April
We started April with a hike up Pulpit Rock, an outcropping across the lake from Nelson. This is a short hike (1 hour each way) but it’s straight up and was crowded on a nice spring day. There were great views of Nelson and surrounds, and good company to boot. We also tried to hike at Sproule Creek but there was still too much snow in the woods. We got our first good look at (an whiff of) skunk cabbage.
Josie’s Mom and Sophie visited at the end of April and stayed into May. Sophie was very excited to be in “Brit-ISH-Co-LUM-bia”. We were excited to have visitors.
May
Josie took her mom and Sophie across the Kootenay Pass to the Creston Wildlife Sanctuary, where they froze in the wind but saw a moose, geese, swallows, ducks, raptors, and skunk cabbage. They also saw sheep and deer on the way home, and ran into a blizzard. Mountain passes are nothing if not exciting. Another day they went across on the ferry to Crawford Bay and checked out the shops, and all agreed the ferry ride was the best part.
When Scott had some time off school we all piled in the car and drove the loop up the Slocan Valley and across to Kaslo, then back down the lake. Highlights were the ghost town of Sandon where we saw fresh cougar prints, seeing a bobcat cross the road, lovely scenery, and soaking at Ainsworth Hotsprings. Josie turned 26 during their visit and was glad to have family around to help celebrate.
Josie’s friend Christine also came for a visit in May, and we celebrated Josie’s birthday again with another cake. Life is good. Josie and Christine shopped and gossiped, went on the ferry and visited Kaslo. We went hiking on the Old Growth Trail near Kokanee Peak. We couldn’t drive to the trailhead because of some old avalanches that still had to be cleaned-up, but they were pretty fascinating so we didn’t mind the extra walking.
Scott’s Dad and Debbie also came to visit us in May, and we did a road trip on the Southern half of the International Selkirk Loop which took us into Washington and Idaho before coming back into the Creston Valley and across the Kootenay Pass, where we saw deer and caribou. Scott had his year-end show for school while they were here, and everyone’s work was really impressive. Scott even sold a turned walnut bowl the opening night.
June
In June the snow had melted enough that we could finally hike Sproule Creek, one of the few flat hikes around. We saw lots of spring flowers including wild ginger, and when we came upon the mill site that’s higher on the creek we were impressed by the strength of the men/animals that hauled all that metal up there. That trees were growing over it gave a sense of lost civilization.
An old friend from Josie’s high school, Lindsay, randomly showed up in the co-op one day which led to some unexpected hanging out, reminiscing, and hiking with her and fellow bluenoser Aaron. Shortly thereafter Josie’s friend Jessie came to town for a clinical placement, and it was a little South Shore reunion. We all went up to the Old Growth Trail and Jessie came out with us to hike the shore of Slocan Lake. On the Slocan Lake hike we saw a Northern Alligator Lizard. Finally, a lizard in the wild! Sweet.
We also did an overnight hike on the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake, at Fry Creek Canyon near Argenta. The water was still reasonably high from the melt and the scenery was gorgeous. Also, we saw and caught a rubber boa on the trail. The most northerly boa in the world! It was lovely but not as keen on us as we were on it. We realized that trip was the first time we had slept outside since the previous August, for shame!
July
We kicked off July by heading up to Nakusp and hiking the Kuskanax Trail. The trailhead is next to the Nakusp hotsprings, so we took a diversion and hiked to the source of the hotsprings. The natural springs smelled of sulfur and were full of algal and bacterial growth, but it was still cool to touch hot water bubbling directly out of the earth. There was also a waterfall, but the rest of the trail was just a pleasant walk in the woods.
We were more impressed when we went across Kootenay Lake and hiked Grey Creek Peaks (just one of them). After driving forever it’s just a 1 hour hike to the alpine and topping out to beautiful panoramic views of the Purcell Range and Kootenay Lake. We even saw a pika, the lovable little almost-rabbit.
One of the toughest hikes this spring was our trip to Old Glory Mountain, near Rossland. It was basically straight up for four hours, then straight down for four hours, which is hard on the ol’ legs. When we got too tired the 10-person troops of geriatrics who were cheerily buzzing along prevented us from giving up. The wildflowers were magnificent, we saw more pikas, and there was still some snow up top.
We don’t always hike for recreation, sometimes we go to folk festivals. We took a weekend and went to the Calgary Folk Fest, and it was a lot of fun. This year we knew about the tarp run in the morning so we got a little closer to the main stage. Sarah Harmer was our big draw, but we also really enjoyed Bellowhead who played modern interpretations of British folk tunes, Nancy White who was hilarious, Steven Page, Amelia Curran (though she didn’t do her albums justice), Lee Harvey Osmond who rocked, and Jolie Holland was pretty good in her own chill way. On the way out we took the “Cowboy Trail” which afforded good views of mountains and prairie, and on the way home we went north through Banff, Yoho, and Glacier parks, then took the ferry from Revelstoke to Nakusp. It is beautiful up there, and the mountains are as lofty and impressive as they are in Alberta. We also got to drive through avalanche tunnels, which was different.
In July we also decided that we will leave Nelson at the end of September and come back east by taking 6 weeks to drive through the southern USA. We had been thinking of the north but decided we can go there to live for a while if we feel like it. So, we’ll see you Maritimers in November. Let us know if you hear of any job openings...
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