Strathcona West Side Updates

Updates received this weekend via Gerry Roberts, volunteer operator of the Buttle Info Hut for Strathcona Wilderness Institute:

Flower Ridge
July 25th. Large blow-down after about 4.5kms, difficult to get over. An unknown person has flagged a route around the roots take care to remember the route for coming back down. Small area at start of alpine clear of snow; snow starts before the first high point and is almost solid from then on.

Bedwell Lake
On July 26-27 to Bedwell Lake. Ran into snow just before Baby Bedwell and then had much more on the east side of Baby Bedwell on the ascent up to Bedwell. Continued with on and off snow along the east side of Bedwell with 2 stream crossings that required fords in the late afternoon on a sunny day (able to hop across on rocks the following morning when in a cool fog bank).
The tent platforms were melted out at Bedwell.

Tennant Lake/Mount Myra
The East Tennant Creek bridge is more or less intact. There is some damage to the railings on the up hill end and a section of broken railing has been replaced with rope. One note that might amuse you is that there are warning signs at Tennant Lake: "No diving in the dam" and "Do not walk across spillway". The water level in the dam is quite high and water is running across the spillway, maybe only about a half inch or so, not enough to get wet feet.. The spillway wall is about a foot wide and is not slippery.
The trail to Tennant is fine, just one big fallen tree a bit past the trail head, the same one that was there last year. However, there is a way around it. No difficulties. The platform at Tennant Lake is clear. There are patches of snow beyond Tennant on the way to Sandbag Lake. If you know the trail, it is easy to find. Sandbag Lake is pretty well still frozen over but the creek is running well so lots of drinking water. There are a few dry camping areas near Sandbag.
The route to Myra is mainly snow covered as is the route to Thelwood.

Thanks also to Pam for the updates on the East Tennant Creek bridge conditions!

Wildlife & Wildflower Weekend

A busy weekend at Paradise Meadows! with visitors, wildlife and a couple of nature programs.  Visitors to the Centre came from Japan, Singapore, Holland, Denmark, Ireland & Germany. A couple of visitors borrowed the wheelchair with FreeWheel attachment for exploring the boardwalk - after fixing the difficulties encountered on the first attempt, the second group successfully enjoyed the use of the chair. Andrew Pape-Salmon of the Vancouver Island Spine Trail Association brought up brochures & the latest newsletter of that society.

Black-tailed Deer

Several Black-tailed Deer were browsing by the roadside on the way up the hill in the morning, and a couple more at the end of the day on the way down. The last report of a Black Bear around the meadows was on July 19. Whiskey Jacks appear more numerous this year around the Centre - as with any wildlife, they should not be fed by humans - especially not junk food (i.e. white bread) which is no better for them than it is for people.

A frequent question is why there are no garbage containers outside the Centre - the first answer is in order to not attract wildlife (not just bears, but birds & mice) which can quickly learn unwanted behaviour. The second answer to the garbage question is of course a basic 'Leave No Trace' principle of wilderness ethics - 'pack it in, pack it out' ! This applies to doggie bags as well - perhaps the dogs could be trained to 'pack it out'?

Dwarf nagoonberry

The hike around the Lake Helen Mackenzie loop was enjoyed by several participants , a couple of whom extended the outing with a foray to search for a reported glacier lily (found at higher elevations) - alas this turned out to be a tiger lily, which makes much more sense.

The Lichen Nature Walk group however did find an unexpected plant - a dwarf nagoonberry (Rubus arcticus , probably ssp. acaulis) This shrub is not indicated as being found on Vancouver Island in  Pojar & MacKinnon's Plants of Coastal BC, but is on Hans Roemer's list of Plants of Paradise Meadows.  Thanks to Loys Maingon for the photo!

Weekend Choices

With a great sunny weekend forecast, it's going to be difficult to choose what to do outdoors - even at Paradise Meadows, when there will be two nature outings on Sunday July 29.

At 10 a.m. join Mandy Vaughan of  Comox Valley Nature for an easy 3-4 hr. hike around the Battleship Lake/Helen Mackenzie loop, about 8 km. Mandy is very knowledgeable about plants & birds so bring your binoculars!

Stunted trees of the sub-alpine

At 1 p.m. will be a leisurely Nature Walk suitable for all ages, with forester Margaret Symon focusing on lichens, trees, and the sub-alpine ecosystem. The walk will be a couple hours around the boardwalk.

For all activities: dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, plenty of water, bug spray and sun protection. No pets please on Strathcona Wilderness Institute guided nature walks & hikes.  SWI programs are free, although a donation of $5 –10 is appreciated to help with the Institute’s ongoing activities. All SWI activities start at the Wilderness Centre at the Paradise Meadows trailhead. 

Request for Updates

We received a request for an update on the condition of the bridge over East Tennant Creek on the Mt. Myra trail.  Apparently last summer there was some damage on the uphill side but the bridge (pipeline crossing) was still usable. Please comment below if you have updated info!

A Memorable Weekend

Parks Day at Paradise Meadows yesterday was a great day in spite of the partly cloudy weather! Displays by Comox Valley Ground Search & Rescue, Comox District Mountaineering Club, Friends of Strathcona and Island Alpine Guides attracted quite a few people to chat & learn more about these worthwhile groups, each with a great interest in Strathcona Park, as well as about Strathcona Wilderness Institute itself, which manages the Wilderness Centre.

Artist Brian Buckrell gave an excellent painting demo, getting a substantial start on two paintings. Brian has a painting entered in the Art for the Estuary fundraising & awareness campaign coordinated by Comox Valley Project Watershed, and many in the Comox Valley already own one of his beautiful pieces.

The chocolate cake at noon was a highlight of course & disappeared too quickly! Thanks to Thrifty Foods for donating the excellent cake, and thanks to BC Parks for providing further funding towards the day.

As a result of input yesterday, Search & Rescue are advising that people who would like to fill out a trip plan at the Centre, should leave the bright yellow form clearly visible on their vehicle dashboard - that way it is easy to spot vehicles to which hikers have not returned. Another suggestion was that the Centre display one of their wheelchairs fitted with a FreeWheel,  so that visitors know that these are available to borrow. Three wheelchairs and a child stroller are downstairs at the Centre, available at any time. Visitors can also borrow other items such as a dog leash, bear bells or umbrella - which would have been useful today!

The clouds of yesterday turned into a deluge by noon today , but many hikers were still visiting the Park. A couple of noteworthy visitors were Briony Penn from Saltspring, and some of her family - Briony is a noted environmental educator, author & naturalist.

And for the very first time, a wedding was completed at the Wilderness Centre! Many people were sheltering from the rain today, but one group needed a dry place to put the final signatures onto their registry - thereby becoming officially married inside the Centre. The background view of Mt Albert Edward was obscured by cloud but the group did not seem to mind. A memorable first for the Centre! and the sun came out by the late afternoon, so a happy ending for all.

Parks Day Tomorrow

Strathcona Wilderness Institute invites the public to celebrate Canada’s Parks Day on Saturday July 21, at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre at the Paradise Meadows trailhead in Strathcona Park. The Centre, adjacent to Mt. Washington’s Raven (Nordic) Lodge, is open 9 a.m-4 p.m. daily for park and trail information thanks to volunteers for the Institute.

Parks Day is a day to celebrate and support parks and nature, to re-engage with our natural heritage to ensure that parks are protected for future generations to enjoy. Strathcona Park has a special significance as BC’s first Provincial Park, and the largest on Vancouver Island.

On Saturday July 21 you can browse information and displays from the Comox District Mountaineering Club, Friends of Strathcona Park,  Comox Valley Ground Search & Rescue, and Island Alpine Guides. There will be a nature walk in the Meadows at 10 a.m., and a special cake at noon generously provided by Thrifty Foods Courtenay.

At 1 p.m. join acclaimed artist Brian Buckrell for a ‘Plein Air’ demonstration in acrylics. Brian’s work includes many scenes of the Park and can be previewed at www.brianbuckrell.com

Also featured is SWI director Lindsay Elms’ new book, available for sale at the Centre. ‘Above the Bush: a Century of Climbing on Vancouver Island’ was written to commemorate the centenary of the Alpine Club of Canada's Vancouver Island Section. More information is at www.lindsayelms.ca 

SWI programs are free although donations are always appreciated. For more information on the SWI activities at Paradise Meadows check the calendar at the bottom of this blog.

Change to Nature Walk

A change in the Nature Walk schedule: the Lichen Walk with Margaret Symon will be on Sunday July 29 at 1 p.m. (rather than Sunday July 22) This is a popular outing suitable for all ages.

A couple of interesting facts about lichens: Did you know that the height of the lichens on the tree trunks can be considered an indicator of the average snow depth in the winter? Also, lichens are sensitive to air pollution, so an abundance of lichens indicates clean air.

Come to the July 29 walk to learn more interesting facts!

Weekend Updates from Buttle

Updates from the Buttle Lake area trails:

Reported on Saturday July 14, 2012
Philips Ridge and beyond: All areas snow covered with large dangerous ice cornices on descents from Philips Ridge to Carter Lake and the Schjelderup Lake routes on to Burman Lake. The party of two returned after four days and did not make it to the Golden Hinde. Of the two, though both well equipped only one was experienced, he thought that the risk was too high should he get hurt. They had planned to exit via the Elk River Trail but returned to the mine.
They then found a ride to the Elk River trail and hiked in to the Elk River Pass and spent two enjoyable days in that area and visited Landslide Lake; they had no difficulty fording the Elk River.

 
Bedwell Lake to Cream Lake:  Whole route snow covered, not difficult but care needed, it was nice to have crampons and ice axes on the steeper sections, care to avoid sink holes needed.


Reported on Sunday July 15, 2012
Crest Mountain Trail:  Ice on lake breaking up but summit plateau covered by snow.


New directional sign on the post with the small arrow at the first switchback, where the FOSP temporary trail joins coming from Mud Lake; a larger sign "CREST MOUNTAIN TRAIL" with a large directional arrow. This point has been a frequent problem to many European visitors.

Twelve Days of Summer

Twelve days & counting....of hot sunny weather at Paradise Meadows, in spite of a bit of cloud & wind this morning which soon disappeared, giving spectacular views of the mountains.

Photographer Chris Carter tipped us off to this great photo-op as the clouds cleared to reveal Mt. Brooks, Mt. Albert Edward, Mt. Regan & Jutland Mountain with arctic lupine in the foreground. Chris came up to deliver a beautiful panorama of the meadows in autumn which is now on display inside the Centre.

The latest flowers include mountain arnica and Sitka valerian, with  partridgefoot and white rhododendron just about to burst into bloom.  

With the hot dry weather the marsh marigold is almost past its peak in much of the meadows, although it is still abundant in the wetter areas.

The boardwalk is free of snow, and the Battleship Lake/Helen Mackenzie loop has just a couple of snow patches with some wet & muddy sections where the snow has recently melted. The tent platforms at Lake Helen Mackenzie are clear . Beyond Helen Mackenzie there is still a fair bit of snow, although many hikers have been going farther out, so there may be footprints to follow even if the trail is not visible. Much snow is melting every day so conditions are changing quickly.

Ridge Trails Info

Gerry Roberts at Buttle Info Hut received the following note about trail conditions:

"Tuesday July 10 -- FLOWER RIDGE first encounter of snow at1000m but still easily manageable following rock markers. Between 1m & 2m of snow al the way along the exposed ridge.

Sunday July 8 -- PHILIPS RIDGE snow well into the trees before the sub-alpine. Difficult to locate Arnica Lake finally found frozen and under more than half a metre of melt water. Lots of snow in area and completely covered up onto Philips Ridge between 1m & 2m."

All updates are appreciated!

Latest Blooms

Another beautiful day at Paradise Meadows! We installed some plant signs today, in preparation for the Spring Plant & Bird Walk on Sunday July 15 at 1 p.m with expert naturalist Betty Brooks.

The newest blooms (not all have signs):
white mountain-heather
deer-cabbage
three-leaved goldthread
arctic lupine
early blue violet
false azalea
Alaskan blueberry
oval-leaved blueberry
black huckleberry
American wintercress (by the amphitheatre)

 False azalea (or false huckleberry): the bell-shaped flowers look like a huckleberry, but the leaves are quite different - they appear in clusters. There are good examples of this shrub at the very first zigzag part of the Paradise Meadows trail.

 A good example of globeflower, alongside the marsh marigold: the main thing to notice is that the leaves are quite different, with the globeflower having segmented leaves while the marigold has rounded leaves. The flowers are also somewhat different ( in the meadows anyway) when seen side-by-side: the globeflower petals are much wider forming a full cup shape.

A preview of birds for Sunday's walk also: this female sooty grouse was by the side of the road, along with a couple of chicks that were too fast for the camera!

I will be placing a few more plant signs on Saturday, starting about 1 p.m. from the Centre  - anyone who wants to come along is welcome!

Updates on Conditions

In response to a visitor inquiry, Gerry Roberts at the Buttle Info Hut has the following updates:

"As of last Sunday all alpine campsites were snow covered; it was reported that Arnica Lake area was under about a metre and a half of snow, Arnica Lake was frozen and had over half a metre of water on top. As Marble Meadows is at a higher altitude and usually has more snow which can still be around in August I'd expect it to have at least the same amount or more.

  There are some clear spots on Flower Ridge but so far no flowers reported. The trail and campsites up the Elk River are clear of snow but quite rough due to high water damage."

At Paradise Meadows, the boardwalk is essentially free of snow but the Battleship/Helen Mackenzie loop will have some snow patches so care is needed to stay on track. Two weeks of sun are forecast though - it's looking good!

Beautiful Day for A Bird Count

A warm (actually, hot) sunny day up at Paradise Meadows, for the annual Strathcona Bird Search! Several members of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society participated, and found the following 18 species around the meadows:

Turkey Vulture 2
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Rufous Hummingbird 1
Olive-sided Flycatcher 1
Gray Jay 8
Steller's Jay 2
Northwestern Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Varied Thrush 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 14
Pine Siskin 6

The easiest bird to spot today was the Dark-eyed Junco.

An owl? no, a tree-lichen bird....

No woodpeckers were seen or heard, which was rather unusual!

Lots of people were out enjoying the trails, including visitors from far & wide. There is still quite a bit of snow beyond the meadows - if you are not familiar with the area, the Battleship Lake & Helen Mackenzie trails could be tricky to find.

Flowers blooming include:
marsh marigold (abundant)
skunk cabbage
yellow violet
Jeffrey's shootingstar
fern-leaved goldthread

And, new within the last few days:
western bog-laurel
pink mountain-heather

Shootingstar & marsh marigold

Spring Golds of the Meadows

Summer in Paradise Meadows is just arriving - there is a stretch of beautiful weather predicted! However yesterday felt more like late winter or early spring, with intermittent rain all day, and the meadows ponds and creeks overflowing with rushing water among the melting snow.

A patch of blue sky to the north - forecasting full blue skies  for the next several days.

Swamp Lantern - a more fitting name for Skunk Cabbage

The dampness did accentuate the colours of flowers and foliage however - with skunk cabbage lit up like golden lanterns. Down in the Comox Valley, these were blooming months ago!

Golden centres of Marsh Marigolds brighten the meadows

Marsh marigolds are extremely abundant right now - carpeting the entire meadows, growing even in rushing water.

Fern-leaved Goldthread (Coptis asplenifolia)

A smaller gem of a flower, easily overlooked, is the tiny spider-like flowers of fern-leaved goldthread - there is a substantial patch near the Buckbean Pond - the pond just past the first junction, on the west side of the meadows.

Canada Day Flowers

Happy Canada Day! volunteers staffing the Wilderness Centre report that although there is still lots of snow around the meadows, summer  is on the way: "Marsh marigolds are out; someone reported shooting stars, and I saw yellow violets. So it’s starting!"

Summer programs are starting also: the first organized event is next Sunday July 8: the annual Strathcona Park Bird Search, an informal bird count in the Paradise Meadows area. Participants should bring binoculars and prepare for snow underfoot, however birding expertise is not required. Pre-register at coordinator@strathconapark.org