The first rainfall of the season graced us with its presence over the weekend, causing spring to have really “sprung” up on us. That rain has brought about a flush of green grass, but nighttime temperatures have kept other growth dormant and at bay for the moment. It’s weather like this that gets a person itching to be outside; while it may be a tad early here for the major foraging events of the season that are just around the corner, like fiddleheads, morels and fireweed shoots, there are still plenty of forest goods to find. One that inevitably seems to pass in the blink of an eye is dand ..read more

Haida Gwaii has always seemed slightly out of reach as a travel destination. In my mind it was difficult to get to, complicated to get around and a destination reserved primarily for fishing or high-end boating expeditions. In fact, my daughter worked for several years on a ship which sailed through Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, helping visitors to explore the beauty, culture and abundant wildlife of the region. And yet, little did I know!   When the opportunity finally came for my husband and I to visit Hekate’s Retreat on Haida Gwaii, we weren’t quite sure what to expect.   F ..read more

If you’re looking for a getaway that can relax your mind and invigorate your soul, you’ll want to check out Hekate’s Retreat on Haida Gwaii.   Nicknamed Canada’s Galapagos, Haida Gwaii is the ancestral territory of the Haida Nation and encompasses 150 islands off British Columbia’s west coast. The islands offer incredible landscapes, wildlife and some of the most enriching heritage you’ll find anywhere in the world – in fact, there are over 500 archeological sites across Haida Gwaii. Hekate’s Retreat is located on Moresby Island, within the Haida Gwaii archipelago, and sits just mi ..read more

Have you ever watched a movie and thought to yourself, “Wow. That location looks awfully familiar…” Where Coquitlam’s Riverview Hospital is concerned, it probably happens a lot. Photo by Flickr/Jeff Hitchcock The Riverview Hospital was established in 1904 as a provincially owned psychiatric facility. There are 80 buildings, including five massive brick wards, that sit on 244 acres of land overlooking the Fraser River. At its peak, the hospital housed 4,300 patients.   The Riverview Hospital closed in 2012 and the newly constructed Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction o ..read more

Located in northern British Columbia, on the shores of Granby Bay in Observatory Inlet, lies the province’s largest ghost town – Anyox. This remote area is about 145 kilometres north of Prince Rupert and is only approachable by boat. Pictured, the main hydroelectric power plant in Anyox, British Columbia. Photo from iStock Around 1910, Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company (known as Granby Consolidated) started buying up land in this area and began constructing the town in 1912. Anyox was a booming town until 1936, best known for its mining operations of copper and other prec ..read more

 British Columbia is full of snakes. There, I said it. Some of you, mostly nature-minded people, will eagerly continue reading to learn something about one of the least understood—and most threatened—animal groups worldwide. Others will stop reading here, or at least want to. But some of those folks—maybe even most—will continue anyway for much the same reason we read news about airline crashes and tsunamis: our fascination with low-probability threats overrules our fear of them. At least from the safety of the couch.  The reality, of course, is that snakes aren’t really a threat exc ..read more

Tulips and lupins and sunflowers, oh my!   Lakeland Flowers, in Abbotsford, launched its summer of flowers on April 6 and there are acres upon acres of flowers to enjoy. First up is the Abbotsford Tulip Festival, which will close on May 12. You’ll find 35 acres of flowers – 28 acres of tulips, over 100 varieties, and the rest will be beautiful field flowers, offering a dazzling display of colour for visitors to enjoy. There are walking trails to enjoy, photos ops (such as a baby grand piano, canoes, swings, raised platforms and more) and visitors will find special varieties of tulips that ..read more

One thing I never tuck into my food pack is tea. I mean, really, there’s such a wide variety of plants in nature’s pantry that can be steeped into satisfying herbal teas (or tisanes, as they were known in the Old World) it just seems silly to tote imported tea into camp. And, unlike cultivated teas, wild ones are caffeine free, and the bonus deal is they’re free for the picking. As grandma used to say, “They’re good for treating whatever ails you.” Wild plants have been used for thousands of years by herbalists like my grandmother as medicinals for treating all kinds of everyday ailments, such ..read more

Bird enthusiasts of all ages love catching a glimpse of the small, speedy hummingbird. With their beautiful colours and wings that beat so fast they “hum,” these birds are fascinating to watch.   British Columbia sees five species of hummingbirds regularly: the Rufous, Anna’s, Calliope and black-chinned hummingbirds are found mostly west of the Rocky Mountains, while the ruby-throated hummingbird is found on the east side of the mountains and has been spotted, although rarely, further into BC’s interior. Anna’s hummingbird. Rufous and Anna’s hummingbirds can be found on southern Vancouve ..read more

Just west of Osoyoos, nestled within the desert landscape of the Eastern Similkameen Valley, you’ll find kłlilx’w, also known as Spotted Lake – a beautiful and unique body of water.   Spotted Lake is a mineral lake, rich in calcium, sodium sulphates and magnesium sulphate, among others. For most of the year, Spotted Lake looks like any other body of water while these minerals float just under the surface. But during the hot summer weather that the valley is known for, much of the water in the lake evaporates and the leftover minerals form spots. These spots will change size and shape over ..read more