First Day of the Long Weekend

Hundreds of people were out enjoying Paradise Meadows & Strathcona Park today, for the first day of the BC Day long weekend. We had a busy day at the Centre answering questions from a couple hundred visitors - many from the Valley, but the majority from the rest of Vancouver Island, with many visiting from across BC & Canada, the US, the UK, and France.

A couple of notes were received in our mailbox that a mama bear & 2 cubs were seen most recently near Hairtrigger Lake on July 30th. Possibly the same family group seen a week ago? Here is the link again to BC Parks info on bear safety. Thanks to all who leave updates in the mailbox, they are valuable information to pass along to other hikers.

Other furry creatures - signs of a beaver dam beginning in one of the Paradise Meadows ponds - surprising since beavers are not noted for being in this area! And unfortunately, on the road on the way up the mountain, a mink (recently deceased). Please drive carefully & watch out for creatures of all kinds. Several deer were roaming around the meadows.
Narrow-leaved cotton-grass (Eriophorum angustifolium)

Lots of cotton-grass reported in the meadows, as well as white bog-orchid. New blooms include foamflower and leatherleaf saxifrage. The bog-laurel has finished blooming - a sign of how quickly the seasons change in the sub-alpine.
White bog-orchid (Platanthera dilatata) with Jeffrey's shooting star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi)

The Kwai Lake loop is reported to have just a few snow patches, mostly near the Ranger Cabin, and the trail to the Cruickshank Canyon lookout is reported to be passable.

A red baseball cap was reported missing - please leave items or even a note in the mailbox at the Centre if found. Items can also be turned in to Mt. Washington's Alpine Lodge but please leave a note for us so that we can re-unite the item with the owner.

Tomorrow August 1 is Swiss National Day - to celebrate, anyone who comes in the Wilderness Centre who hails from Switzerland, will receive a free poster of the Comox Glacier!

In the News Again!

We're in the news again! Thanks to the Comox Valley Echo, Campbell River Mirror , Campbell River Courier Islander, & Comox Valley Record, for featuring our summer program schedule of nature walks, art walks & hikes for all levels.

BC Parks has an update on trail conditions in Strathcona Park as of July 27. I will post more first-hand reports from hikers tomorrow.

Crown Mountain from Seymour Narrows, north of Campbell River

The Strathcona Centennial Expedition is well underway - Philip Stone is leading a re-creation of the excursion that inspired the creation of Strathcona Park as BC's first Provincial Park, 100 years ago this summer. The group was scheduled to ascend Crown Mountain yesterday. You can join the offical dedication at Strathcona Park Headquarters at Buttle Narrows on Sunday August 1 at 1 pm.

If you are interested in the history of Strathcona Park, and the stories of the mountains, Lindsay Elms has written the definitive book: "Beyond Nootka"- available for sale at the Wilderness Centre. Lindsay is also on the board of directors of the Strathcona Wilderness Institute, (SWI), the non-profit society that manages the Wilderness Centre.
SWI is offering guided hikes for each day of this BC Day long weekend - check out the program schedule for a hike that suits your interest & ability.
And more exciting news....it looks very likely that the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre will be open on weekdays for much of August...thanks to some surprise volunteers from afar! Stay tuned for the details.

Wilderness Centre Programs Featured

The August & September programs at the Wilderness Centre are now featured on Island Nature and on Tidechange - two excellent local resources for community & nature news.

Keep checking for program updates though, both here on the blog & on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website, as other activities may yet be added.

We now have the Paradise Meadows plant list translated into both German & French: thanks to Luisa, Isabella, Fred & Colette! Hard copies will be available at the Wilderness Centre during opening hours: on Saturdays, Sundays & holiday Mondays from 9 am - 4 pm.

24 Days of Summer...

Another spectacular day at the Wilderness Centre - the weather has now been warm & sunny for 24 days straight, with another week of the same predicted. The snow is melting fast - reports from yesterday are that the east trail to Croteau Lake & beyond has just a few snow patches, though the west trail near the Ranger cabin has more snow. The traverse from the old Forbidden ski lodge across the Plateau is also reported to be mostly negotiable with some care required to find the proper trail to the campsite near Douglas/McKenzie Lakes. Check the links on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website for reference maps.

Water strider (Gerris sp.)

A great hike to Croteau Lake yesterday as well as a fascinating Nature Walk on Insects, thanks to the volunteer guides. Among the valuable info learned on the nature walk: a sprig of artemisia is an effective bug repellant! Donations for the guided outings are greatly appreciated & go towards ongoing operations of the Wilderness Centre.

Birds over the weekend included the ever-present hermit thrush, winter wren, robin, raven, chickadee, chipping sparrow, junco, pine siskin, nuthatch, towhee, Steller's jay, gray jay, and the appearance of another rufous hummingbird hovering outside the door of the Centre.

Juvenile dark-eyed junco

Sunday morning we saw a doe & fawn at the roadside on top of the hill - a reminder of why it is important to keep your dog a leash - not only to protect the wildlife but to keep your pet safe! (in case you haven't seen recent Youtube videos of deer protecting their fawns...) Also a reminder that dogs are not allowed to swim in the lakes as they are drinking water sources for campers & hikers.

Visitors yesterday included a group of trail runners, and over 30 cadets & staff from HMCS Quadra, who looked like they had a great hike! There were also visitors from the US, Switzerland, Australia, Serbia & France. Luckily, Linda who volunteered on Sunday is fluent in French! which was appreciated by many of the visitors.

White rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum)

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Mountain arnica (Arnica latifolia)

Subalpine daisy (Erigeron peregrinus)

And finally, a couple more lost & found items:

Lost:
child's hand-made moccasins
white ball cap

Found:
gray t-shirt

Please contact me if you find missing items, or drop them off in the mailbox at the Wilderness Centre. Thanks to the person who returned the pink dog-collar - soon to be re-united with the owner.

Croteau Lake Hike

Mt. Albert Edward from Croteau Lake

Today I took 5 hikers on a nice walk out to Croteau Lake. There are still small patches of snow past Lady Lake. We hiked in past Battleship Lake and on the way out we hiked out past Lake Helen Mackenzie.

Lost & Found Day

Several items lost & found reported today up at the Wilderness Centre:

Lost:
Canon SD camera, silver inside black case
Dog leash & collar (both pink) with tag

Found:
Plastic frame sunglasses
Strap for a backpack
Bathing suit (probably a story behind that...)

A hiker claimed a pair of hiking poles left behind a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to those who turned items in - please contact us through the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website if you find any of the lost items, or to claim any of the found items.

Hikers reported a mama black bear & two clubs near Kooso Lake . Here is a link to BC Parks info on bear safety.

The Helen Mackenzie loop is mostly clear of snow, still lots of snow beyond - the Kwai Lake loop is negotiable if you are very careful. Thanks to all those who gave updates on trail conditions. BC Parks has an update as of July 23, here is the link.

Lots of new flowers blooming since last week - in particular: cotton-grass, arctic lupine, white-flowered rhododendron, white bog-orchid. The marsh marigold & globeflower are nearly finished.
Arctic lupine (Lupinus arcticus)

Cottongrass sp.

False azalea (Menziesia ferruginea)

Deer-cabbage (Fauria crista-galli)

Bracted lousewort (wood betony) Pedicularis bracteosa

Others in bloom today:
bunchberry
sitka valerian
arnica sp.
pink mountain heather
white mountain heather
false azalea
green bog-orchid
marsh violet
shooting star
sticky false asphodel
wood betony
potentilla sp.
bog laurel
butterwort
deer cabbage
willow sp.
subalpine daisy
blueberry sp.
buckbean
fairyslipper

Other wildlife: red squirrels, and finally....mosquitoes! Bring your bug dope!

Forbidden Plateau Snow Report

The following report was received from hikers who traversed the Plateau & came out July 17:

"Came through from Forbidden Plateau to Mt Washington on July 16 - 17th. Still 5 - 10 ft of snow at Mariwood, Beautiful and Kwai Lakes. No visible foot traffic on snow past Kwai. Lakes Mariwood and Kwai still mostly frozen with snow on softening ice.

Trail between Kwai and Helen MacKenzie still mostly snow and will become quite dicey as warm weather continues as there will be lots of soft snow bridges. Already lots of rushing creeks under the snow bridges.

Had a good look out toward Lake Beautiful and the Cruickshank Canyon, lots of snow out that way too although Lake Beautiful is no longer frozen.

Trail from Panther Lake past Johnston and Douglas/McKenzie lakes going to Plateau not bad if you pay attention but still lots of large snow patches on trail. "

Thanks to these hikers for sending along this update (I think we met on Saturday!) Other reports welcome - just email me through the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website at the Coordinator link.

Trail Updates

The Comox District Mountaineering Club went up Castlecrag yesterday - here is a link to their trip report. Rather than going from Paradise Meadows across Forbidden Plateau, their access was via logging roads from the other side, thereby saving quite a bit of hiking time.

The Club Tread website is another great resource if you are looking for trail updates - here is a link to a thread about the Baby Bedwell & Bedwell Lake trail conditions, a link to a thread about Flower Ridge, and a link to an older thread about the Elk River trail - all in Strathcona Park, accessed from the Buttle Lake corridor.

Photo Day

Comox Valley photographer Boomer Jerritt was up at the Centre today to take some photos to accompany an article for the August issue of InFocus magazine. He tried a variety of settings & groupings of people - you'll have to check out the issue to see the final result ! Thanks to those who were willing to be captured on camera.

Peter the BC Parks Ranger for Strathcona has been stopping by the Centre every weekend to check in & hear if we have updates or reports. He checks out the trails regularly & posts updates on the BC Parks website so all reports from hikers are welcome. We heard from various hikers that there is a lot of snow past Lake Helen Mackenzie, both on the east trail near Lady Lake, and on the west trail going uphill toward the Ranger cabin. Also a report about a broken boardwalk section just past the Piggott Creek bridge on the way uphill to Lake Helen Mackenzie - now that the snow has melted there, the boardwalk is exposed. The Parks Facility Operator should be able to get to it now that the snow is gone & the damage is visible. People have been camping at Circlet Lake if they are prepared for camping on snow, but others have chosen to camp at Lake Helen Mackenzie instead, where the 10 campsites are clear.
Round-leaved yellow violet (Viola orbiculata)

Marsh violet (Viola palustris)

The Ethnobotany Nature Walk guided by Gwyn Sproule was very educational for the group of participants, which included some familiar local faces as well as some visitors from Switzerland. Lupins are about to bloom, and other plants of interest included bogbean, asphodel, deer cabbage, rein orchid, wood betony, violets, false hellebore, and marsh marigolds. A white-tailed buck was also seen on that walk in the meadows.

Sticky false aphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa)

Partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata)

New birds today: a rufous hummingbird buzzed a visitor sitting outside the Centre - his red shirt attracted the hummer a couple of times!

Parks Day Celebration

A beautiful day up at Paradise Meadows for Canada's Parks Day! Strathcona Wilderness Institute was joined by Friends of Strathcona Park, Comox District Mountaineering Club, and Comox Valley Ground Search & Rescue who all provided excellent displays & information to numerous visitors. CVGSAR also brought an important member-in-training of their rescue team: Tweed - a border collie pup !

Strathcona Park has a special significance as BC's first Provincial Park, and is preparing to celebrate the centennial of its founding in 2011. A large 'birthday cake' was provided thanks to Thrifty Foods - it disappeared quickly! Informal live music and screening of films of BC Parks 100th year continued through the day.

Visitors to the Centre today came from the UK, France, Russia, New Zealand, California, Alberta, and Toronto. The trails to Lake Helen Mackenzie are reported mostly clear of snow, but still significant snow beyond.

A couple of naturalists reported a fairyslipper orchid (Calypso bulbosa) blooming near Battleship Lake. We also found this rather large visitor on our deck: a white-spotted sawyer beetle (Monochamus scutellatus) - a preview for the Sunday July 25 Nature Walk at 1 pm on Insects.

Wilderness Centre in the News

Thanks to the Campbell River Courier Islander , Campbell River Mirror & Comox Valley Echo for coverage about Parks Day and about the Wilderness Centre activities! The on-line community news magazine Tidechange also had a feature article.

Did anyone see the piece featuring the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows on Shaw Community TV? Let me know!

A full list of the Paradise Meadows summer programs of guided walks & hikes is on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website. The Institute also manages the Buttle Lake Information Hut - more info & hours of operation can be found here.

Hope to see you at Parks Day Sat. July 17, or sometime during the summer, at Strathcona Provincial Park.

Parks Day July 17

Canada's Parks Day is on Saturday July 17 this year. Up at the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows, Strathcona Wilderness Institute will celebrate Strathcona Provincial Park. Please join us from 10 am - 2 pm for informal music, film screenings about BC Parks 100th year, and displays & info from community outdoor groups. Special cake-cutting at noon! The Centre itself will be open from 9 am - 4 pm as usual on Saturday & Sunday.

Nature Walk update: For Sunday's Nature Walk on Ethnobotany at 1 pm, guide Gwyn Sproule has requested 'no dogs please'. Your pet is probably not too interested in learning about plants! so as a courtesy to other participants please do not bring them on the nature walk.

BC Parks has a trail report for Strathcona updated on July 12. Snow is reported at elevations over 800 m. in the Buttle Lake area.

Lost & Found: a visitor reported a missing necklace, a metal piece on a black leather cord, probably near the trailhead. Please contact me through the Coordinator link on the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website if you find anything.

Mt. Albert Edward to Augerpoint Traverse: July 30 - Aug. 2

If you would like to upgrade your mountaineering skills with an expert guide on a trek into Strathcona Park this trip is for you!

Head off the beaten track and deep into the wilderness of Strathcona Park with a spectacular traverse over the top of Mount Albert Edward, into the headwaters of the Oyster River, past Ruth Masters Lake, over Augerpoint Mountain to finish at Buttle Lake. Strathcona Wilderness Institute has partnered with Island Alpine Guides to offer this intensely scenic four day hike - a gem not to be missed, open to any reasonably fit person who can carry a pack of about 20kg for four days.

Buttle Lake & Mt. Myra

Island Alpine Guides are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and are members of the Canadian Avalanche Association. $500/person : Price includes guiding only. Transport, equipment and food logistics are organised between the guide and participants. (optional catering for $40/person/day). Please contact Island Alpine Guides directly for details at 250 400 2870 or by email . FMI visit the Island Alpine Guides web site.If you are interested, register now ! so that IAG can confirm the trip is running and schedule a guide.

Botany Walk

A dozen members of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society botany group visited the meadows today & found the following in bloom:
Shrubs:
False azalea
Arctic willow
Blueberry (Vaccinium sp. )
Crowberry
Bog Laurel
Pink mountain heather
White mountain heather
Wildflowers:
White marsh marigold
Globeflower
Jeffrey's shooting star
Bunchberry
Slender bog-orchid
Arnica (Arnica sp.)
Common butterwort
Round-leaved sundew
Bracted lousewort (Wood betony)
Deer-cabbage
Three-leaved goldthread
Buckbean
Sitka valerian
Marsh violet
Round-leaved violet
Stream violet
Twistedstalk (Streptopus sp.)
Sticky false asphodel
Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp.) (photo above)
Partridgefoot

Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis)

Common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)

Three-leaved goldthread (Coptis trifolia)

Arnica sp. - possibly Mountain arnica (Arnica latifolia)

Willow sp. - possibly Arctic willow (Salix arctica)

Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia)

Let me know if I have missed anything on the list. Other plants not quite in flower yet include Arctic lupine. An amazing change from just two weeks ago - the snow is all gone from the meadows leaving the ponds & marshes brimming with water.

New birds: Two female goldeneye (photo below) seen in the meadow pond above. The elusive hermit thrush was also seen by a couple of naturalists.
Along the north portion of the new wheelchair loop trail is an interesting clump of trees with four sub-alpine species all in one grouping: L to R in the photo below: amabilis fir, yellow cedar, mountain hemlock, and white pine.

Questions & Answers

Some answers to visitor questions today:
Q: Is the Comox Glacier really a glacier or an icefield?
A: After a bit of research, I think it might be appropriate to say 'both' ? A glacier is 'a mass of ice moving over a land mass' ; an icefield is 'a stationary mass of ice that forms in basins or on plateaus'. So the question would be is the ice moving or stationary? In the case of the Comox Glacier , the large mass of ice has formed between several peaks so part of it would fulfill the definition of an icefield - and part of it should be moving downhill so would fulfill the definition of a glacier. In fact the Comox Glacier is retreating ! as shown by dramatic photos taken by the president of the Comox District Mountaineering Club last summer.

Q: Near Lake Helen Mackenzie, what is the shrub with bell-shaped flowers & a 'skunky' smell?
A: Plants of Coastal BC (Pojar & MacKinnon) narrowed it down - but Betty Brooks was able to definitively ID this after her plant walk - it is false azalea (Menziesia ferruginea).

Q: A plant in the meadows, with leaves like marigold, not yet flowering?
A: Wood betony - also called bracted lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa) Thanks Pam!

Q: Why is there no garbage bin outside the Centre?
A: We don't want to attract wildlife - but also, want to encourage everyone to practice 'Leave No Trace' ethics: i.e. pack out any garbage with you!

Q: Yesterday's missing sunglasses?
A: Found by the visitor!

Some other notes from today:
The guided Level 1 Hike around the Lake Helen Mackenzie loop was very enjoyable - there are several tricky snow patches still but they are melting fast - just watch out on the edges where you might break through. Lots of water in the creeks, ponds & lakes, and lots of snow still beyond Helen Mackenzie.
White mountain heather (Cassiope mertensiana)

Those who went on the guided nature walk also had an enjoyable time - lots of questions & answers! As mentioned the Pojar & MacKinnon is a great botanical resource, but we also have a new publication available at the Wilderness Centre - a full-colour foldout of Alpine Flowers of Vancouver Island - which is becoming a best-seller.
Slender bog-orchid (Platanthera stricta) among Deer-cabbage (Fauria crista-galli)

We are working on a translation into German (and hopefully French?) of some of the more common plants on the Paradise Meadows plant list. So would deer-cabbage be Fieberkleegewachse or Hirschkohl or Rehkohl?

Lots of Jeffrey's shootingstar (Dodecatheon jeffreyi) now in the meadows. Also reported after the Spring Flora & Fauna Nature Walk were western toad, red squirrel, rainbow trout and comma butterfly sp.

New birds today include bald eagle, and I forgot to mention yesterday seeing a chipping sparrow, heard many times today.

An energetic group of hikers/mountaineers reported going up Mt. Albert Edward - the 'ice wall' of a week ago past Circlet Lake is now a 'slush wall' - crampons & good boots are needed. A couple of camping spaces are cleared at the lake.

Plant Signs in Place

Plant signs were were put in place in the meadows today, in preparation for the Spring Flora & Fauna nature walk tomorrow, guided by Betty Brooks.

Strathcona Wilderness Institute has about 30 plant signs, though not all were installed today since not everything is blooming yet.

Thanks to Marin for the photos!

More signs would really be ideal - SWI is hoping to find some funding sources to produce another 20-30 signs.
The meadows/boardwalk loop is now essentially snow-free, though the Lake Helen Mackenzie loop beyond still has soft, deep snow in several places - check at the Wilderness Centre for maps & notes re the snow patches - thanks to Julian for the detailed report! Good footwear will be needed for the Level 1 Hike tomorrow at 10 am, and hiking poles could come in handy.

Another busy day at the Centre - visitors from the Valley, Campbell River, Port Alberni, Ottawa, France, Switzerland.... One visitor was missing his sunglasses , so if anyone finds anything, let us know! Mount Washington's Alpine Lodge also has a Lost & Found.

A blue grouse was hooting in the early morning, and a ruby-crowned kinglet was perched on a snag outside the Centre for much of the day, singing his signature song - possibly establishing a breeding territory?

Update on Meadows Conditions

Several members of the CDMC explored the meadows area yesterday - here's a link to their trip report for the latest snow/trail conditions, including photos & a map of their route around Lake Helen Mackenzie & Battleship Lake.

Accessible Loop Trail Map

Another spectacular day up at Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Park - what a change in weather from just one week ago!

We received a note that the new wheelchair-accessible loop trail starting at the trailhead in Paradise Meadows is not completely accurately shown on the Trail Map published in the Summer 2010 issue of the Mount Washington Marmot newsletter (available at the Wilderness Centre, the Comox Valley Visitor Centre & many locations throughout the valley). Below is a larger scale schematic map of the boardwalk trails showing the accessible Centennial Loop Trail. Once you start at the trailhead though, the sign board maps are plentiful, and quite clear in indicating the routes. The Wilderness Centre building is also fully accessible on both levels.
A few of us were up at the Wilderness Centre today for an interview with Shaw TV which should air in the days ahead. And we'll see on Sunday how many World Cup fans are in the Valley - whether to watch the final game on TV, or enjoy the beautiful weather outdoors on a hike or nature walk?

First Weekend of Summer

A beautiful day at Paradise Meadows today - summer is in the air, but still a bit of winter on the ground.

A variety of international hikers over the last few days: from the Netherlands, Sweden, France, the UK, Australia, New Zealand - as well as across Canada: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario & Nova Scotia. Many Vancouver Islanders also visit, and Comox Valley residents bring their guests up to the meadows to show off the beauty of the park.

The guided hiking group yesterday, & various hikers today, reported that the boardwalk loop is mostly clear, but still quite a bit of snow on the Lake Helen Mackenzie circuit - hiking boots are recommended rather than running shoes which will get wet, and hiking the loop in a counter-clockwise direction is suggested as that way the snowiest section near Battleship Lake will be downhill.

Several experienced hikers destined for Circlet Lake turned back due to the snow beyond the Ranger Cabin & camped at Helen Mackenzie where they reported a couple of tent platforms have been cleared. They were still adventurous though, going up Mount Brooks instead!

Birds over the last couple of days include Steller's jay, varied thrush, and nuthatches, as well as the previously noted pine siskins, olive-sided flycatcher, white-crowned sparrow, ravens, and hermit thrush. Juncos and gray jays are getting bold enough to visit the deck of the Wilderness Centre!

Flowers now in bloom include pink & white mountain heathers, bunchberry, twistedstalk, Hooker's fairybells, and blueberries, as well as the earlier yellow violet, swamp lantern, shooting star, bog-laurel, globeflower & marsh marigold. Thanks to the botanists who reported these.

Everyone enjoyed the 'Lichen It' walk yesterday, and several new connections & friendships were formed among the participants! Lichens identified included horsehair lichens (Bryoria sp.), witch's hair (Alectoria sp.), beard lichens (Usnea sp.), reindeer lichen (Cladina portentosa), pelt lichens (Peltigera) including P. britannica or P. aphthosa, bone lichens (Hypogymnia sp.), ragbag (Platismatia glauca), and dust lichens (Lepraria sp.).