Hiking the Ripple Rock Trail

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Trailhead map

       The Ripple Rock trail has been on our “to do” list for quite some time and so when our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Eric came to visit for a few days we decided that this would be a good time to check it out.  The weather on Sunday, July 28 was forecast to be sunny and warm but we figured from the description in our guide book  “Popular day hikes – Vancouver Island” that it would be mainly through the trees which would provide some shade.  Seymour Narrows was the site of one of the largest non nuclear peacetime explosions and it was set off in 1958 to remove the infamous Ripple Rock which was a hazard to shipping.  Due to the strong currents in this area, navigating around Ripple Rock had long been a seafaring hazard and had caused numerous shipwrecks and cost over 100 people their lives! 

Kristie taking a picture at Menzies Bay

   The trail starts roughly 12 km north of Campbell River on Highway 19 and the trailhead is well signposted.  The parking lot is on the right (if you are  driving north) and has parking for 16-20 cars. The coordinates are 50.08.256 N 125 24.174 W. The trail starts off easy and after about 1.34 km there is a viewpoint of Menzies Bay which is worth checking out. Then you cross a metal bridge and the trail passes by a couple of huge Sitka spruce. Next the real climbing starts and the trail becomes noticeably rougher. There are a few viewpoints enroute at about 1.9 km and at 2.5 km (with a picnic table) and these are offer a chance to get an elevated view of Menzies Bay.  The trail winds along paralleling the coastline and you get frequent ocean glimpses as you trek along which is a real bonus. 

Krisitie and Eric enjoying the view of Seymour Narrows from the bluffs - Quadra Island is behind

     The trail drops down to the ocean at Nymphe Cove (3.7 km) and then it is a steep climb for roughly 700 meters to the bluffs overlooking Ripple Rock.  With the addition of walking to the various viewpoints my GPS showed a total of 4.4 km and the return trip (without viewpoints) showed a distance of 4.1 km (allow 3-4 hours to do the return hike).  We had lunch overlooking Ripple Rock and the north wind was welcome to cool us off.   We recommend this hike since it is not that long but has many scenic coastal views.  Also the whirlpools and upwellings in Seymour Narrows are impressive particularly when the tides are right. Be aware that the trail can be muddy after a rain so it is a hike that is best done in dry conditions. We also saw several families with children so it is trek that would appeal to a wide range of hikers. See you on the trails!

Sea kayaking up the Courtenay River

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Launch ramp

    We recently did a sea kayak trip up the Courtenay River and were fortunate to see  2 merganser families enroute. We like sea kayaking in part because it is good exercise, gives us a water view of the landscape and also is a good way to see various types of wildlife from sea lions to bird life.  We launched from the Courtenay marina (20th Street and Riverside Lane) which has parking available nearby for 15 to 20 cars (the coordinates are 49 40.909 N and 124 59.068 W). If you are going to paddle up the river it makes sense to do it on a high tide since that will reduce to effort of paddling against the current.  On this day (Friday, July 26) we went in the afternoon and the tide was about 3.8 meters. 

Family of mergansers with a little one on mom's back

     The launch ramp is steepish and is one of the few local ramps that is mostly by just canoeists, sea kayakers or paddleboarders.  One main reason for this is that Comox Valley Kayaks and Canoes is located nearby and they use for their rental programme and guided trips.  After leaving the small marina we turned left and headed up river (you can also turn right and head downstream and out in to the Courtenay River estuary).  The Courtenay River starts where the Tsolum River meets the Puntledge River and it was our goal to see how far up the Tsolum we could get. You pass under 2 bridges and just before the 5^th street bridge we saw a family of mergansers with a small one perched on its mother’s back.  It was quite the sight and they cooperated long enough for us to get a quick picture.  

We managed to paddle about 200 meters or so up the Tsolum

 

    After Lewis Park the current begins to become stronger and we passed tubers floating downstream and swimmers cooling off.  The junction of the Puntledge and Tsolum is quite obvious and if you want to head up the Tsolum go right. We managed to paddle a couple hundred meters up the Tsolum until an area of shallow water prevented us from going further. Total distance one way according to my GPS was about 2.7 km and it took about 45 minutes. We saw another family of mergansers on the way downstream but these chicks were much larger for some reason.  Sometimes it is nice to do a paddle right in your backyard and this one fills the bill, especially if you can see some wildlife upclose.

Heading down river with the 5th street bridge is the distance

Here is a short video of kayaking up the Courtenay River

Cross country skiers need to build balance practice into their summer routine- Part 1

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Try a balance board to work on your fitmess

   When I teach cross country skiers at the early season snow camps at Supercamp or at Mt Washington Ski Resort the biggest problem area for virtually all skiers is the ability to balance on a single ski. This skill is needed to ski well in both classic and skate technique. When I ask skiers at Supercamp (http://www.xcsupercamp.com/) what they did for training for the summer I usually hear about activities like biking, hiking, running, sea kayaking, and hitting the weight room. These are all fine but none of them work on improving balance which is the foundation skill in cross country skiing.  Many cross country skiers know that they must work on aerobic and strength workouts to stay in shape in the summer but forget about one footed balance for some reason. 

Cross country skiing (either classic or skating) involves balancing on one leg at a time

       Also as we age we naturally lose our ability to balance. Some studies show that balance starts to decline after age 25.  

The Fitterfirst pro balance board has 3 adjustements

Yikes!! So just to maintain balance requires that we dedicate time to this activity.  For general well being balance is crucial to staying health and it is estimated that between 20 – 30 percent of the general population over the age of 65 falls every year costing the health care system millions of dollars. A broken leg or arm also has a bigger impact on overall health as we age since muscles atrophy more quickly and healing is slower. So it pays to build balance work into your fitness routine to prevent falls and to improve your cross country skiing. 

   I use a balance board regularly through the year and really like this pro balance board by Fitterfirst since it allows you to dial in 3 degrees of difficulty.  So as you get better you make the board tippier.  I use the board to practice one footed balance and I recommend starting on grass or carpet to start.  As you improve I then place plywood under the board which makes for a harder surface and balancing becomes more difficult.  You can ramp up the difficulty by then placing a short piece of 2x4 under the base (see adjacent photo).  By performing this on grass should you lose your balance you will land on a softer surface rather than a hardwood floor or pavement.  So make sure balance practice is part of your summer workouts and skiing and general health well being will thank you for it. For information on Fitterfirst see: https://fitter1.com/ .

 

This video will show you various ways to use the balance board to improve 1 footed balance

Sunday was another fine day at the Vancouver Island MusicFest

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Listen to Asani's version of Oh Canada if you get a chance

     With the men’s tennis finals at Wimbledon playing the Sunday morning we had a decision to make-watch tennis or head to MusicFest.  Our group opted for the tennis since it looked like Federer was on his way to a record setting victory. But then Djokovic stormed back and forced a tie breaker at 12 games each in the final set.  The tennis went on much longer than we thought (Djokovic pulled out a victory at the last minute) so that meant we missed some of the opening music.  We arrived at 11:30 and headed again for the Grierson stage (one of our favourites) where we caught a session titled “Rhythms”. This also allowed us to see the First Nations group “Asani” which we had missed the day before but we had heard were amazing.  They were certainly a highlight of the morning and we loved their version of “Oh Canada”. 

Kids are welcome at MusicFest. They have their own area with games and shade

      Next up at the Grierson at 1:30 was a session called “Whoa Guitar!” and it featured some the festivals top guitar players all under one roof.  As each of the performers selected the song they planned to play the rest of the group picked up the chords which often rocked the stage.  Headliner Colin James got the award for getting the most people up and dancing in the aisles (see video clip below).

Colin James had Greirson rocking and dancing

    Then we decided to check out something completely different and headed to the Barn to see “The Moaning Yoni” which is one woman show by Joylyn Secunda. The show has a warning “Viewer discretion is advised” since it deals with a college student named Zoe who has a sexual awakening.  Joylyn had the audience laughing throughout and we especially liked her depiction of the various ways men kiss. 

The Moaning Yoni was something completely different

In the evening on the main stage we caught Danny  Kortchmar with Waddy Wachtel and friends. Turns out these guys wrote music for and performed with many well known names like James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. Together they have played on close to 5000 records which says something about their talent and longevity.  Next up was a group which surprised everyone last year when they backed up Ry Cooder. The Hamiltones now have their own band and are a grammy nominated soul group from North Carolina. Keep your eye on these guys and MusicFest gets our nod for bringing them back this year. Rain again in for the evening performances sent some people home early but this time we were abit better prepared.  

Waddy Wachtel (left) and Danny Kortchmar have a long history in the star making music business

MusicFest 2019 certainly brought together an amazing mix of music and we can’t wait for next year. Congrats to the organizers!! See you in 2020. For more information see: www.islandmusicfest.com.

The rain didn't deter too many people

   Colin James got people up and dancing at 2019 Vancouver Island Music Fest