prince Rupert, another bucket-list destination. A call to BC Ferries revealed that there was only one more daytime trip that fall and it was booked solid. Scratch Plan C. Veronica suggested something a lit tle nearer to home, like Tofino, where we hadn’t visited for over 20 years. Extensive internet search and many

phone calls later we concluded that there was nothing available in Tofino that we could afford. Scratch Plan D. I suggested we rent an RV and go camp ing. Another extensive search revealed that all RV rental places were either closed for the season or fully booked. Scratch Plan E. Veronica suggested if Tofino was out, how about somewhere else on Vancouver Island’s west coast. We settled on Port Renfrew, which we had passed through 27 years previously. We found a nice B&B on the internet and set off on the Pacific Marine Circle Route via Victoria to Port Renfrew, now all paved, which it wasn’t the last

time we drove it.

The B&B was delightful, on the wa ter’s edge, looking out over the estuary, with lovely walks over the sandbanks at low tide. We explored the village, enjoying the local shops and eateries. But we needed gas, and there was no gas station in Port Renfrew at the time. The locals directed us to a boatyard out of town where we gassed up. As we were paying, I noticed a collection box for the boardwalks in Avatar Grove and the friendly proprietor recommended we visit it, which we did. We were

THOMPSON RIVER ACREAGE

SIDNEY ISLAND OCEANFRONT SOUTHERN GULF ISLANDS, BC

VANCOUVER’S NORTH SHORE WAS CUSTOM MADE FOR EXPLORING

VANCOUVER’S NORTH SHORE WAS CUSTOM MADE FOR EXPLORING

Majestic old-growth forests to hike and winding mountain trails to ride. Vast stretches of sandy shoreline to explore and a pristine ocean to discover.

Majestic old-growth forests to hike and winding mountain trails to ride. Vast stretches of sandy shoreline to explore and a pristine ocean to discover.

Vancouver’s North Shore is a playground paradise in a modern, growing city where small town charm still shines in world-class restaurants, attractions and hotels.

Vancouver’s North Shore is a playground paradise in a modern, growing city where small town charm still shines in world-class restaurants, attractions and hotels.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP ON YOUR ENDLESS ADVENTURE AT VANCOUVERSNORTHSHORE.COM

TAKE THE NEXT STEP ON YOUR ENDLESS ADVENTURE AT VANCOUVERSNORTHSHORE.COM