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!

Final Weekend?

The last 'official' day for the season for the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre was a bit rainy & foggy! but still several intrepid visitors came from near & far. The weather was actually better up the mountain than down below in the Comox Valley which is often the case.

There will still be the occasional time that the Centre is staffed by volunteers - a few hours possible this weekend on Sept. 18 & 19, and Keith all day on Wed. Sept. 22 . There may be other days yet that volunteers can assist so keep checking for updates. Most of the interpretive plant signs out in the meadows have been removed for the season. Several blooms are still going strong: king gentian with its striking blue flowers, as well as ladies' tresses, alpine bistort, northern bedstraw, white bog orchid, and leafy aster. Happily BC Parks has found they have some funding for a few more signs, so Strathcona Wilderness Institute will be ordering more for next season.

A red squirrel has been snacking on mountain hemlock cones in the same spot outside the Centre for a couple of days - nibbling on the long purplish cones as if it was corn on the cob! This has apparently been a good year for squirrels because of a good crop of cones last winter.

Metal mesh on the boardwalk loop has now been fixed by the Parks Facility Operator so issues of slipperiness should now be resolved. The PFO is on duty till Oct. 15. Camping fees are in effect until Sept. 30.

Beautiful fall colours in the meadows should be increasing toward Thanksgiving weekend so nature notes will be continuing!

Signs Installed

Peter, the Parks Ranger for Strathcona Park, installed a couple of signs on the outside of the Wilderness Centre today: one describing the completion of the Centre & the Centennial Loop Trail and thanking all the supporters; and one highlighting BC Parks Centennial Year, 2010-2011.

Although it was a cold & rainy day there were still many visitors up at Paradise Meadows - from the Netherlands, Germany, India, Australia...as well as from Vancouver Island.

Photographer Chris Carter who is hosting an Art & Nature workshop tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. will have a show of his photos, rain or shine! and a walk through the meadows looking for interesting subjects & compositions. Even if there is a bit of rain, the colours in the meadows & the overcast lighting will be great for photography.

September in Paradise

Today's Centre volunteer Keith reported a busy day in Paradise Meadows! The return to beautiful weather encouraged numerous international visitors to the park - from Switzerland, Hungary, France, the UK, & beyond, as well as Vancouver Island residents.
A series of double-sided laminated placemats showing plants of BC ecosystems have been popular at the Centre - one of the set of four (the Garry oak meadows) has sold out but can easily be re-ordered - please contact us through the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website. The others in the set are Alpine flowers, Douglas fir forests, and Interior grasslands which are in stock at the Centre.

The Comox District Mountaineering Club successfully completed their annual trip to the Comox Glacier - report & photos here.

The feature article on Strathcona Park & the Wilderness Centre written for InFocus magazine is now available to read on-line. For a hard copy, please visit the Centre up at Paradise Meadows, or pick up a copy at the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce Visitor Info Centre.

Augerpoint Traverse

A great trip report on Club Tread from hikers who did the Augerpoint Traverse - the route from Mt. Albert Edward, past Ruth Masters Lake, down the Augerpoint Trail to Buttle Lake into the heart of Strathcona Park. I haven't done this entire trek myself, but earlier in the season a couple of hikers stopping in to the Wilderness Centre reported on coming the opposite way - they found the most difficult part was just west of the tarn campsite described in the Club Tread report.

Also interesting to read that the Club Tread hikers found Ruth Masters Lake to be one of the prettiest spots on the trip! Ruth Masters is a great lady and describes (with tongue in cheek) that the lake named after her is the 'beauty spot of Vancouver Island' . She also likes to note the comments of one of her adversaries, that the lake is appropriately named after her - being 'small & cold'! Ruth's biography can be found on the website of Lindsay Elms who wrote 'Beyond Nootka', the history of the Vancouver Island mountains.

Change of Weather

What a difference a day makes - yesterday was one of the busiest days of the year at the Wilderness Centre, and today was the quietest! Maybe the fog, mist, drizzle, and rain today had something to do with it... Most hikers were coming out of the Park today after a weekend camping - only a few headed in for a short hike.

Recent found items: metal gold frame sunglasses, and a large blue Patagonia fleece. Please contact me through the Strathcona Wilderness Institute website to claim any items.
A couple of sooty grouse were seen near the roadside - and a few animals were missing from our 3D model of the Forbidden Plateau area of the Park :(

Art & Animals

Today's Level 1 Hike to Lake Helen Mackenzie was very much enjoyed by all, thanks to guides Mandy & Charley from the Comox Valley Naturalists Society. Charley advises that the beaver previously reported in one of the meadows ponds is more likely to be a muskrat, which have historically been found there. Signs of dam building in meadows

Cumberland artist Clive Powsey also gave a great slide presentation before his guided art walk through the meadows in the afternoon. Much of his landscape work is inspired by Strathcona Park - a selection of images can be found on his website.

A report on the recent CDMC trip around the Castlecrag Circuit is posted on their website.

Several notable birds seen recently at Paradise Meadows were posted on the Vancouver Island Birding Group Yahoo forum: "With a group of visitors from the U.K., I was birding in above-noted areas yesterday and this morning. We started with Paradise Meadows on Mount Washington, which was beautiful on such a sunny day. Almost immediately past the parking lot, we were greeted by two Gray Jays, then a Steller's Jay a little further along. At least four Red-breasted Sapsuckers were seen; at the same location were Northern Flickers and Hairy Woodpecker. A Varied Thrush, which was perhaps the most-desired bird of the visitors, was seen by several people. Two Vaux's Swifts flew above, and a Western Tanager was also up there."

Sandhill cranes should be migrating over any time now. A birder from Victoria this morning added Townsend's warbler & yellow-rumped warbler to the ongoing list at the Centre.

A bear was seen a couple of times along the Strathcona Parkway coming up the hill. Deer are also commonly seen along the roadside early & late in the day. Hikers on the ski hill reported seeing Vancouver Island marmots basking on the rocks.

Black-tailed deer

A few more lost & found items at the Wilderness Centre:
Found:
single key (no chain)
multicoloured hand-knit hat
MEC brimmed hat with Alberta pin
one zip-off pant leg in dark khaki
light gray shirt from Aug. 29 Divers Lake hike

Lost:
women's sunglasses on Aug. 30

From Brides to Bears

Paradise Meadows is a popular place for weddings - almost every Saturday there has been a wedding at Mt. Washington Resort's Raven Lodge, adjacent to the Wilderness Centre. Today there was actually a wedding ceremony in Strathcona Park itself, along the boardwalk loop! Quite a contrast in dress to the hikers, and a tribute to the beautiful setting of the meadows.
For the first time in over ten days, hikers reported a bear sighting, near Lake Helen Mackenzie - possibly a first-year cub. Hikers reported a ruffed grouse (though it might have been a sooty grouse) on the route between Castlecrag & Mt. Frink. Chickadees, nuthatches, gray jays, and juncos were abundant around the meadows, and a red squirrel was caching some nuts under the boardwalk. The air was cool this morning with quite a breeze - so autumn weather is approaching.

The colours are starting to turn in the meadows - hellebore leaves turning yellow, blueberry leaves turning red. Mountain ash berries are attracting birds & blueberries are attracting kids - purple fingers & mouths are a sure giveaway!

Lots of hikers taking advantage of the good weather for the long weekend - the campsites at Circlet & Kwai Lakes were no doubt full by the end of the day.

Castlecrag Circuits

Looks like this is the time of year to do the Castlecrag Circuit!

Strathcona Wilderness Institute has partnered with Island Alpine Guides to offer the Castlecrag Circuit with an expert mountaineer guide, for three days & two nights, from 4-6 September.

From a base camp at Circlet Lake the group will do a day long circle hike reaching the summits of Mount Albert Edward, Mount Frink and Castlecrag to return to base camp and walk out on the third day.

Island Alpine Guides are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and are members of the Canadian Avalanche Association. $375/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.

There might still be space on this trip so register ASAP.

A posting on Club Tread describes a recent trip on the Castlecrag Circuit: base camping at Kwai Lake, then Castlecrag, Mt. Frink, & Mt. Albert Edward as a day trip.

If you do camp at Kwai Lake, remember there is no swimming allowed in the lake, as it is quite small & used as a water source by campers.

The Comox District Mountaineering Club is planning to do the Castlecrag Circuit starting tomorrow. This trip would be for CDMC members - I will post a link to their trip report after the weekend.