Busy BC summer

My daughter Paige with her first trout.

I can't believe it's already mid-September. What's even more amazing - this is my first blog post since the end of June. In the next few posts I'll bring you up to speed with what's been keeping me busy writing, playing and performing.

Lately I've been wetting the line, that is, fishing. Salmon returns are looking healthy for most areas of British Columbia including along the east coast of Vancouver Island. One of the most amazing stories of recovery comes from just down the coast.

In the mid-90s most fisheries observers figured the Nile River was dead.  This year the Nile Creek Enhancement Society are expecting 100,000 pink salmon to return to spawn. Let me put this in perspective: pink salmon average about five pounds and almost two feet in length. Nile Creek might be 30 feet wide. Old timers around here like to say that you could walk across rivers on the back of returning salmon. That may be possible on Nile Creek this year all thanks to an impressive rehabilitation and hatchery program and a huge team of volunteers.

Despite the success Nile Creek, like most of the rivers south of Campbell River, are actually closed to salmon fishing. You can only fish the estuary and foreshore. Basically any waters effected by the tide. I'm heading out tonight to try some shore fishing with my daughter. Wish for tight lines.

Salmon aren't the only fish on my radar. There's some excellent trout fishing in the lakes nearby. We fished Upper Campbell and Muchalaht Lake this summer. I can't say we slayed them, but we did pull in a couple - check out the picture of a nice hatchery rainbow trout.

When I actually want to catch fish I call up my buddy James Fisher at Fishers Island Adventures. He knows the fresh and salt water around here as well as anyone. I've never struck out with him at the helm.

BC Bike Race here I come

For the last six months I've spent a lot of time on my bike. In fact, my wife has complained more than once that I've spent more time riding my bike than...uhh, never mind. All that training was for what will be the most grueling and challenging adventure of my life, the BC Bike Race.

The seven day, stage mountain bike race begins in Cumberland and then loops around the Strait of Georgia to Whistler. After a tough day of climbing in Cumberland racers travel to Campbell River, Powell River, Sechelt, Gibson and Squamish before the final stage in Whistler. Like the Tour de France, each day riders pedal off a 30 to 65 kilometre mountain bike race, navigating the best of the local trails, before moving on to the next community. Nights are spent in a tent city quickly erected and collapses by an army of volunteers - two are oceanside.

In total I'll log about 350 kilometres during the week. I feel as ready as I can be. Now I'll just see if all those early morning and muddy rides were enough. 

Interview on CBC Calgary

Earlier this month my voice echoed across the air waves of Calgary and computer speakers everywhere. I was discussing the merits of skiing Rocky Mountain couloirs in late spring with Paul Karchut, a technician on CBC Calgary's Eye Opener program. Paul's a friend of mine and a deadly tele skier. He accompanied me and photographer Ryan Creary for a couple days as we climbed and skied choice lines in the Banff and Lake Louise area for an article in Backcountry Magazine.

You can hear the story Paul put together from our adventure here:
http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/episode/2011/05/09/icefields-parkway-a-spring-time-mecca-for-extreme-skiing/

Extreme fly fishing in BC

I just finished writing my article about the niche sport of extreme fly fishing for Outdoor Canada Magazine. Combining the skills of fly fishing, canyoneering and rock climbing, the object is to get into inaccessible sections of rivers that have never been fished before, where huge trout jump on every cast. I teamed up with David Begg, a mountain guide and avid fly fisherman, for the story and traveled to Canadian Rockies. The fishing didn't turn out quite as heavy as we'd hoped, but we caught plenty of trout and saw some amazing pools.

Here's a picture of David deep in an inaccessible canyon section. Judging by the non-stop action we figure this water had never been fished. Just above the picture is a bridge. A few minutes later a truck drove over and stopped. I'm pretty sure they were looking at David saying, "WTF!"

More magazine award nominations

A couple of my explore Magazine articles received nominations for the Canadian National Magazine Awards. The Best of Banff article, a mini travel guide to Canada's oldest National Park, and The New Classics, new trips to try across Canada, both received nominations in the Service: Lifestyle category. The Best of Banff also got a nod in the Single Service Article Package.  The Best of Banff article already won a Northern Lights Award from the Canadian Tourism Commission.

The full list of National Magazine Award nominees can be found at http://www.magazine-awards.com/
Winners will be announced on June 10th in Toronto.

3rd in Northern Lights travel journalism award

Next week Explore Magazine will accept an award on my behalf from the Northern Lights Awards part of the Canadian Tourism Commission's Media Marketplace in New York City. An article I wrote in the June 2010 issue of Explore Magazine won third place in the magazine category, which recognizes excellence in "tourism-oriented coverage on Canadian destinations in 2010."

My article was The Best of Banff, an in depth travel guide to Canada's first and most popular national park. I grew up and went to university in Calgary, spending all my free time playing in the mountains around Banff. My parents still live in the area and I return two or three times a year. I tapped my parents extensive knowledge to a huge extent and this article would be a skeleton without their input.

The article was a collage of bits and pieces: best bets on hotels, hikes and adventures; recommendations from locals; suggested reads; and more. All of it was designed to help a visitor to Banff make the best use of their time. I think I succeeded. 

Of all the hundreds of articles I've written it is the one I'm the most proud of. An excerpt from the original article is online at explore-mag.com.

Restless Josie Australia