Monthly Archives: October 2015

Bear Creek flume trail steeped in history

Posted on October 29, 2015 | Comments Off on Bear Creek flume trail steeped in history

The first new bridge over the creek at the beginning of the trail

Many hikers were disappointed when the Bear Creek Flume Trail in Roderick Haig-Brown Park was closed last year due to a washout and decayed bridges that were no longer safe to cross. Fortunately, BC Parks was able to fund the reconstruction of the trail during the last few months. Four new steel bridges, new stairs, and cedar handrails have been installed by a contractor, which has vastly improved the route. The trail remains officially closed however, because the last bridge has yet to be replaced. (Latest news – BC Parks is planning to open the trail soon up to the last bridge)
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Posted in Recreation

An expedition into the Mara alpine

Posted on October 15, 2015 | Comments Off on An expedition into the Mara alpine

The view of the foggy valley from the shoulder of Morton Peak

With a goal to visit every part of the Shuswap, it was time to explore Hunters Range and attempt to hike to the forest fire lookout. After studying the maps and trail guide, our group headed out early in the morning via the Owlhead route on a glorious fall day.

Trail map from shuswaptrails.com

At the beginning, the trail through the mixed age spruce and balsam forest was well worn and clearly marked, and the blazes on the trees looked 50 to 75 years old. But as we neared the alpine, we were thankful that one hiker had a GPS as there was no longer a visible trail or markers.
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Posted in Recreation

Chronicling Shuswap’s astounding diversity

Posted on October 1, 2015 | Comments Off on Chronicling Shuswap’s astounding diversity

Westwold – the old Grande Prairie

After over ten years of research and writing, my book Everything Shuswap goes into production this week. I had always thought that sourcing the images needed to showcase Shuswap’s amazing geography would be easy compared to the efforts required to produce the text, however while many Shuswap photographers were keen to support the project, many of the needed photos were not available. Consequently I took advantage of some clear days in September to travel around the watershed taking photos and in doing so; my appreciation for our region’s diversity was reinforced and more knowledge was gained.
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Posted in Environment