It is nice to see the shorebirds returning at Point Holmes

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

Sea kayaks are great vessels for observing wildlife from seals to whales and they are also ideal for observing shorebirds, ducks and other birds. One of our favourite places to paddle is at Point Holmes since it offers ready access to scenic paddling and a variety of shorelines from sandy beaches to rocky headlands. With the sunny, warm weather of late we have been sea kayaking on a few occasions and our most recent outing was on August, 28 and we weren’t disappointed. We almost always head around Cape Lazo toward Kye Bay since this is where you tend to get the best bird sitings. Throughout the summer our bird sitings have been minimal as birds head away to nest. But they are now returning and this day we saw lots of bird activity which we were pleased with.

 

On this day saw a couple of dozen sanderlings (shorebirds) which have just returned to this area (see photo above) and also saw 2 bright billed oystercatchers. They are so distinctive with their bright orange-red bills (see photo below).  We have rarely seen oystercatchers at Cape Lazo so we felt this was a real treat, especially one that seemed to like to balance on one leg.  Also the harlequin ducks have begun to make their back to Cape Lazo after being gone all summer and we saw 20-30 of those birds. Kayaks seem to be good for viewing birds since we seemed to be able to get closer to these birds in our boats than we might have been if we were walking along the shore.  We went a tide of around 3.8 meters which meant that many rocks that seals might haul out on were under water. A bit of a lower tide seems to be better for viewing seals hauled out on rocks. Another bonus of paddling at Point Holmes is the fact that the boat launch has a web cam that lets you see what the wave conditions are along the shore. It can be viewed at: http://www.pointholmesrecreation.ca/rampcam/. It is always interesting to see the variety of birds and other wildlife in this area and we look forward to our next kayak trip to Point Holmes. 

 

 

 

 

 

Off season cross country ski drills to improve your balance and reaction time

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

    When I teach at the early season Supercamps at Silver Star and Sovereign Lakes, BC one of the aspects we focus on are drills for improving agility and reaction time.  When we are teenagers and are forced off balance we can often recover quickly and stay on our feet. But as we age the ability to recover quickly slows dramatically and this means we often become less confident and more prone to falling on our cross country skis. So it pays to work on drills through the summer to improve our reaction time. One example is using a bongo board like I show in the photo below. A bongo board really tests your ability  to stay balanced while your point of balance constantly changes under your feet.  I have to quickly move my weight back and forth between my feet to stay balanced. To do this I need to be flexed at ankles and knees with my arms out for balance just like when we cross country ski. 

 You can also improve your ability to move your feet quickly and stay balanced by doing some of these quick step turn drills on roller skis. Start slowly and as your skills improve you can use tennis balls to force you to turn quicker and sharper.  I stay balanced by bringing my feet under my body and that I put more weight on the outside ski. Common errors that I see when I coach skiers with this drill is that they lift their skis or they lean each turn. Instead keep your weight over the outside roller ski.  So work on developing quick feet so that your reaction time improves before the cross country ski season starts. In photo below I have spaced out tennis balls cut in half to challenge my ability to quickly turn around each one. Check out Fitterfirst for info on bongo boards and Jenex Roller skis for obtaining roller skis. This video has more information about improving your agility and reaction time for cross country skiing-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub3FdLORsuM       Also for information on the early season Supercamps held at Silver Star and Sovereign Lakes , BC see: http://xcsupercamps.com   They are a great on snow tune up for the upcoming cross country ski season.

 

 

Hiking to scenic Croteau Lake in Strathcona Provincial Park

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

 Our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Eric are visiting from Vancouver and love hiking in Strathcona Park when they visit. Last year they did the Lake Helen Mackenzie and Battleship Lake loop so this time we decided to do the Croteau Lake trail on Tuesday, August 24.  Unlike the trail they did last year which is a loop this is an in and out trail. We started from an informal trail along the access road to Raven Lodge and this reduced our distance to the Croteau Lake by about 1 km. Via this route the distance was about 5.4 km 1 way  and this took us about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get in which included stopping for pictures in several places.  

                               Battleship Lake (Eric and Kristie( with the runs of Mt Washington in the distance

 

Along the way the trail passes by Battleship Lake other scenic lakes like Kooso and Lady Lake before climbing to Croteau lake. The trail is in good shape with some roots and rocks to contend with in places. Croteau Lake is home to a large camp site and we ate lunch on one of the unoccupied tent platforms. Surprisingly there were no campers at any of the tent platforms while we were there. The lake faces Mt Albert Edward which means that campers have a picturesque backdrop for their overnight experience (see photo below).  We could have continued on to Kwai Lake but we opted to return via the same route we hiked in on. Croteau Lake makes a fine 10.8 km outing.  We were amazed at the wide range of hikers doing this trail from families with young children to small groups of seniors out for a hike on a nice summer day. For more information see:  http://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/strath/ 

 

A Grizzly Bear Adventure with Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours features much more than bears

By Keith and Heather Nicol

On Saturday, August 21 we decided at the spur of the moment to do a Grizzly Bear Tour with Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours (HWCT) since they had space and many of their upcoming tours were solidly booked . HWCT has been running land based grizzly bear tours in Bute Inlet for 20 years but just started in August,2021 running their own boat based tours. These tours start in Campbell River and involve a 2 hour boat trip aboard the newly built Klohoy to Bute Inlet and the Orford River Valley on the B.C. mainland. In our group of 12 people there were mostly people from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of BC.  Enroute we happened across a group of 7 humpback whales near Marina Island so watched those for several minutes before continuing our tour. What a start to our tour! Damien our Captain thought there looked to be a whale calf in the group which is always a good sign for the health of the humpback population. Once the whales headed down for a deep dive we continued on our journey winding through a maze of islands before entering scenic Bute Inlet. The flat calm ocean made for a very smooth arrival at the Orford River Valley.

                    We saw many humpbacks on our trip

 Since we were a bit early Damien suggested we scan the shore for grizzlies and before long we spotted one in the tall grasses of the estuary. This bear cooperated since he ambled along the shore right toward our boat. The bear was still some distance away and wandered over and around large pieces of driftwood before “hiding” behind a large stump. At that point Damien suggested we dock and do the formal shore based bear watching tour that had been arranged for us. But what a great start to our tour. We had seen our first bear and we hadn’t left the boat!! Once we were on the dock at Orford Valley, our shore based Homalco First Nations guides took over the tour. They provided buses and lookout platforms for viewing bears in several different locations in the valley.

We saw all of our bears on the shoreline

                                                                    

  We ended up going to 3 different viewing platforms but in all cases we saw no bears along the Orford River. The grizzly bears typically congregate in the valley in the fall to take advantage of the abundant salmon runs that start in August and go through the fall. Our guides told us that 5 salmon species spawn in the Orford River making it a great place for bear watching. At one station we climbed up on a stand overlooking a creek and could see pink salmon making their way upstream to spawn.  We thought that the first bear we saw might be the only one we would see on this trip and so we returned to our first viewing stand overlooking the estuary. No sooner did we climb to the top than one guide pointed out a grizzly bear near the ocean tugging on some driftwood and then another bear was spotted along a distant beach. No doubt one of these bears was the one we saw upon our arrival. Patience is a key to bear watching and everyone was pleased that our last stop produced some great bear viewing.

 

Our lunch spot on the dock had amazing scenery

After eating lunch on the dock we boarded the “Klohoy” for our return trip. The wind had kicked up for our return trip and Damien tried his best to keep us from smacking into big waves. Fortunately the seas flattened out once we left Bute Inlet and we took a different route back going past Aaron Rapid in full flood tide. The whirl pools and standing waves were very impressive and we were glad we had 2 large motors to propel us through the current. We also had a short stop at Church House (now abandoned) where Flavian , our ship based First Nations guide told us about growing up in this area in the 1960’s. Once we entered Sutil Channel, Damien stopped to whale watch and it wasn’t too long before we spotted a lone humpback slowly making his way toward us. After getting some great pictures we headed back around Quadra Island to Campbell River finishing an amazing ocean - wildlife- cultural tour. Our tour  ended up being close to 9 hours since our guides wanted to pack as much in as they could. Something all the guests on board certainly appreciated. Thanks Damien and Flavian! Besides great scenery and wildlife this tour features aspects of First Nations culture and we fully recommend it. Note that Homalco Wildlife and Cultural tours is the only First Nations boat tour business in Campbell River and they plan on expanding their cultural offerings. The video below shows what our tour was like.  For more information see: https://homalcotours.com/

 

        

This video shows what we saw on our tour

 

Tips for tubing the Puntledge River

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

It has been a record breaking summer in the Comox Valley in terms of heat and drought conditions but fortunately with dams on the Puntledge River, water levels can be controlled which is good news for “tubers”. Tubing is an institution here and for good reason –it is a great way to cool off on those 30 C plus days. With a forecast of 2 more weeks of warm weather ahead it is certainly a perfect opportunity to dig out that tube and head down the Puntledge River in Courtenay, B.C. if you haven’t already done so. So far this year we have been done the river several times so here are some tips that we can share if you are new to tubing. Tip 1 -Where to put in? Most people start at the fish hatchery on Powerhouse Road.  Park near the fish hatchery access road and walk around or past the gate. Part way down you will see a sign pointing to “Tubers Trail” and take that to the put in. This trail is steep and slippery in places and there is a rope to help you down the last section.  Tip 2-Good footwear really helps on this section and we tend you use kayak booties or well fitted water shoes since they give reasonable grip and are great for protecting your feet once you are in the river. Tip 3- We sometimes use a kayak paddle to help steer and manoeuvre but most people don’t use one. If you have one bring it along since tubes on their own are not very manoeuvrable. Tip 4- We also have found that putting a life jacket over the mesh on the bottom of the tube keeps your bum and lower back from hitting too many rocks. If you are using a truck inner tube keep your “bum up” when you go over rapids to avoid hitting “bottom” in the shallow sections. We hear people complain all the time about the rocks that they hit and how sore their back or bum is- a life jacket in the bottom really helps. The photo below shows our set up -the life jackets neatly fit across the bottom of the tube and rest on the mesh. Tip 5- Bring along a real water proof case for car keys or anything else you don’t want to get wet. A ziplock bag likely won’t cut it.

 

 The section from Powerhouse Road to Puntledge Park is abit faster with more rapids than the lower section from Puntledge Park to either the Condensory Bridge or Lewis Park. Tip 6-First timers or those with younger children may want to do just the lower section starting from Puntledge Park and we suggest a pull out just below the Condensory Bridge since the last part can be slow, especially if there is a high tide. For newcomers to the Comox Valley,  Puntledge Park is at the intersection of 1^st and Urquhart Avenue and the Condensory Bridge is off of Anderton Avenue. Since the river is dam controlled water levels can change from day to day so be aware of warnings posted along the river. Tip 7- Note that the river can change from day to day and hazards like fallen trees can occur over night. Tubing shouldn’t be taken lightly and accidents do happen on the river. Look ahead and be prepared to get off of the river if you see hazards ahead. One hazard that many people take too lightly is a tree which is in the water on the left bank well below Puntledge Park. Hazard signs have been posted on this tree since many people have almost drowned being sucked under this tree. Give it a wide berth. Tubing is an institution in the Comox Valley and it is the ideal way to spend a couple of hours on a warm day.

Strathcona Provincial Park is having a busy summer

By Keith and Heather Nicol

   On Tuesday August 10 we decided to check out the trails around Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Provincial Park. We knew we were likely too late for most wildflowers but we knew we would likely find some interesting plants to look at. Also our daughter Kristie was visiting and she always likes hiking the trails in the park. We decided to hike the Paradise Meadows loop which is 4 km and much of it is boardwalked making it easy for a wide variety of people to enjoy the hike In the photo below Kristie and Heather walk past one of the ponds in the meadows.

 We love the views of the small ponds and creeks backed by sub alpine meadows and you can views of Mt Albert Edward and the Mount Washington Ski Hill. And we weren’t disappointed with the wildflowers that we saw. There were several varieties still out and we liked the King’s Gentian (see below) .This flower likes wetland areas so there are still nice showings of it in many places along this board walked trail. We chatted to host at the Strathcona Wilderness Institute Centre at the entrance to the park and she said that the park had been very busy this year with the main Raven Lodge parking lot quite full even during the week. The centre is a great resource so check it out before you hit the trails. So whether you want an easy family walk along the boardwalk or a more strenuous multiday hike check out the trails in Strathcona Park. For more info see: https://strathconapark.org/