Spring Wildflowers in their prime along the Tsolum River in Courtenay

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

The Fawn Lilies light up the trail

   On Sunday, April 16 we had a pleasant surprise when we had a walk by the Tsolum River. There were carpets of fawn lilies and trilliums in bloom along the trails which really brightened up our walk. The trails are located behind the Exhibition Grounds off of Headquarters Road in Courtenay, B.C. Take the main trail toward the river and we found many clusters of fawn lilies on the side trail to the right. If you are handy with a GPS turn right at this junction - 49 42.284 N 125 00.373 W. You don’t need to walk very far before you see the flowers along the trail.  We are not sure how long they will last but if like early spring flowers check out this area and don’t forget to bring your camera.A pad to kneel on for getting up close will also be helpful.

Since these plants are low bring a kneeling pad

Trilliums are also out but are not as abundant as the fawn lilies

Thanks for a great season of Nordic skiing at Mount Washington

 by Keith and Heather Nicol
It was a sad day when we cleaned out our ski locker at Raven Lodge on Monday, April 10 to end the 2023 cross country ski season. Raven Lodge is the base of operations of cross country skiing and snow shoeing at Mount Washington near Courtenay, B.C on Vancouver Island. The year saw a mix of weather with lots of snow and very cold weather early in the winter followed by a cool weather in February and then lots of snow in March and early April. In fact on the final Easter weekend tons of snow fell.  We managed over 50 days of skiing which is more than we usually get in.

 I was involved in teaching cross country skiing there seemed to be lots of new skiers from all over Vancouver Island in lessons this year.  We also ran a CANSI Level 1 ski instructors course and Mount Washington now has 3 new nordic ski instructors. If becoming a nordic ski instructor is of interest to you contact me at k2nicol@gmail.com since we are planning another course for the 2023-24 season. This was the second year for Nordic Fest which offered a wide range of activities and we had a good turnout for the advanced skate session held on Sunday, March 26.  

   So next year if you have thought about trying cross country skiing or snowshoeing then check out Raven Lodge at Mount Washington. They have over 50 km of trail groomed for skating and classic skiing as well as many snowshoe trails. Raven Lodge has great mountain views and inside you can check out the ski shop, book rentals and lessons, and buy day tickets.  Lets hope next winter brings the same great skiing to Mount Washington.   For more information see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/