Spring Wildflowers are out along the Tsolum River in Courtenay

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

        On Friday. March 29 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. We usually check out this area in early April so it seems like this year the flowers are abit early. A pad to kneel on for getting up close to the flowers for photography will also be helpful. 

                                     Fawn Lilies are out and we love those first signs of spring wildflowers

                                                    We didn't see many trilliums but they are there if you look closely

The Park trails are now open for Nordic Skiing at Mount Washington Ski Resort

 

by Keith and Heather Nicol

  Many skiers’ favourite trails at Mount Washington Ski Resort are in Strathcona Provincial Park and for good reason.  They are scenic and generally well suited to the beginner and intermediate skier with lots of flat areas or gently sloping trails which are easy to negotiate. With the very unusual winter that has generally negatively influenced skiing across North America, Raven Lodge at Mount Washington has been usually able to keep 20 plus km of Nordic trails open but when you think that they have 55 km of trails – that is alot that were closed due to lack of sufficient snow cover.  So it was great when the last big March snowfall added just enough to open those trails. Of course, conditions can change quickly so if you want to ski those trails you should do so sooner rather than later, especially with the double digit temperatures that are hitting us right now over the March 16-17 weekend. 

                                    The nordic ski trails are in great shape at the moment

There are just 3 weeks of skiing left at Mount Washington Ski Resort so now is the time to take advantage of the nicer weather and longer days to get in some exercise on your snowshoes or cross country skis. Next weekend (March 23-24) is Nordic Fest which always has alot on the go and is a great time to get some advanced ski lessons as well as checking out the other activities that are organized. You can also go on a scavenger hunt, check out Rossignol ski demos and much more- see https://mountwashington.ca for details – search under upcoming events for more info.  See you on the trails .    

                 The nordic trails in Strathcona Park are currently open - check them out