Tag: Rainforest
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Whispers in the Forest
On any given day, the winding nature trails and secret hideaways of the Pacific Northwest unfold like living storybooks. Stepping on the forest floor of brown peat covered with soft moss and fir needles, every footfall brings both a sense of peace and anticipation. Christine, Rosie and I crave our outdoor experiences.
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A Wilderness Sanctuary
It is amazing how much tranquility can be discovered along secluded, untouched waterways, where the scenery is nothing short of breathtaking and the palette of the natural world captures the soul. The all-encompassing beauty of Mother Nature instills a deep sense of well-being, nurturing an appreciation for life’s elegant simplicity. For those seeking respite from…
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Pacific Northwest’s Barred Owl
The Barred Owl is a wonderful presence in North America’s forests, its distinctive echoing call and striking plumage marking it as both a biological force and a subject of human wonder. They are most vocal during the breeding season, which typically occurs from late winter through early spring.
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The White Grizzly
We could never have imagined a day filled with a chance sighting of a white grizzly; a rare colour phenomenon that inspires awe and curiosity. Yet on this inspiring day we had the good fortune to encounter a magnificent white grizzly in a setting embraced by the fiords spectacular beauty, an event elevating our day…
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Canada’s Largest Sitka Spruce
An afternoon sun shone between fluffy clouds and reflected off the massive grey trunk of a giant Sitka Spruce, the warming rays illuminating the great tree’s salal, young conifers, fern, and moss-covered understory. The tranquil scene was alive with wildlife sounds the gentleness of a hidden brook, and the tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker, bore witness…
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A Coastal Rainforest Giant
The tree’s massive trunk is covered in thick gnarly brown bark… and stretches defiantly over 65 metres into a cloudless Vancouver Island morning. A broken top, a silent witness to the prosperity this ancient giant has afforded to surrounding conifers: a mix of maturing Red Cedar, Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce.
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The Marble Maria Monument
A search in Vancouver Island’s Nimpkish Valley for a stone and marble monument to Maria created by Italian pioneer Rufino Mancinelli. Know locally as the Marble Maria the shrine is a tale of romance and lost love. The stone memorial is about the size of a large woodshed, the work of Rufino (Manny) Mancinelli, an…
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The Magic of Trout, Nature’s Living Jewels
To many trout fishing is more than just a pastime; it is an art form, a meditative practice, and spiritual journey into the heart of nature. For centuries, anglers of all ages have felt the irresistible pull of trout waters, captivated by the beauty of these elusive fish, and drawn by the wonderful environments they…
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A Hike to Historic San Josef Bay
Welcoming our Netherlands friends, René and Hanny Gijsel to San Josef Bay promised to be an adventure especially during May, a time of natural flora renewal after long cold winter months… invigorating aromas, colourful vibrancy, and subtle forest sounds captures one’s auditory soul and visual imagination… San Josef Bay
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Ronning’s Garden, A Horticulture Wonder
It is easy to describe my serene feelings of peace and tranquillity while exploring North Vancouver Island’s rainforest hide-a-ways. Today’s adventure is no exception and takes us to Ronning’s Garden situated on the old Wagon Road to San Josef’s Bay on northern Vancouver Island. The gardens are an amazing haven for the soul, a collection…
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The Fishing Lure
An ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once stated, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” This sage advice, written about 500 BC, underscores the value of fostering self-reliance over providing temporary solutions
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A Woodland Afternoon
The air carried a pleasing sweet earthy scent, a mix of fall leaves, fir cones, moss, fungi, and ripened berries; as we quietly walked on an old gravel road unremitting forces of nature would soon reclaim. Our goal: simply to enjoy the outdoors and forest life amidst the openness of shoulder-high young rejuvenating evergreens and…
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Morning Mist
The trail was a vibrant tapestry of fallen leaves, ferns, each step releasing an earthy aroma of October’s decomposing fish and foliage. Scavenger birds flitted above the river looking for salmon carcasses, their piercing calls counterpoint to the rhythmic sounds of the flowing waters.
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A Grizzly Bear Encounter
The sun was high and warming to the grizzly bear as he moved slowly down a narrow path.. He was heading towards a grassy estuary, a favourite summer feeding area for bears, deer, moose, ground squirrels…. But today, a primeval stirring was in the June air; an irresistible restlessness felt throughout the Wild kingdom, the…
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A Black Bear Photo Adventure
This sunny warm afternoon was motivating to get out there again… to observe Black Bears in natural river surroundings, as they feed on returning Pacific Salmon. So Christine, Rosie and I hopped in our truck and drove a short distance to a remote river location we’d often visit, where bears and other usually solitary animals…
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Pacific Coastal Encounters
We awoke to a sunny morning, calm blue seas, and a few bright fluffy clouds…. a recipe for a wonderful day exploring British Columbia’s Pacific Northwest waters… So it has been for millennium. Canada’s Pacific coast has over twenty-five thousand kilometres of pristine possibilities to enjoy…. steeped in history, and dotted with villages, bays, fiords,…
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Coastal Rainforests of British Columbia
BC’s Coastal Rainforests are a living, breathing, and interdependent synergy of ecosystem components, coexisting in balance with each other. Collectively they are self perpetuating biosphere of tall trees, plants, wildlife, reptiles, and many other organisms found along coastal British Columbia. Forest ground cover includes decaying matter that continuously supports soil nutrient input and replenishment. Optimal…
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The Pacific Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is perhaps the most easily recognized and iconic shore bird in British Columbia. Standing on tall stilt legs, the heron’s handsome blue grey body, bearded chest, long neck, and capped head with slender orange beak grabs your attention right away. They are the largest wading bird in North America.
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Woodland Lichen
The diversity of vegetation in British Columbia’s Rainforest is amazing, especially in the cool humid environment of North Vancouver Island’s coastal forests. During snow free seasons, hikers are rewarded by volumes of lush foliage sporting unique shapes and designs, scattered between tall evergreens….. Wonderful flora pleasing to the eye with exciting shades of green and…
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Mushrooms: The Incredible World of Fungi
Fungi has an essential role in the natural function of forest ecosystems. Wood-decaying fungi are the primary decomposers breaking down dead wood and recycling nutrients back into the soil! They are also instrumental in creating diverse wildlife habitats by softening wood to form cavities, providing shelter, and forming the base of a food chain for…
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The Nimpkish Valley
The Nimpkish Valley links the west and east coasts of Vancouver Island and in ancient times served as an important First Nation commerce route via waterways and forest pathways. Such routes were commonly called “grease trails” because of first peoples trade in oolichan grease, a much sought after commodity. The Valley’s westward trails were used…
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Canada’s Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is actually a subspecies of Eurasia’s Sea Eagle, and prefers to home around water; rivers, lakes, and ocean environments with an ample supply of their main food…. fish. Bald Eagles will also prey on small animals and indeed scavenge on fish carcasses and other carrion. They are at the top of…
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September in the Tlakwa
September is mating season when massive heavy antlered male elk (bulls) are on the move, seeking slender females (cows) to start a new generation. Like clockwork as soon as leaves start to turn yellow and shades of brown, elk begin their annual hormone driven mating (rutting) season. Male animals become solitary and roam & bugle…
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Lake Surprises
A stillness laid upon the lake, creating magical reflections of snow capped Insular Mountain prominences, exacting in every detail right down to fluffy white clouds. Perfect conditions for the kayaking & wildlife viewing we hoped to do. (Who could have imagined the wonderful fortune nature would bestow upon us today?) Magnificent Roosevelt Elk.
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Douglas-Fir Flowers
Spring is a renewal time for Mother Nature, especially visible in the Pacific Northwest outdoors, we knew this and why we were out and about. Still, can you imagine our amazement happening upon a fabulous and unexpected curiosity: a “flowering evergreen tree”! We had no idea such flowers existed, yet here before us was a…
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Turkey Vultures – Flying Environmentalists
We could see glimpses of the lake through a screen of Hemlock firs before we broke silently into the headwaters of our destination…. To our surprise a “committee” of a six medium sized brown birds greeted us, roosting along the edge of this remote lakeside bushed area. From a distance they looked like immature eagles,…
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A Short Day on the Trail
Leave pavement behind and Nature miraculously appears… everywhere to the fortunate, affording many reasons to put on wool socks & hiking boots. Perhaps a Pine Marten, a Black Tailed Deer, a Barred Owl… So many possibilities fill our imaginations as Rosie, Chris, and I ready a daypack for a days adventure. So it has been…
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The Quatse River
Nestled in the Pacific’s coastal paradise of beautiful North Vancouver Island, Kwakiutl traditional territory, is a small but mighty Quatse River system. It is made huge by an amazing diversity of plant, trees, fish, animal, and bird life found in the river and along its shores. This magnificent river is a glistening jewel in British…
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Nature’s Rare Hair Ice
Along side the Quatse River we noticed numerous small tennis ball sized white wavy beard like formations… attached to bark-less alder branch debris. On closer inspection these were fragile curly hair structures…. spectacular “Hair Ice” find! Touch them and they would melt and fall apart.
