Cronks Reunited

Six Years On

Thu July 7

Blocked Sechelt-Dakota Forest Service Road - Granite!

He's getting big!

It was a little over six years ago that the Burbage Cronks were last all together.  Nick had travelled  over from Canada to the UK for a big birthday.  Rosalind was the UK.  Last weekend when Nick and Lizzie arrived with young Seb was a grand reunion.    Local walks, baby bonding and our first baby sitting duty while Lizzie went to the gym with Ros.  Great fun.  He is going to be a lad of great taste as he already smiles at my singing.  The Kits team were here until Tuesday with Nick taking over the office to work.  

Sunday afternoon Nick and I headed up the Sechelt-Dakota Forest Service Road (FSR) to check out a huge Douglas Fir.  We first came across the tree last year when we walked up to the waterless Dakota Falls.  My interest was because of the Uinversity of British Columbia Tree Registry, which records particularly old and large Old Growth trees.   UBC has a large and renowned forestry faculty which includes Prof Suzanne Simard who is a world expert in 'Mother Trees'.  Her published research looks at the beneficial impact of the extensive root systems of these larger trees and how they help sustain and grow forest life through their network of roots, providing water and food to other trees.  It is why large trees are now left in logged environments, to aid new growth.

Long tape-measure to hand we headed up the FSR in Nick's 4x4.  It is no longer maintained, according to a notice at the bottom  and is in much worse condition than our last drive up there.  I'm not sure my Disco Sport would make it.

Nick's truck by comparison

We drove up to the waterfalls only to find the trail blocked by a huge rock fall that had left a lump of granite the size of a car across the track.  Walking on up to the still waterless falls, it was clear a huge avalanche during the winter, had brought trees and rocks down, with several piles of snow underneath the avalanche distributed vegetation.  More huge boulders and rocks had  crashed on down the mountain slope taking out trees in their path. 

Back at the tree we started our measurements somewhat gingerly.  The tree was on a step slope with 3-4m of tree on the downward slope side below the FSR road level.  Nick volunteered, and we managed to get a tape around the tree's 8.5m circumference.  We then checked the height by taking a distance along the track and sighting the angle of the top of the tree.   Is your school trigonometry coming back to you?  

Last year we estimated a 7.5 m circumference and 70m height.  Sunday's measurements were  8.5m girth and 71m height. 

Remnants of a winter avalanche
Snow beneath the avalanche debris

The results and pictures have been submitted to the UBC Tree Registry - we now wait to hear if the nomination has been successful. 

Tuesday I had my first Gibsons Yacht Club familiarization session with one of the club coaches.  A pre-cursor to a formal sign off and being able to take one of their three club yachts out.    This involved making all the sailing decisions and docking  the boat away from the marina on Keats Island, as well as manoeuvring it back in to its marina berth.  That was a challenge, but accomplished without wrecking the boat or the pontoon.  

Just as we were finishing lunch on Keats Island,  I checked in on Fred, who that morning had what appeared to be a grumbling appendix.  In my absence, which she had insisted on,  Nick had decided that the grumble had got louder and needed  to be checked out at the local ER, and summoned an ambulance.  I cut short my lesson (I was the only pupil)  and we motored back to Gibsons.   I headed off to Sechelt Hospital, where we sat for five hours until a doctor became available.

There is a significant shortage of GPs, nurses and hospital doctors on the Coast.  Also true of veterinary surgeons, builders, carpenters and so many other professions and trades.    It is not much different across the rest of BC or, from what I read, the UK.   

The old adage of the policeman looking younger, was equally true of Fred's Doc and my sailing instructor, who is an elementary (primary) school teacher at the local school.  She was due to sail the Atlantic on her own before Covid struck.  

Oh and Fred's affliction was 'Adenitis' (never heard of it), but similar symptoms to an appendicitis, so she was put on 'nuclear' pain killers. 

Excitement of the visit to human ER over, I had to administer to a beautiful Merlin on Wednesday that flew into our large picture window and was flapping around on our deck.  One of a local pair we have been watching for a few weeks. The crash and subsequent shrieking was impossible to miss as they have a loud, shrill call. Fortunately nothing was broken and it managed to fly off to a local power pole, where it spent twenty minutes or so recuperating.  It then disappeared off.  They are still around as we heard them Thursday morning.

In fact as the week progressed we had four Merlin flying around the house, we assume two parents and their juveniles.  They have regularly been putting on a flying display with mock attacks on each other, I guess teaching the youngsters to hunt.  They eat mainly small birds and dragonflies which they 'take out' in mid air.

One of the Merlin on our neighbours roof
(A bit grainy as I had the ISO too high in my eagerness to get the photo)

Friday I was co-opted as tour guide to take Fred's sister up to Whistler for the day, while Fred continued her recuperation and watch Wimbledon!   Torrential rain as we left Gibsons followed us to Whistler.  By the time we had done the Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls and Lost Lake we were somewhat moist.  We were introduced to the idea of local Grizzly Bears at the Brandywine falls, as another walker came across the rear paw print.  A warden checking the trails confirmed they are in the area. 

 

 

 

Lunch at Christine's on top of Blackcomb allowed us to dry out, warm-up and lifted the spirits.  Until then the view was little more than lots of cloud, but the sun came out over lunch and opened up the views across the mountains and the valleys  below.  

There is still a huge amount of snow around the peaks and only Whistler has opened its trails, those on Blackcomb remain closed.  A youth group was skiing on Blackcomb Mountain and had use of a couple of runs and lifts below the alpine level, much lower than the glaciers.  An indication of the amount of snow still around.

Mountain wildlife has emerged from hibernation.  We saw a Black Bear on the way down and a Chipmunk scurrying around some rocks at the top.  Oh, and the Whisky Jack's are very much in evidence.

The one animal we didn't see were the Marmots.  They are usually much in evidence and indifferent to human presence.  Perhaps it was too cold. 

One of the lower snow walls

A Whisky Jack swings by for lunch

Still much snow

New toy for workshop - 110v to 240v Step Up Transformer
UK power tools now working!

Sunset over Mt Elphinstone returning to the Coast from Whistler trip