Hiking without dogs - Kinsol Trestle

Kinsol Trestle, Fall 2011

Once upon a time I was an avid hiker and backpacker. A serious accident in the mid-nineties put end to that, and most of the walks or gentle hikes I've done since have been with the dogs. Recently, those walks have been reduced to slow gentle strolls along the beach as my old dogs can no longer do anything more.

Saturday, after taking Sadie for a walk along the shore line, taking Charley for her little crawl around the block, and checking out a local art show, I decided to capitalize on the fall weather and head for the hills sans canines.* Being a weekend, I was pretty sure my destination would also attract enough other hikers, walkers, cyclists, and equestrians to keep me safe from bears, cougars and two legged beasts. I stuffed some supplies in my daypack and headed out for the Cowichan Valley Trail (part of the Trans Canada Trail system) and Kinsol Trestle, near Shawnigan Lake about forty-five minutes south west of here. The weather inland was overcast and misty, but not sufficiently wet to deter me.

The Trans Canada Trail is 16,000 kilometer trail (many parts still under construction) which winds through every province and territory. Once completed, it will be the largest trail of its kind in the world.

The Cowichan Valley Trail section is 120 km, much of it on former railway beds, making for flat, easy walking through beautiful forests, alongside lakes and rivers, and connecting community to community. The trail accommodates walking, cycling and horseback riding - no motorized vehicles (thank goodness). **

Kinsol Trestle, also known as Koksilah River Trestle, is a wooden railway trestle crossing the Koksila River. The original trestle was completed in 1920, at 144 ft high and 617 feet long - the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth and one of the highest railway trestles in the world.

It's a long way down!

In 1979, the last train crossed the aging structure, and a year later it was abandoned. In 2007, the Cowichan Valley Regional District looked at restoring the trestle and the community rallied to the challenge of raising funds, finding partners, and volunteering. The newly restored trestle, true to its original roots in structure and material, reopened to the public this summer, connecting north and south sections of the Trans Canada Trail on Vancouver Island.

I started at the south end, as that is the designated 'public access' end, though I have since found out the north end is just as accessible and certainly closer for me. After an easy 20 minute walk in, on a wide, flat path through towering evergreens, I reached the trestle where volunteers were busy doing some restoration projects on the ground and paths around the base of the trestle. A film crew was also present - they have been following its restoration story from day one for a TV promotional documentary about the Trans Canada Trail. (One day you may see my smiling face on TV, as they grabbed me for an impromptu interview! )

I also ended up chatting with the videographer for about half an hour, and learned much more about the fascinating area than I could have ever learned online - from the thrill of seeing a herd of elk just over the hill while they were in a helicopter filming the five cranes lifting the timbers for the trestle, to the significance of the Roman numerals carved into the old timbers, construction marks bearing information of incline and curve so the finished structure would enable the trains to make the 3% grade hauling a full load.

Roman Numberals in old timber tell a story

While the new construction currently sticks out like a bit of a sore thumb in the wilderness, the steel used was specifically designed to discolour to look old, and the newer timbers used where the old ones were not restorable will soon age to blend in better with the surrounding timber. Ground cover will re-grow, and the paths to the bottom will hopefully protect the slopes and riverside from human damage.

The towering trestle, from part way down.

After photographing it from every angle, and climbing to the bottom and back up not once but three times (each time seeing a better place to shoot from or something else worthy of shooting), I was tempted by a sign on a more rustic trail – one which had been used as a bypass trail during construction. I followed this for a while, enjoying the beautiful river, trees, sound of birds, and occasional chat with other hikers.

Rain forest



Fall scene on Koksilah River





A wee little river for such a huge trestle!



Towering evergreens of the Cowichan Valley

I returned to the trestle and headed along the Cowichan Valley Trail north to the road where I would park if I approached the trestle from the Duncan end, then backtracked south again to return to my car and head home. Four hours of outdoor tromping has me eager to do more of the same, or to haul the bike out of the shed and cycle the trail as far as time allows.

While walking with the dogs will continue to be my first priority in the outdoors, I think the Elder College walking and gentle hiking groups will have a new member when the spring program commences in March.

It was an amazing day.


* Dogs are allowed on the Cowichan Valley Trail and Kinsol Trestle, but are supposed to be kept onleash. Sadly, not everyone honors this, and while I was there a black and white lab cross failed to return to its owner and is still missing today.

** The information on the trails and trestle was paraphrased from the signs posted in the area. More information can be found at www.kinsoltrestle.ca and at the CVRD website.

Amazing Autumn Days

Morning Mist Rising

The glorious fall weather and the vibrant gold and red autumn colours continue to last – I am almost afraid to write about it lest I jinx it. From sunrises and early morning mists, to afternoon blue skies and crisp temperatures, to evening stillness and bright starry skies – it has been simply incredible.

On Wednesday evening, Sadie and I take a stroll at dusk along the Crofton Sea walk. I laugh at the hooded mergansers with their helmet-like heads, crests up, bobbing and chattering on the evening tide. It is almost too dark to catch them on camera and they are a bit far away. Perhaps I will get a better shot another day.

Hooded Mergansers

Suddenly I see another sight which causes me to sharply draw in my breath –a large trumpeter swan floating in the bay, his black beak shining, his glistening white feathers with wingtips raised like the swans of my childhood storybooks. It is too dark to get his picture now. I have been reading The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, and I can't help but think it is moments such as this, unexpectedly sighting a lone swan on a moonlit bay, which inspire such writers of mythology.

Today, once again, it was too nice to stay indoors – too nice to even putter around the yard doing house and garden maintenance. I grabbed the camera and headed out in the car with Sadie, ostensibly to run some errands but really just to marvel at the amazing scenery.

The road from Crofton to Duncan is not only full of colour from the leaves – reds and golds, browns and burnished yellows and almost springlike greens among them – but also lined with orange pumpkins.

Pumpkin Alley

This is an annual post-Hallowe’en tradition – everyone takes their carved squash and leaves them  along the sides of the road.  There are, literally, dozens if not hundreds of them, stretching for miles.  The grinning orbs bring a smile to the faces of passersby. What strikes me is how amazing some of the carvers are. There’s not just jack-o-lanterns and jill-o-lanterns, but muppet-o-lanterns, bartsimpson-o-lanterns, and spider-o-lanterns.

Spider-o-lantern

We pick up a library book in town and head back, but decide instead to continue north to Ladysmith, to check out a beautiful walking trail I had read about. These signs, however, posted just today, deter me:

Instead, we drive a little further, to Ladysmith’s Transfer Beach Park where the trail has, I think, its endpoint. The park is overdeveloped for my liking – full of playgrounds and tennis courts and little buildings – but it is quiet enough at this time of year and there is a nice offleash area full of leaves and very nice dogs. It is also well marked with bear alert signs that had just been posted, so we didn’t wander far.

Sadie in autumn leaves

A beautiful brindle great dane pup stole my heart – 14 months old, he just wanted someone to play with him, but the dogs there were mostly very little or very old and so he frolicked around by himself, kicking up leaves as he went.

Hai!  Wanna play?

We stay until the sun starts to drop behind the hills, and then head for home. As I round the final bend into Crofton and see beautiful Osborne Bay laid out before me, the gold and red trees that line Joan Avenue, and the magnificent snow covered Mt Baker in the distance, I once again find myself thinking how very blessed I am to live in this amazing place.

Osborne Bay, Crofton BC

A friend passes

A Crofton sunrise - for Char

Char Nickerson is part of the reason my transition to the island was so easy even though I knew very few people here. I rented her guest suite while house hunting in Crofton, and from that moment on she made me feel welcome. She invited me to parties, made the world’s best liver treats for my dogs, shared stories over a glass or two or three of scotch. She had a big heart and a warm smile. She loved sunrises and she loved Crofton. She had lived here pretty much her whole life.

Char passed away in her sleep early this morning, after a long battle with cancer. Some would say cancer won. But Char is the real winner, for she left a mark on this community that will not be forgotten. She made a difference in the lives of many. She will be very greatly missed.

My deepest condolences to her family.

Sagacious Sadie takes over

Well, my mama is grumpy busy and is muttering away about nasty computers and the pace of change and this modern world and all that other stuff old chronologically challenged people go on and on about, so I'z just gonna helps myself to the computer and show you what we'z been up to. Okay? I may not rite write as eloquently as my mama, but I can still post pickchures I fink.

On Thursday, my mama and me took a long, long drive. We left Charley and Allie at home (Tarben's mama and Archie's mama came over to take care of them), and we went on de big boat back to the mainland.

This time I didn't get to go see my Gran Rose like we usually do. Instead, I visited my pal Riley

Riley

and our buddy Taleah was there too, because her mama Sharon is away so she is being doggy-sat.

Taleah

Mama picked up her 2012 calendar from Auntie Deb, who is an artist. You'll see her work here.

Then we got back in the van an' went to Tisol's petstore, because they haz my vewy expensive food for $10 less a bag than what it costs on the island. Then back in the van again and drive, drive, drive, drive.....and then we was at the Piggy Lady's! Yes, Hearts on Noses sanctuary. As soon as the piggies heard my mama's voice, they came running - Scotch and Soda and all ten piglets that we fostered. 'Cept they is all big piggies now.

Hey foster mama!  Where ya bin?

Derby

Handsome, smiling Papa Scotch

Hick town pig, straw in mouth.

Scotch enjoying sunshine

Hi foster mama.  'member me? 

I'z as cute as ever!

An I still luvs you!

But we luvs the Piggy Lady, too!

My mama sez they look great - their skin is smooth and their hair is thick and glossy, and they is all happy happy pigs! We feds them some apples and some tomatoes (I grewed the tomatoes myself - well, wiv mama's help!), and had a quick visit, then back in the van. We drove and drove some more, stopped in to see Auntie Ann and Uncle Ken, and then mama had a visit wiv Emma, who is sorta her dog but lives at mama's old, old house wiv her dad (Emma's dad, not my mama's dad!). It waz dark by the time we got to visit her.

Emma

She still remembers all the stuff my mama taught her six or seven years ago. Here she is, showing mama that she knows how to 'stay' even when mama walks behind her.

Sit! Stay!

What a suck-up - ya wouldn't get me to do that! Heheheh!

Then we hadta make a mad dash fer the ferry so we could get back home. It waz a long, long day - 14 hours of travelling. I waz so glad to get home and see Charley, that I playbowed to her and played bitey-face and acted like a silly puppy. I waz a silly puppy - I knocked poor Charley right over wiv my exuberance! Oops!

Happy Sadie

On Friday, mama and I just slept all day long cuz we was so tired.
But yesterday was nice out, so mama and us dogs went outside to play. Or work. Mama had to finish the fence between the side and back yards. We helped:

Hey, Sadie - does this look right to you?

Nope, looks likes something's missing!

I can hop right through this!

She sez she was getting to that, but we thinks she thought she was done. Good thing we showed her what to do!

Okay, the concrete is set and the post is straight.

That's better, this looks solid!

All done!

Um, mama???  You forgots me!

Here I am!

Today mama is being lazy again. She is reading mostly. She hazn't even taken me for a walk yet, though I think she will soon because this morning's rain has stopped and it is sunny right now. But she also has to do more work on the gutters because the gutter seal didn't work. She shoulda let us inspect it. We coulda showed her how to do it!

Luv, Sadie.

Blogger friends - Can you comment?

For the past few days, I've found myself unable to comment on a few Blogger blogs I've always been able to comment on before (Evensong and Karen, yours were among them - can't remember which others).  (Note to non-bloggy people.  When I use the term Blogger here, I'm referring to the trademark name of the site which hosts my blog).  When I type my comment and move to 'select profile', the drop down box doesn't work, but of course I can't comment without selecting a profile - there's no other option.  Has anyone else experienced this and figured out how to resolve it.  I have changed absolutely nothing on my computer.

(Note:  I don't always get the 'select profile' request from Blogger - some Blogger blogs allow me to just enter my comment and automatically put in my name and link to my own blog.)  

Anyway, I went to Blogger Help and see that people have been asking that same question for several months, and the only responses are so full of technobabble that I don't have a clue what they are talking about.

If one of you have faced and conquered this challenge, please let me know how to make that drop down box drop down!!! 

I'm not sure what my own blog asks people to do in order to comment, but if you are unable to post a comment on this blog, please try the 'email me' button on the right to let me know. 

Misty mornings, must-have tools, and the cleanest gutters in town!

This sunny, crisp fall weather has me energized and active - I wish it could stay like this all year round! I decided to make the most of the great weather by doing some much-needed maintenance around the yard. I'd already washed all the windows and screens and turned the last of the veggie beds under for the winter, but there were other tasks I've procrastinated on for a couple of years.

Ever since buying the house, I've had gutters that drip right by the front door and right in front of the gate - not very inviting to visitors on a rainy day, and darned dangerous when the temperatures drop below freezing. As well, the downspout right by my bedroom window was missing the top section and the resulting river of water pouring straight down onto the ground drove me crazy every time it rained.

What's wrong with this picture?

And then the fence between my side and back yards was falling apart, the gate no longer closed, and the gate post wobbled badly (of course, this could have something to do with its location next to the missing downspout!).

Old fence and gate tied together with twine

But first a walk to the ocean with Sadie. The Sea Walk was very frosty, so I opted not to go there as frost on old wood is incredibly slippery.  But the rising sun still made the walk to the wharf worthwhile:

Morning sunrise at Crofton wharf

Then off to Duncan to buy the materials for the day's projects. But enroute I get sidetracked when I come across a surreal scene of misty meadows - thankfully I have my camera in my bag:

Photos taken, materials purchased, and it's back home to work.

Over the years, I have become convinced there is some sort of code of secrecy among men when it comes to doing 'guy stuff' and the tools one needs. Yesterday, when I made a first run for some supplies,  I asked one of the Home Depot salesmen for some assistance selecting what I needed.  When I got home, I discovered they'd steered me wrong -  two wrong gutter parts and the wrong kind of cement for the post. And when I asked how to avoid denting the metal gutters with the ladder, I was told it would be fine, just put the ladder near the little spacers on the gutter.  NOT - been there, done that! What they didn't tell me was what I found out online last night - I needed these amazing, fantabulous, not-even-expensive  (Less than $30 including tax) things called ladder stand-offs, aka "painters' wings". How could I have not learned about these in forty years of cleaning gutters and putting up Christmas lights???  

Painters' wings

They are now one of my favourite tools - right up there with my power mitre saw. They made the job of cleaning the gutters a breeze - very stable, easy to work around, and no crushed gutters! I'm thinking the previous owner hadn't known about them either, because the gutters on the carport (where there is no wall to rest a ladder) looked like they had never been done - two inches of muck and a good inch of thick moss! Now my gutters are squeeky clean, and it took me less than two hours to do the whole house.

The cleanest gutters in town!

Once the gutters were cleaned, I scraped away layer after layer of four different types of sealant and re-did all the joints. Hopefully I did them well enough - my skills with the caulking gun and gutter sealant leave much to be desired. The new downspout is now properly attached (which is more than can be said for the existing downspouts, each one mounted to the cross piece with the screws facing the wrong way and therefore obstructing the flow of gunk! I guess next year I'll think about taking them all apart and doing them correctly.)

All fixed! 

I decided to salvage the gate post - it is sunk deep in the soil and the wood is still good enough for the little weight it has to support. I just dug a wide hole around its base and filled it with cement, attached my handy-dandy post level to get it 'just so', added some temporary support braces, and covered it with plastic to let the concrete cure. Charley inspected the work, and pronounced it a fine job.

Inspector Charley


If the weather holds, I shall build the fence and new gate tomorrow, or at least get a start on it. The cedar is piled in the yard, the power mitre saw just needs to be carried out of the shed, and my 18V Hitachi drill/driver and favourite Kiwi screws are at the ready.

Someone once told me that there are only two things a woman living alone must have to do any 'guy job' - duct tape and WD 40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape; if it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. That advice has served me well.  I think, though, that I would add a few more things to that 'must have' list - a power drill/driver, a power mitre saw and circular saw,  safety glasses, a bunch of screws, a ladder, and some painters' wings. Yup, that'll about do it. Unless you are setting fence posts, in which case a post level is mighty nice to have, too.

And with those few tools and some internet research, there ain't nuthin' we gals can't do!  I am woman; hear me roar!