Category Archives: Outdoor Adventure

Getaway to Island Lake Lodge

Posted on September 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

We go to Fernie a lot in the summer and have spent the past several years exploring the many hiking trails in the area. A favourite place to go has been Island Lake, a beautiful mountain lake located up a winding dirt road that travels through Mt. Fernie Provincial Park. We usually just walk around the lake with the kids — or canoe on it — but this summer we had the opportunity to leave the children in Fernie with Grammie and spend a night at Island Lake Lodge to celebrate our anniversary (16 years!). This meant we could graduate beyond the lake trail to the more difficult ascents above timberline.

Taking a rest on Spineback Trail.

Taking a rest on Spineback Trail.

The lodge is best known as a cat-skiing base during the winter, when feet of epic Fernie powder fall on the slopes that surround the lake like an amphitheatre. Come summer the area transforms into a beautiful mountain sanctuary, with old growth cedar forests giving way to sub-alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers and rocky escarpments inhabited by marmots and pikas.

We opted for Spineback Trail, a hike that climbs 530 metres over 3.5 kilometres up a ridge. The payoff? It’s a great workout and there’s a lovely wooden bench at the trail’s terminus that affords an eagle’s eye view of Island Lake and the lodge far below.

Look down, waaaay down: Island Lake and the lodge as seen from the top of Spineback Trail.

Look down, waaaay down: Island Lake and Island Lake Lodge as seen from the top of Spineback Trail near Fernie, B.C..

We boogied back in a short but insistent rain storm and headed straight for the hot tub to help us warm up and rejuvenate our over-tired muscles. Then it was time for a rich dinner of duck, lobster, creme brûlée and lots of wine, served in the main lodge. The mountain air afforded us a sleep in (kid-free, hooray!) and we emerged for a buffet breakfast and a short hike around the lake. There wasn’t a lot of time to luxuriate in our cozy room in Cedar Lodge (complete with balcony and mountain view), but the point of an escape to Island Lake is to get active in a breathtakingly beautiful place. What a great way to spend our anniversary — doing something we love, together, in the mountains. We’ll be back!

A beautiful summer morning at Island Lake.

A beautiful summer morning at Island Lake.

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Stand up paddle boarding at Kalamalka Lake

Posted on August 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

I had been wanting to try SUP (the cool-kid acronym for stand up paddle boarding) ever since I saw bikini-clad teens making it look easy in Maui four years ago. So I was excited to see the large, flat boards at Kal Beach near Vernon at the north end of the Okanagan Valley. We soon discovered nearby KalaVida Surf Shop, which rents them by the hour ($25), two hours ($35) half-day ($45) or full day ($65). We opted for the half day and, with zero instruction, were soon paddling all over Kalamalka Lake. (Tip: stick close to shore to check out all the fancy lakeside houses!)

Stand up paddle boarding really is as easy as it looks. At Kalamalka Lake, Okanagan Valley.

Stand up paddle boarding really is as easy as it looks. I gave it a go at Kalamalka Lake in the Okanagan.

I had heard that SUP was easy, but also that it’s a great core workout because you have to engage your abs the whole time to stay balanced on the board. Though I found this to be true, it wasn’t tiring like I’d expected (the lake is quite placid), and I was able to paddle around for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, no problem. If I needed a rest, I sat down and paddled. When I overheated from the sunny 33C Okanagan weather, I just jumped off the board into the lake. By day’s end it was my legs and arms — not abs — that were tired.

High: Posing as a bikini-clad paddle surf chick.

Low: No Low. It was all good. Best beach day of the road trip!

Outcome: SUP is fun, but perhaps more of a novelty that a life sport — I’d like to do it some more before I invested in a paddle board. Give it a try though; you’ll like it.

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Gone fishin’!

Posted on August 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

The ocean water up Indian Arm north of Vancouver was “boiling” with pink salmon making their way up the fjord to spawn. You could see them jumping from the dock and it looked like easy pickings. We motored up to a spot near where Silver Falls trickles into the ocean and started casting toward shore, counting to 10 while the lure sank toward the bottom.

My first catch? A red jellyfish. My second? A tiny, spiny rock fish. All around me other fisherfolk were netting giant pink salmon so I kept casting until, at last, I hooked one. A five-minute battle ensued where the fish tried his hardest to swim free, while I got the best arm workout of the trip. Avery netted him then back at the dock, I gutted him and bagged him. Guess what’s for dinner?

I caught him and Avery netted him. He's almost as big as she is!

I caught him and Avery netted him. He’s almost as big as she is!

It's actually pretty easy and not yucky at all. Maybe I missed my calling as a surgeon?

Gutting a fish is actually pretty easy and not that yucky. Maybe I missed my calling as a surgeon?

Forget farm-to-fork. I'm all about-sea-to-stomach dining after salmon fishing in B.C.!

Forget farm-to-fork. I’m all about sea-to-stomach dining after salmon fishing in B.C.!

High: The human-vs-nature adrenalin rush of reeling in a (relatively) big fish.

Low: My arm is still sore!

Outcome: Fishing is fun and somewhat meditative. As a bonus, it often puts dinner on the table.

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