The Orchard Lake Trails are situated in the forested hills between McLure and Knouff – Badger Lake area. they are backcountry horse rider trails, mostly old double tracks that wind through the hills, dales, and around small lake. They are … Continue reading →
We hiked the Rivers Trail from the west end, then did a loop out to the Thompson River, then back, a km hike. Along the way we stopped to enjoy the flowering shrubs and trees at trailside – honeysuckle (Lonerica … Continue reading →
On a video shoot with CFJC TV, we did the filmwork on the trails off Bunker Road (Sage – Arnica – Fescue – Panorama). What would take 45 minutes to hike takes 150 minutes to get the video footage so … Continue reading →
Elephant Hill Provincial Park has unspoiled (not grazed) grassland slopes of bunchgrass, but is one of the driest areas of the province. There are no trees and almost no shrubs. On a recent hike there was native grasses, wildflowers, and … Continue reading →
On a mid-May day I paddled Neskonlith Lake, then afterward walked through parts of the campground enjoying some of the wildflowers. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption: Paddling Neskonlith Lake (video)
Continue reading →By May, the fruit trees (apple, pear, cherry, and plum) are in blossom and a number of shrubs (broom, Oregon grape, daphne, hyacinth, and almond) are showing their two week flowering show. Click an image for a larger lightbox view … Continue reading →
When we hike and paddle almost every day, we stop to enjoy flowering plants along the way like. Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) had some new basal leaves and yellow bell-like flowers in the Six Mile Hills. On protected slopes shooting … Continue reading →
A spring hike along the west rim, across the creek, back along the east rim, down into the canyon, and back up to the rim is a favorite hike, especially when the wildflowers are blooming along the way. Rockcress (Boechera … Continue reading →
We hiked the Uplands Trails from the end of the junction of McLeod and Uplands Road in Barnhartvale, sticking mostly to the grassland benchland and the open forest. The star of the hike on this day was the flowering saskatoons … Continue reading →
Showy jacob’s-ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum) is a perennial in the phlox family that grows from a long taproot. It is a taprooted perennial, growing up to about 30 cm. Several stems each have sticky hairs. Basal leaves are sticky and smelly, … Continue reading →
Daphne mezereon is also called February Daphne, Mezereum, spurge laurel, and spurge olive. It is an introduced plant of the Thymelaeaceae family. The deciduous shrub grows to about 1.5m. Scented pink flowers appear in early spring before the leaves emerge. … Continue reading →
In April every year I venture out to the hills above Neskonlith Lake to witness the wildflowers. The stars of the show are the avalanche lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) and the sagebrush bluebells (Mertensia oblongifolia). The supporting cast was emerging and … Continue reading →