Let it Snow

Snow continues to accumulate on the Forbidden Plateau, and the Comox District Mountaineering Club is enjoying it all! The latest snowshoe trek report and photos here.

An important component of backcountry safety is avalanche training -  Island Alpine Guides offers an ongoing & popular series of courses, check out the schedule here.

Sunny Sunday

Some beautiful photos of Paradise Meadows in the snow, during the latest snowshoe excursion by the Comox District Mountaineering Club to Croteau Lake. Another group went back-country skiing in the same area.

Start of Winter in the Meadows

Winter excursions in Paradise Meadows have begun in earnest - here is a link to a report & photos from the Comox District Mountaineering Club .

Avalanche Reports

Current avalanche conditions will be posted regularly all winter on the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin website. The reports are posted by Island Alpine Guides who also offer avalanche training courses at Mt. Washington. The indoor classroom sessions are held at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, which is available for rent for meetings & community groups - check the website for more info including a floor plan of the downstairs meeting room.

Snow on the Plateau

Lots of snow already on the Plateau - here are some photos from a recent excursion by a Club Tread member.

Story of the Forbidden Plateau

One of the most common questions at the Wilderness Centre was about the origin of the name 'Forbidden Plateau'. There is a colourful story to the source of the name!

Ruth Masters summarizes it all in her introduction to "History of Forbidden Plateau 1920-86" at the Courtenay & District Museum :

"Nowhere in my searches did I find any authentic Indian history or legends dealing with the Plateau. The "Forbidden" idea appears to have originated from the Comox Argus editor, Ben Hughes' reading the diary of Dr. Robert Brown, early explorer of Vancouver Island, who in 1864 recorded that the Comox Indians declined to accompany his party into the Puntledge River country "fear of the vengeance of the Scshahts (sic) and Opechasahts (sic) being too great and the attractions of the salmon fishery now commencing too strong for them." From this small beginning, all the yarns about evil spirits, hairy monsters, Indian women and children being murdered up there, the red snow representing their blood and so on, appear to have originated. I believe the 'Indian Legends' referred to in the numerous accounts about the naming of Forbidden Plateau all stem from the fertile imaginations of early Plateau promoters and explorers, namely the late Clinton S. Wood, who saw the potential for recreation on the Plateau, and journalist, and editor, Ben Hughes."

In 1967, Clinton S. Wood recorded his recollection in his summary about the Forbidden Plateau, as transcribed in the book. Wood was Waterworks Engineer for the City of Courtenay in 1925 at the time of his explorations into the Plateau area, to find a larger water source for the expanding City.

" So entranced was I with the great beauty of this sub-Alpine country that I made up my mind that the general public should be made aware of its great potential as a drawing card for the district and as a great recreational district for all, especially if it could be made a bit more accessible. I was Secretary of the Board of Trade, and had the idea that a bit of mystery added to the obvious attractions would help to publicise it. I wrote a small article to the Comox Argus and the idea was seized upon by Ben Hughes, the Editor, who wrote an article to the Vancouver Daily Province, using the word 'Plateau'. To this was added the word 'Forbidden' by Cecil Scott, and thus originated the name - "Forbidden Plateau"."

Trevor Davies, a founding member of the Comox District Mountaineering Club, recorded a similar reminiscence in 1983, also transcribed in the book:

"Ben Hughes was the first publisher of the Comox Argus (local newspaper), a wonderful man at making up stories. So he invented the story of the Indian war, when the Indians took all their wives up there, and there were some big hairy creatures of some kind, and the women disappeared, and the Indians have refused to go there ever since. That is how the name "Forbidden Plateau" and and the legends started; but there is absolutely no truth in these stories as far as the local Indians are concerned, but they became legends, and Ben printed articles in the Comox Argus, and away they went, - and they are now history. Obviously the Indians didn't go in there, because all their food was on the beach, and they weren't stupid like we are, they didn't go mountain climbing for no reason..." 

From 'Vancouver Island. Exploration. 1864' by Robert Brown, relating to his voyage up the Puntledge River, through to Port Alberni by way of Comox Lake

All in all, a demonstration of the power of a story!

Almost Snowshoe Time

Photographers & hikers from the Comox District Mountaineering Club were enjoying the most recent sunny day up at Paradise Meadows. Here is a link to their report.

Pink Sunrise

The view of the mountains at Paradise Meadows at sunrise this morning was spectacular. Skiers will be happy to see the snow accumulating!

Castlecrag Quake

Castlecrag is a very distinctive mountain from the Paradise Meadows/Forbidden Plateau area, and is a feature where the effects of the 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake are readily seen.

On June 23, 1946 a 7.3 magnitude quake centred in the Forbidden Plateau area on Vancouver Island shook houses off their foundations and toppled brick walls & chimneys in the Comox Valley & beyond. Luckily it was a Sunday otherwise many buildings would have been occupied & injuries would have occurred.

Hole in roof of Courtenay Elementary School where chimney fell

In Strathcona Park a well-known result of the earthquake is the rock slide off Mt. Colonel Foster which created Landslide Lake. Less well known perhaps is the change that occurred to Castlecrag Mountain.

Castlecrag 1943

Castlecrag 2010

Compare this 1943 photo of Castlecrag by Lynn Hilton with a current photo. Although the vantage point is slightly different, the change in the turret on the right can be seen - it now resembles more of a spire.

Sun & Snow

A beautiful blue-sky day up at Paradise Meadows, with views of Forbidden Plateau & the panorama of mountains beyond. Mount Brooks is in the centre foreground, with snow-covered Castlecrag behind on the left,  Mt. Albert Edward in the centre, and Mt. Regan on the right. From this vantage point the approach the Albert Edward is visible: the long sloping ridge to the left, then sloping right up to the peak.

Mount Elma

Even when Mt. Albert Edward is not visible from the Paradise Meadows trailhead, two smaller mountains in the forefront, on the south shore of Lake Helen Mackenzie usually are: Mt. Brooks to the west and Mt. Elma to the east.

Mt. Elma from the south

Mt. Elma was named in 1939 for the wife of Theed Pearse, who over the course of his long life was a lawyer, Courtenay alderman & then mayor, and a knowledgeable naturalist. In 1968 at the age of 96 he self-published 'Birds of the Early Explorers in the Northern Pacific'. The text was transcribed by Norma Morton, a founding member of the Comox-Strathcona Natural History Society formed in 1966. (The name was changed to the Comox Valley Naturalists Society in 1997). Norma is still very active with the Society & is a wealth of historical information.

Theed Pearse himself has a lake named after him in the Plateau area of Strathcona Park. The name of Pearse Lake was adopted in 1939 after being submitted by Ruth Masters in 1935. It is interesting to note that in those days many local politicians & businessmen were avid hikers and expert naturalists.

Theed Pearse was also the first known owner of the land bordering Elma Bay (named after his wife) at the mouth of Black Creek,  which eventually became Miracle Beach Provincial Park in 1950.

BC Parks Visitor Stats

During the summer, data on the numbers of visitors assisted were gathered at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre.

In July, the Centre assisted 1029 visitors (over the course of 10 days staffed); in August, 2540 visitors (over 25 days); and in September, 926 visitors (over 9 days).

For comparison, BC Parks has the numbers that passed by the automatic counter at the Paradise Meadows trailhead. In June, their count was 91 (lots of snow still!); in July, 3070; in August, 4666; and in September, 3297. For October they estimate numbers will be about 3000.

So in terms of percentages, the Centre assisted 33% of the July visitors; 54% of the August visitors; and 28% of the Sept. visitors - quite an achievement!

The percentage is higher than I had guessed, observing on the busy days -  the explanation could be that on the busy days, the Centre can only interact with perhaps 15-20% of all those that use the trails - while on quieter days, the Centre can provide information to almost all of the visitors.

Snow at 1100 Metres

After a week of stormy weather, there is now snow at the 1100 m. level - the elevation of Paradise Meadows & the Wilderness Centre.

Many years ago, Len Rossiter, one of the early explorers of the Forbidden Plateau area, said there are four seasons on the Plateau - July, August, September & winter!

Over the winter I plan to investigate some of the history of this area of Strathcona Park, and will be posting some of the interesting stories regularly on the blog.

Mount Allan Brooks

Mt. Allan Brooks from Lake Helen Mackenzie

Taking advantage of the beautiful day yesterday, the Comox District Mountaineering Club had a hike up Mount Allan Brooks. The name of Mount Brooks was first adopted on Dec. 12, 1939 after being submitted by Eugene Croteau and the Comox District Mountaineering Club in Oct. 1935. Prior to that the mountain was known as Limestone Ridge - a misnomer, although fossils can indeed be found in the Cretaceous sedimentary rock.

The name recognition was for Major Allan Cyril Brooks, 1869-1946, eminent ornithologist & wildlife artist, who spent winters in Comox BC. The Allan Brooks Nature Centre near Vernon BC marks one of his favourite areas. Major Brooks' work inspired artists such as Robert Bateman.

Interestingly the name of the Strathcona Park mountain was changed to Mount Allan Brooks on Nov. 4, 2004 to also honour Major Brooks' son, Allan Cecil Brooks, 1926-2000, an expert naturalist in his own right, who moved to the Comox area in the 1980's.  Ruth Masters submitted the proposed name change with the agreement of the Brooks family & it was endorsed by BC Parks.

A small booklet about Major Allan Brooks & several other notable birdmen of the Comox area by E.J.Brooks is available from the Comox Valley Naturalists Society.

Fresh Snow!

Fresh snow on Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan - winter has arrived at 2000 metres!
At the Wilderness Centre elevation of 1000 m. temperatures have been below freezing overnight for a few nights, but on a sunny day up to about 14 degrees.

Today is the final day that the Parks Facility Operator will be at Paradise Meadows. In the next while BC Parks should have visitor count numbers which will be interesting to compare with the numbers of visitors who stopped in to the Wilderness Centre over the summer.

Thanksgiving Colour

A happy Thanksgiving weekend as yesterday's weather was better than expected! so the Comox District Mountaineering Club had a great hike to Ball Lake, off the beaten track in the Forbidden Plateau area. Here is a link to the trip report and photos.

Summer Visitor Stats

The visitor statistics for the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre this summer have been compiled, here are some of the highlights:

4495 visitors assisted:
Centre staffed 44 days = overall average 102 visitors to the Centre per day.
An estimated 8 to 10x that many people use the trails without stopping in to the Centre.

July averaged 103 visitors per weekend day (10 days)
August averaged 130 visitors per weekend day (10 days) & 83 visitors per weekday (15 days staffed)
September averaged 112 visitors per weekend day (5 days) & 91 visitors per weekday (4 days staffed)

Over 200 visitors to the Centre on the busiest days (BC Day long weekend in August & Labour Day weekend in Sept.) The Labour Day long weekend was the busiest ever seen at the campgrounds by the Parks Facility Operator.

Visitors came from:

Comox Valley/North Vancouver Island: 43%

South Vancouver Island:  25%

Rest of BC: 9%

Rest of Canada:  8%

USA:  4%

UK/Europe/EU/Western Asia: 10%

Other Countries: 1%

Countries represented:
Canada: 11 provinces/territories

BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, PEI, NWT

USA:  19 states

Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania

Europe/Western Asia: 19 countries

England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Israel, Italy

Other countries: 9 countries

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, China, Korea, India, Uruguay, Mexico

Kwai & Hairtrigger Lakes

Castlecrag & Mt. Frink approaching Hairtrigger Lake

Trying to take advantage of every moment of autumn colour & sunshine, it was time for a hike to Kwai Lake & Hairtrigger Lake! Both offer great views of some of the key peaks of this area of Strathcona Park: Mt. Albert Edward, Mt. Regan, Mt. Frink, Castlecrag, and the Comox Glacier.

The Comox Glacier is visible from several of the campsites at Kwai Lake.

Part of the hike was a quest to match photos taken many years ago.   At one time a log cabin stood at Kwai Lake,  one of the cabins along the 'Strathcona Trail' of the 1930's.

Today only the clearing remains, but the backdrop is still the same, with Castlecrag visible beyond the trees.

Hairtrigger Lake is one of the most photogenic places on the Plateau - the lake seems to be an infinity pool reflecting the panorama of mountains on calm days. This photo from years ago is a beautiful arrangement with a series of triangular shapes & relationships. A key element in the composition is the pyamidal rock near the shoreline.

Today the sky was not as blue, but the water was totally calm. This time I tried composing with the rock centred between the peaks of Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan.

Around Croteau Lake, the gray jays must have learned over many generations to visit hikers & campers.

Along the trail through Murray Meadows, between Croteau & Kwai Lake, were more than a dozen amanita muscaria - one of the most poisonous mushrooms and familiar as the 'toadstool' of childrens' tales.

 At this time of year the huckleberry, blueberry & mountain ash leaves appear in every colour of the rainbow.

Back in the meadows near the trailhead, the dark red leaves against the green moss are dwarf blueberry, while the carpets of paler red are bog blueberry.

At the end of the day, tufted club rush almost glows in the meadows. Mt. Regan & Mt. Jutland are visible in the background.

Autumn Hike to Croteau Lake

Often when the weather appears cloudy in the Comox Valley, Paradise Meadows will be above the cloud - which was the case today, with blue skies for most of the day.

Spectacular colours in the meadows & plateau - a good day for a hike to Croteau Lake, in search of photos & history .

Remnant foundations of Eugene Croteau's main cabin at Croteau Lake

Another cabin was higher up on a rise, with a spectacular view of Mt. Albert Edward & Mt. Regan

Friendy gray jays - don't need to feed them, they still visit

Photographers in the meadows

In the late afternoon several flocks of sandhill cranes flew over the meadows - a thrill to see. Often people will mistake the large flocks for Canada geese, but the distinctive croak of the cranes is unmistakeable.

Since the rain in September, the trails can be muddy in places - gaiters are recommended, and waterproof your hiking boots, so that you can walk through the mud instead of widening the trail.

Last Chance to Claim Lost & Found

The Wilderness Centre was closed up for the season yesterday, so anyone who may have lost items over the summer, please contact the Wilderness Centre ASAP. Any items not claimed by Oct. 8 will be donated to a local thrift shop.

With the beautiful weather the past few days, many school classes & other groups are still hiking in Paradise Meadows. Hopefully the good weather will continue so the landscape work can be completed. Several mountain hemlock have been planted outside the Centre, and the final portion of concrete walkway connecting the ramp to the trailhead path will soon be finished.

Stay tuned for the summary of  visitor numbers over the summer!

Autumn Hike to Divers Lake

A beautiful fall day - so it seemed like a good day to go up to Paradise Meadows for a hike to Divers Lake ! The colours of blueberry & huckleberry leaves are a startling contrast to the evergreens. Divers & Rossiter Lakes were added to Strathcona Park in 2003, but there is no established trail as yet. The beginning follows logging roads, then the route enters the Park and follows a rough trail through woods, then bushwhacking along the lakeshore.

With all the recent rain, various mushrooms are appearing. Once the trail entered the woods, the shrubbery was quite wet - rain pants recommended!

Divers Lake with Strata Mountain in the background. (Mt. Allan Brooks on the left) The water levels were quite high so we didn't cross the outflow stream to get to the meadows beyond.

Lots of king gentian still blooming - this one lit up like a lantern from the sun behind. Labrador tea grows around the lakeshore as well as other bog plants such as sticky false asphodel.

Lots of insects as well! Various dragonflies & their prey, and very friendly butterflies - this satyr comma enjoyed our company for quite a while.

Back at the Centre, several groups of schoolkids were on outdoor excursions today - three or four busloads - a couple hundred in total. Some exterior work is going on around the Centre - contractors are working on improving the pathway connection to the parking lot, as well as grading & landscaping.

Mt. Elma Hike

On Sunday the Comox District Mountaineering Club did a hike to Mt. Elma, here is a link to their report. Much of the circuit is off-trail so there was quite a bit of route-finding required through the steep, wet bush.

Mt. Elma from the south

Fair-Weather Wednesdays

Although the weekends lately have been a bit rainy, Wednesdays up at Paradise Meadows seem to have great weather! Yesterday's volunteer at the Wilderness Centre, Keith, had several large groups visiting the meadows including a group from the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre on Hornby Island.

Even in mixed weather, the clouds may open up to reveal a photogenic bit of the landscape - here a triangular opening in the clouds frames the triangular peak of Mt. Albert Edward.

The forecast for next Wednesday looks good also - the season for enjoying Strathcona Park is still going strong!

Lake Beautiful Hike

The Comox District Mountaineering Club had a hike to Lake Beautiful today - here is a link to their trip report.

Since the weather was a bit rainy/foggy/misty, there were not too many visitors at Paradise Meadows - so instead of opening the Centre, I joined the hike!
Black-tailed buck right beside the boardwalk at the start.

Lady Lake - one of many beautiful lakes on the Plateau, very atmospheric in the mist.

Remnant foundations of Eugene Croteau's cabin at Croteau Lake.

Brilliant fall colours of mountain ash.

Decades of history in the signs - this one at Kwai Lake.

Moody mist in the ponds near Mariwood Lake.

By the time we returned to Battleship Lake, the clouds were lifting.

Spectacular fall colour with a view of Jutland Mountain, from the Centennial Loop boardwalk at the end of the day.

One of the highlights of the day was seeing two sandhill cranes flying below the mist near Lady Lake. At this time of year they migrate south over the Plateau area on their way to southern US states where they congregate in the thousands. The cranes that migrate over BC are thought to winter in California.

Autumn Colour

The Comox Valley Young Naturalists Club enjoyed a nature walk in Paradise Meadows today among the mist & fall colours .
The focus was on the meadows as a 'snow forest' - the amount of snow in this sub-alpine area greatly affects the size and location of the trees.

Several gray jays visited the group and rainbow trout were seen in the small creeks.

Young Naturalists Clubs are for children 5-14 & their families who learn about nature on Explorer Days - outings led by local nature experts.
Birds seen today at Paradise Meadows, as posted on the Vancouver Island Birding Group Yahoo forum:

Sandhill Crane
Sooty Grouse
Steller's Jay
Gray Jay
Varied Thrush
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Flicker
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Northern Harrier - which some of our Young Naturalists group caught a glimpse of - therefore very likely correct!