Wolf on the Loose

Tue July 30

Pet not predator

Just back from a week in Whistler where we took advantage of not having Jack with us and were able to spend a lot of time up the mountains and in bars, where dogs are banned. Promoted as 'dog friendly', compared to the UK it is anything but. More of Whistler later.

Morning walks along Bonniebrook beach almost came to a halt a few weeks ago, before we headed North, after I came face to face with a large wolf gambolling along the road heading for Jack. What do you do when a wolf heads towards you? I had no idea. It had, what I assumed was a tracking collar, but turned out to be a domestic dog collar. His name I discover is Rudiger and he has a reputation for escaping from the compound his owner created for him with 12' high fences with an overhang.

He wanted to play with, rather than consume Jack, but it was still an initially unnerving experience. Rudiger has been the source of much social media commentary as he is quite intimidating, though he has not to my knowledge moved beyond intimidation.

Violet & Green Swallow

The local cougar has not put in another appearance since the last report though sightings of the local bears and coyotes continue.

We had one visitor recently that I'd not seen before - a beautifully coloured Violet & Green Swallow, which is their name as well as their colour. I'm told they don't usually sit still long enough to get snapped, fortunately big lens to hand!

There has also been an increase in Orca and Humpback activity. The most recent was a small pod of Orca on my way over to Vancouver. Video below.

The Bald Eagles along the beach walk produced two eaglets this year who fledged the nest while we were away. The nest in question has gotten smaller over the last few weeks, though I am not sure if this is because the chicks destroyed it as they got bigger and more active, or the parents were keen to be empty nesters and hurry them along. Either way the driveway of the house beneath the nest has been littered with twigs as the nest has been dismantled.

A local friend described what was thought to be one of the birds first flights from the nest, landing on a local tree branch and then clinging upside down until after lots of flapping the bird righted itself, where it stayed put for the next few hours. As they say 'any landing you can walk away from is a good one', even if not pretty!

Below average snow and rain

The devastating forest fire that has destroyed a large area of Jasper has us rethinking our trans-Canada route planning. Go too early next year and we we risk winter weather on parts of the route, go too late the forest fire risk is ever present. We wanted to explore Jasper, Banff and Revelstoke, three Alberta and BC destinations in the plan. The wildfire season is not as bad as last year.

According to The Weather Network, 'around [this] time last year, the province had seen roughly 1.46 million hectares of land burned, thanks to a surge in fire activity –– a trend B.C. is currently facing. For 2024, the total is noticeably less, with wildfires burning a total of more than 790,000 hectares as of July 24.

For Alberta, 2024 has seen a much later wildfire season than last year, but there are more blazes currently that are considered out of control. As of Aug. 1, 2023, only two wildfires were out of control, but it currently has 57. Just like B.C., its total hectares burned so far this year is far lower when compared to 2023. By July 22, 2023, there was 1.75 million hectares burned while there has been roughly 540,000 hectares burned so far this year.'

The blame is being laid at the door of lower winter snowpack and rainfall (which we are enjoying today - the first meaningful rain since June 2nd) and of course global warming. The good news, is that the rain has been sufficient to fill our two rainwater harvesters/tanks, which had been half full. Just over 8,000L of water for Fred's fruit & veg garden, should more restrictions stop all garden watering. We can vouch for the lower snowpack, our worst winter ever in Whistler!

Last week we were in Whistler the same week as Crankworx, the mountain bike world championships, which Ros was working on; the same organisation she works for in NZ. The events ranged from downhill races over questionable terrain, to the Pump Track racing head to head and Whip Off (SlopeStyle) Championships (acrobatics on a bike as far as I can make out), bikes and bikers were everywhere! There were numerous scrapes and bumps and five riders ended up hospitalised. We didn't get to see much of the racing (nor Ros as she was working hard as Ops Consulstant) plus we were trying to maximise our time on the mountain; we did watch some of it on Red Bull TV, link here for those interested. It is without a doubt, a young persons' sport but Fred seemed to get into it and was fascinated by the Downhill in particular as we often hike (but never bike) over similar trails.

Mid-week practice

It is said there is more to do in Whistler in the summer than the winter. There is certainly a lot to see. The hikes in and around Whistler would probably take several visits to complete. Some of the best are around the top of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains which have stunning views. Whistler is part of the 'Fitzsimmons Range, itself a subrange of the Garibaldi Ranges of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The most famous mountain in the Fitzsimmons Range is Mount Whistler, which is 2,181 m (7,156 ft) tall. Mount Whistler is also the most prominent peak in the range with 464 m (1,522 ft) of prominence.'

End of hike to Blackcomb Lake

5.5km - 278m elevation 1hr 45min

We have been wanting to do the Sea to Sky Gondola for years which is located just south of Squamish on the road up to Whistler and takes you up to 885m from sea level to the top of the gondola.

This then opens out to a number of trails that take you off into the mountains. It's possible to walk up and take your dog, but they cannot ride up in the Gondola, only down. The climb is not for the faint hearted, so we took the gondola.

We have always enjoyed the drive up the Sea to Sky highway, but the gondola ride to the top provides a completely different perspective. The views are amazing and it's worth the side trip if you are heading to Whistler.

Despite the commotion around Crankworx, the wildlife was out on the mountains; we spotted a Black Bear from the safety of the gondola and the Marmots appeared indifferent to the many visitors snapping away as they went about their daily sunning and foraging.

Even a Chipmunk darted out on one of the alpine trails, until it saw me and quickly disappeared.

Nick and Sebby were with us the first weekend; Lizzie had to head to Ontario to see family. No sitting around with Nick so as well as hiking we got the canoe out on Alta Lake as well as the paddle board - a first for Sebby as a passenger.

We have seen Sebby every weekend for the last five weekends, now running everywhere and has got on to 'why?'.

A video of a walk with him below.

Cheeky chappy - picking veg with Yiayia (Fred)

Sailing continues and we are currently running first in both the Sunshine Coast Yacht Club (SCYC) summer series and the Gibsons Yacht Club Wednesday evening races. We will take a break next weekend from the SCYC series to head to the Cowichan Bay Regatta on Vancouver Island, for the North American championship of the Martin 242 class, the boat we sail.

We will, I fear, be the nautical equivalent of a small cog in a big wheel for that, so will be happy if we finish in the top third of that class. The overall fleet is 70 boats with 21 M242's. The biggest challenge is getting across the Salish Sea. We will be towing the yacht over to make better time and avoid an 8 hour+ sail. Our hope for the crossing is for light winds and a gentle sea.

August looks a bit quieter than the last two months though Fred is playing tennis Aug 2-4 in the 49th Sunshine Coast Open Tennis Tournament which attracts players from all over BC and I start rehearsals for Rutter's Requiem towards the end of the month which we will be performing for Remembrance Day in November.