We're Still Okay....Really!

Canoes at a camp on

Upper Campbell Lake

Although we've been unable to communicate with the outside world for awhile now, we are still okay... really! The lack of recent communication is partly due to the fact that there is only a slow internet connection at the lodge (no phone), but the biggest factor is that they seem to keep us very busy. So far we have had two school groups come to do programs, both for five days each. The first school came in on the 9th and left the morning of the 14th, the second school came the afternoon of the 14th and left this morning. That left us instructors about four hours to prep for the next outing.

For both of the groups Ashley has been instructing at the "rock camps"(taking the group out to the climbing bluffs and teaching climbing, rappelling and whatnot). This seems like a pretty good gig; they set up a huge basecamp, with huge tarps, a big fire pit, and all of the spare gear that you can fit into a 15 passenger van! For the first group I lead a trip up "Kings Peak", one of the taller peaks in the area. It was a four day backpacking trip with ten high-school students. On our summit day we ran into 50 foot visibility, and horizontally blowing ice pellets; we turned back short of the summit, but I think it was a good experience for the group. The second trip was leading a trail building crew; the school seems to think that this is a good character building activity for it's students. I guess this may be true to a certain extent, especially if you also consider millitary service or being in prison to be character building activities. All in all it went very well though.

Now we both have a few days off until the next group come in.

On the North Glacier of Mt. Myra

Our House, Room 57

of the Annex.

The Outdoor Center where the dining room is.

The black piping on the roof is part of a passive solar

water heating system.

Photos - (Failed) Attempt #2

Awwww... Sorry Dudes - I tried.... for some reason its just not working.

Another non-photo update on what is going on...

Hiking training was just peachy; Every hike/climb out here is a hell of a grind uphill the whole way and just incredibly beautiful. Unlike our Mt. Myra adventure, this hike was lush with unspoiled nature, however we had 20 people in our party so we probably ruined the "peace and quite" aspect of the mountaineering for all the other people up there that day. We made summit the first day then came back down to a hanging meadow to spend a raining/misty/

damp evening learning how we set up camp/cook with students. Despite that sounding a bit drab, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face - being in the mountains is just too awesome. How awesome you might ask? Well, on the way down the next morning whole group posed in front of this massive fir tree at the side of the trial (... I am so bummed that we cant post photos...) and later that day Paul and I figured out that by its diameter (approx. 14ft) that it was likely around 1300 years old! From sights like that to alpine meadows, white granite rock outcrops, glaciers and snowfields... This island living this is pretty sweet!

Yesterday we were out on the Burman River sea canoeing trip (the one day version - usually its a 2 or 3 day trip with students). We casted off out into the Matchalat Inlet - a massive inlet that stretches from the west coast of the island (just north of Tofino) all the way to Gold River (which is pretty much in the middle of the island and only an hours drive from the lodge). We paddled along the coast line up into Muchlee Bay and then up the Burman Rive and were super lucky to get not only calm conditions but all got to see tons of wildlife including eagles, a black bear, salmon, and a sea lion! The boats we used are huge Voyager canoes that we crammed 10 people into, are super tipy but can really cruise! It was a really neat experience and something that neither Paul or I had ever tried before.

The schedules for the next few days are up and the students are arriving tomorrow (eeee!) Paul and another instructor are kicking things off by taking a group of students up Kings Peak and I get to go rock climbing at Crest Crags with my group! We will be out in the field with our students for three days and they will be leaving early monday morning. The next group shows up monday afternoon.... and so starts the madness! We are going to be going solid like this for the foreseeable future... well that is, till our contract ends. Can't wait.

Strathcona Park Lodge

Long time since the last post, and already a week into our stay here at Strathcona Park Lodge; we've been keeping busy (as always)! From Squamish we made the journey to the other side of the Rocky Mountains, took some time to unwind (or work in Paul's case) and visit with friends and family. On our way back out this way we spent a few days with Jason in Sicamous, slept on a beach in Naniamo, and picked up another new staff member to carpool with us out to the lodge.

Stathcona Park Lodge is certainly an interesting place and beautiful place. Established 52 years ago it still is practicing some of the same things it did back then. One of the great things this entails is the menu which strives to be 80% "colours" and is generally low on meat and high on veggies and all very healthy. There is no mac'n'cheese with hot dogs here.

The buildings are also quiet unique; most were build by staff (with little to no carpentry knowledge), with wood stolen off of logging areas and milled here on site. They even have a system set up where they allow staff to build their own cabin, and then will buy it off of them for the same cost of building it when the staff member leaves. As a result there is a variety of building types from timber frame to domes, most without water or electricity. Some of the buildings were purchased and moved here, like our current home - the Annex.

Moved here across the lake via boats the Annex was the staff accommodation for a logging operation some 50 years ago. It boasts both running water and electricity and we really didn't understand why people seemed to make fun of it... until the first night when it was bitterly cold in there (there is no amount of heating that would keep that building warm...) and the mice scurrying in the walls, floors and ceilings woke us up. It still seems pretty luxurious to us (coming from a tent in the bush) and besides, the mice are pretty cute.

Set along the East shore of the Upper Campbell Lake, Strathcona Park Lodge offers a long list of outdoor activities; kayaking (flat and white water) as well as easy access to sea kayaking, canoeing (both flat and white water as well), a beach volleyball court, wood heated sauna, swimming area, beaches, soccer field, tree climbing (up a massive old growth fir), 2 zip lines, high and low ropes courses, and even rock climbing (3 private bluffs). Only a few minutes down the road from the lodge, Strathcona Provincial Park offers a variety of hiking and mountaineering trips.

The lodge tries to be as eco-conscious as possible; It makes its own power from a water wheel, buys locally grown food whenever possible (and even grows some food on site), uses a solar water heating system, composts, and teaches/practices "Leave No Trace"ethics.

A typical day on site starts at 730am when the breakfast bell rings. At about 815-830 the first 3 hour activity block starts, then it's lunch at noon and a second 3 hour activity block in the afternoon. The dinner bell rings at 5:30, after that a two hour activity block wraps up the day and you promptly go to bed.

The past week here has been great; We finished up our training on Thursday afternoon, leaving us the evening off to go to Campbell River (the nearest town) to pick up some things we are going to need in the next few weeks, and take it easy at the lodge. Yesterday we decided to climb one of the peaks that we potentially are going to take students up, Myra Mountain. Usually done in 3 days with students via the hikers trail, we thought we should try something different and approach by the NW ridge and do it all in one day. We calculated it all out and figured we were in for a 13 hour round trip, so we set the alarm clock for 5:45am and tried to find some food for the day.

The hikers trail (and the first part of our hike) is a bit of an unfortunate situation and we are both a little confused as to why they the lodge has decided to use this particular peak as the ascent starts at a strip mine, then follows a road to a power generator then takes an old bulldozed cat road up the mountain side following a pipeline. You finally get a taste of unspoiled nature 10km from the car at Tennet Lake. We branched off the hikers trial at about the 4km mark, took a bearing for a destincive drainage and began whacking and grovelling our way through the brush up to the NW ridge. We finally gained the crest and found ourselves in the (much easier to navigate) alpine. After some interesting route finding around cliff bands and some decent elevation gain we were out on the North glacier and making good time up its steep slopes.

We hit the summit by 1pm, took in the views, ooed and awed over the peaks in the distance and then decided to take the hikers trail back down to avoid re-whacking and the slippery slopes we had come up. The upper part of the hikers trial is beautiful, there is some safe snow crossings and amazing alpine lakes and meadows, but it is way longer of a trip- about 8km just to the lake from the summit! We were making good time though and despite feeling fatigued and pretty damn thirsty by the end of it we made it back to the lodge for dinner. Total trip; about 21km (around 10km longer then we calculated for) in 10 hrs and 40 min. Go us!

Today is a day off to catch up on some of the things that we haven't had time to do (laundry, blogging...) and tomorrow we are starting "hike training" and taking off on a 2 day trip up Kings Peak - a mountain that we have been wanting to climb anyways. Unfortunately, we wont be doing any of the technically routes - just hiking for us. After that we have the choice between two water trips; Burman River (a sea canoeing trip where we would be observing bears catching spawning salmon) or a white water kayaking (or canoeing?) trip. Then there is a "refresher day" with all the staff to go over anything that may be unclear. The day after that the students arrive!! We have lots to look forward to, and hopefully we will be able to keep you updated on all of them!

Sadly, no photos - we have 'em but can't seem to upload them in the no communication zone (Strathcona). Big slide-show party when we get home?