May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Surfing & Watersports
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I went camping in Squamish this weekend, and on the way back to Vancouver we made a slight detour to watch kiteboarders at the Spit.
The Spit is a long, narrow gravel road (actually a breakwater) that juts out into the mouth of the Squamish River. Getting to the Spit is relatively easy; the roads are well marked until the last crucial couple of turns. With a little perseverance, we found our way and gently eased our rental car along the dusty gravel road.
The backdrop at the Spit was spectacular, with a fantastic view of the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls behind the brightly coloured, looping kites. There were about a half dozen kiteboarders on the water, with another half dozen on land preparing to go out.
It’s amazing how much speed kiteboarders pick up as the glide across the water – and how much height they get in the air. Some of them must have been 20 feet above our heads. They seemed to like to do all their fancy jumps and tricks right near the spectators on the Spit.
I’m sure they were making it look a lot easier than it actually was… although we did see one pair of kiteboarders doing the “walk of shame” after being caught downwind. They were forced to gingerly step (barefoot) along the long gravel road back towards the launch site.
We spent half an hour being entertained by kiteboarders. Next time, we’ll bring chairs and extra layers of clothing – even though we weren’t actually in the cold water, it was still chilly just watching due to the blustery winds. On a warm summer day, this would be a unique place to snack on a picnic lunch in the afternoon.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Hiking
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I spent an afternoon walking along Lighthouse Loop, a portion of Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail that clings to the rim of the shoreline before weaving along boardwalks in the forest.
If you walk this trail, bring a pair of binoculars to watch the boats and birds in the distance. On my trip, a bald eagle was perched on a jagged, black rock near the surf, calmly dodging dive-bombing seagulls.
The shoreline trees on this trail have survived so many wild ocean storms that they are permanently sculpted, giving the illusion they’re being blown by the wind even when the air is calm.
As expected, part of Lighthouse Loop includes a lighthouse; Amphitrite Lighthouse and the surrounding tangle of rocks, tidepools and surge channels were fun to explore during low tide.
The loop takes less than an hour to complete. On the drive back to our campsite, we spotted a doe and two fawns nimbly stepping into the bushes next to the road. Always have your camera handy on the west coast – you never know when nature will decide to wander past your car window.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Camping
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The sun was shining and we were in the mood for a Friday night camping getaway. Since this was the first camping trip of the season, we were looking for a place that was quiet, was easy to get to from Vancouver, and had basic amenities (water, flush toilets, firewood).
Paradise Valley Campground in Squamish fit the bill.
When we signed in at the campground, we met the hosts and picked up firewood ($5 for all you can carry) before heading to our site. The campground was clean and well maintained, and came with a resident hummingbird that buzzed around at dusk and dawn.
An unexpected camping highlight was rock-painting... the hosts will set you up with paints and brushes (free) and then let you unleash your inner Van Gogh on any rocks that you can fit in your hand. The result was colourful rocks tucked into corners of all the campsites (my own masterpieces are pictured above). Kids would love this! I’m proof that grown-ups find it pretty fun, too.
The next morning we hiked the short but straight-up trail to Brohm Lake from the campground. We couldn’t find the trail that went down to the lake (just a viewpoint of the lake), but it was a good way to stretch our legs and get out in the woods. Along the way, we saw more dogs (4) than people (2). The “boulder caves” were pretty neat, and are located at the beginning of the trail for campers who are too full of s’mores to hike the whole thing.
A few mosquito bites later, we headed back to the city in time to watch the Canucks game at home. If you’re looking for an easy, early season camping trip, I’d recommend Paradise Valley in Squamish.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Bird Watching
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I know this type of bird as a whiskey-jack, but it goes by a long list of other names: Gray Jay (its official name), Canada Jay (its past official name), meat-bird, and camp-robber (the last two are due to its cheekiness and appetite).
Whiskey-jacks are curious and bold. Many like to supplement their natural diet (insects, berries, mushrooms, carrion or small animals) with people food (trail mix and sandwiches).
On a recent snowshoe trip at Mount Seymour, this particular whiskey jack zipped over as soon as we stopped to admire the view. My only offering was a sad, old apple I found at the bottom of my backpack. You can almost see the confusion on the bird’s face – “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!”
My favourite whiskey-jack feature – aside from the fact that they’re pretty darn cute, especially when you get a photo of one sitting on your head – is how they store their food. They have large salivary glands and use them to coat their meal in bird-spit, and then hide these saliva-laden packages in the trees. This food storage technique helps them survive winter in snowy forests.
So, next time you’re in the mountains and stop to take a breather, look around. You may gain a feathery lunchtime buddy if you’re willing to part with a little bit of trail mix