The Grooming Gang: Making the Best of Mother Nature

It is a cool night, dark except for the Village lights behind me and the tall fir trees still adorned with their blue and purple Christmas lights.  All is quiet.  I check my watch.  It is 0022 am.

I hear a murmur coming from behind the patrol hut.  It builds to a rumble.  I turn towards the sound to see an amphibian-like vehicle turn into the parking area, chewing up the snow as it advances. Suddenly the parking area is awash with light from head lights as bright as search lights. The cat quivers to a stop, still purring like a lion, and a figure nimbly jumps out of the cab and climbs down the blade-like grousers on its tracks.

One of Silver Star's three 'free cats'

Dave Palm has arrived to pick me up.  He is the Grooming and Terrain Park Manager at Silver Star Mountain Resort.  He has started the midnight shift down at the maintenance shop, where he has met with the afternoon shift, confirming what has been groomed already and what needs to be done before his shift finishes at 9 am. He helps me into the passenger seat. I'm going along to find out how the mountain gets transformed after a day of skiing into the pristine, corduroy-lined slopes that greet skiers for their first run in the morning.

Dave is a seasoned groomer. He started this job 24 years ago, the year Putnam Creek opened.  He works all year round, and knows this mountain like no one else.  He has helped clear new runs and then reseeded them with native vegetation.   He works with the summer bike park crew to ensure trails and berms are compatible with the ski runs and then mows the runs in the fall, calling in the chainsaw gang as needed.  He has been up and down every run hundreds of times in all seasons and all weather.  You could say this is his mountain.

The cab is warm and spacious. It looks a bit like the cockpit of a plane.  I settle in to a comfortable seat, fasten a lap belt. This is a German-made Pisten Bully, an agile piece of equipment that can lumber up and down almost any snow covered incline, and is worth about $275,000.  It is one of seven cats in Silver Star’s fleet.  There are two other older “free cats” similar to this one, one all-terrain cat used for the Terrain Park, a cross-country cat to groom the Nordic trails, one winch cat for use on the steepest inclines and the Paradise Camp bus cat used to move people to and from the back side of the mountain.

German-made Pisten Bully, worth about $275,000

Dave assures me the ride is very safe as we begin rolling down Shortt Street, the cat barely fitting between the buildings. Its tracks grip the snow as we climb up to Main Street.  We see the lights of the all- terrain cat in the Rock Star Terrain Park.  Dave explains the operator of this cat works an extended afternoon shift. It takes most of the shift to groom the park and it is done every night.
Then he points our cat straight up Big Dipper.  I feel myself pressed back into the seat.  Big Dipper is one of the runs done nightly.  “It takes 15 to 16 passes do this run, between 2 to 3 hours.  It costs about $230 per hour to run one of these cats,” Dave says.  I do some quick mental calculations and realize what a bargain my season pass is.

 

The pitch steepens and the cat grumbles as it moves forward, laying a swath of corduroy behind us.  Dave keeps the blade picking up and distributing snow as we move forward, checking the huge side mirrors, the rear view mirror, and somehow also keeping his gaze forward, manually moving an inside search light to examine the surface ahead. The groomers cannot be on the mountain when skiers are on the downhill trails, for obvious safety reasons, but Dave explains another reason it’s better to groom at night is because the head lights can see all the bumps. As we roll along he talks with the other groomers on his radio all the while he keeps up an easy relaxed conversation with me

 

Dave Palm, Grooming and Terrain Park Manager in cab of newest 'free cat'

 The grooming team consists of 14, covering a 3:30pm to midnight shift and a midnight to 8:30am shift.  One of the greatest challenges for some groomers is the grind of night shift.  They are always in communication with each other but work alone inside a big, expensive piece of machinery.  They are out every night, in all conditions, snow, wind, cold. The conditions can make the work tough and disorientating.  “You are staring out into snow and fog” Dave says, “sometimes that is what keeps me alert”.

 

He turns the cat around at the top of the Comet Chair and points the machine straight down.  Through the huge front window I can see the entire width of Big Dipper as it drops down in front of us.  Surprisingly, although I feel the sensation of being pulled forward, there is no sense of precarious-ness.  There is no brake, except a hand brake. He controls our descent by steering with his left hand and manipulating the joystick with his right hand.  It controls the back tiller, front blade and there is a dial for track speed. 

At the bottom we pass under the Comet Chairlift and head up Aberdeen to the top of the Silver Woods Chairlift.  In a couple minutes the winch cat appears from below.  Dave points out the winch anchor and the cable that is helping the cat ascend the black-diamond Mine Shaft run under the chairlift.  This cat, worth over $400,000, has a cable that can extend for one km. 

Winch cat just starting descent down Mine Shaft run under the Silver Wood Chair

The winch cat turns around and descends back down to continue work on this run for several more hours.  Other than its headlights and those of the two other free cats finishing off on North Star, the vista is shrouded in darkness.  Most years the trees are snow-covered and therefore the scene is much brighter but this has been an exceptional year with warm weather and some rain.  “We’ve had March three times already this year, and it’s still February” Dave comments.  It has been a challenging year for the groomers. 

Dave explains how these machines help preserve the snow.   The cat has three essential parts, the front blade, the cab and the back tiller.  First the cat has to track down the surface and then starts manipulating the snow.  Inside the tiller is a drum with knives.  It spins anywhere from 100 to 2200rpms.  This cuts up the snow, takes the air out of it then lays it flat, making a skiable surface.  Laying the corduroy is really only window dressing, it’s like combing the snow to make it look nice.  Meanwhile the front blade continuously gathers snow, moves it and deposits it to optimize the surface

Two 'free cats' working hard climbing the steep icy incline on upper Big Dipper run

What to groom and what not to groom seems to be a somewhat negotiable question based on snow conditions, weather and activities on the mountain. All green runs and main traffic trails are done nightly, then blue runs are a next priority.  The Back Side, serviced by the Powder Gulch Chair, is groomed first, on the afternoon shift as it is terrain for stronger skiers, while the front of the mountain, geared to less adventurous skiers, is groomed later so it will be freshly groomed in the morning.  The double black runs are usually left as is, not so much because of the steepness but the narrowness of the runs and the reputation Silver Star has for its bumps on the back side. 

We see the terrain cat trundling down Main Street.  Dave explains the groomer’s 10 hour shift is over.  At 2 am the groomer for the cross country trails starts his shift. These trails are all done on a night shift that extends until after 9:00am.  This assures that the cross country runs are as freshly groomed as possible.

Calalcade of three cats laying corduroy on Big Dipper run

We head back up Lower Big Dipper and Dave begins seriously moving snow.  This is to prepare Big Dipper for a race this weekend.  Usually this race is run on Milky Way but due to the challenging conditions and traffic that has worn down this run, the race course will be set up here and he is tasked with flattening the roller coaster terrain just above Main Street.  He manoeuvers the cat up and down and sideways collecting snow in the blade then dumping it in the dips.  A lot of snow is moved and I realize there is still a lot of snow on this mountain.  We head down the run again, he radios the other two free cats to join us and the three cats make a sideway cavalcade and roll up the mountain joining their swathes of corduroy in a wide sweep



Five minute break at the top of Silver Star close to the Upper Weather Station

At the top the three cats all stop and we get out.  I meet Caleb, from New Zealand and Hana, a local gal and the only female groomer the mountain has employed in many years.   Dave has explained they are both ‘rookies’ having started this ski season.  “You can train someone to drive a cat in two weeks but it takes about 3 years for them to be really good groomers.”  This 5 minute break will be the only one until they all gather at the end of the shift.  Caleb sneaks off to the Upper Weather Station where he checks and records the current temperature and snow fall since the afternoon. This info will be posted on the 6am Snow Report.

Dave, Caleb and Hana at the top of Silver Star at 4 am

Before we take off, Dave invites me to sit in the driver’s seat.  In front of me is an adjustable driving wheel with moveable dials, to my right is the joystick and around me an array of other switches and knobs.  He takes my picture and helps me back into the passenger seat.  Then we rumble down one last time and he deposits me by my car.  Its 4:09 am, I get into my car and realize I’m tired.  Dave gets back in the cab of the cat.   He has a few more hours to manipulate the snow and make Silver Star the proud mountain it is, well known for its excellent groomed runs.

 

 

 

 

 





Lunch Above the Clouds

The Village at Silver star Mountain Resort

 

Vernon is often described as being in the "sunny" Okanagan Valley.  This is only a partial truth.  In summer the valley is bathed in daily sun for weeks at a time and both spring and fall get their share of sunshine.  But the winter, particularly December and January, it is an entirely different picture.  The percentage of possible sunshine hours per day is about 1/4 of what it is at the height of summer.  Combining that statistic with a the fact that Vernon is located just above the 50th latitude, makes for a dark and dull couple of months. 

But that is in the valley.  And that is where I am today, looking out my south facing window.  Instead of seeing Terrace Mountain, is see gray, gray cloud, gray hills; even the snow looks gray today.  However not that far away, only up about 1230 metres (about 4030 feet), is brilliant, bright sun light.  I know this because of the web cams at Silver Star Mountain Resort (and because my husband just sent a text to tell me what a great day it is up on the mountain). 

Why some, many Vernonites, stay down here day after gray day is beyond me.  It is a myth that you have to be a skier or boarder to enjoy Silver Star Mountain Resort.  You don't have to do any winter sports to make the 30 minutes drive from town worthwhile.  Just come for lunch and enjoy the sunshine!

There is a dozen places for lunch, from full service restaurants, to bistros and cafés.  There are great choices for good food at good prices. We haven't tried all the places this year but I intend to do so before the season's end.  Here are my impressions so far:

 

 

Town Hall We stop here most days for coffee after skiing.  Its your typical noisy, busy ski hill cafeteria with a selection of burgers, fries and such at one end and a more dignified coffee bar serving crafted coffees with some tasty looking paninis  and  pastries at the other end. They make an okay flat white and sell the authentic Aussie meat pies (that are yummy) for the very good price of  $5.95.  Your season's pass saves you 10% on all purchases.

 

Bulldog Grande Café  Incorporates some Dutch/Indonesian flair along with usual burger/sandwich fare. We tried the hearty Dutch Pea soup.  Unfortunately the Bitterballen, a Dutch favourite of thickened beef ragout breaded and fried and served with homemade Dutch mustard was sold out.  I plan to try it next time.  On a cold day its nice to sit near one of the rock-faced fire-places.

Out of Bounds Bistro  This popular little café is now twice its original size but was still packed when we visited.  They make a good flat white and the biggest paninis I've ever seen.  We split one with brie, chicken and avocado.  My only regret was I that I was too full for dessert.  The coffee, soups and lunch items are great but the really really good stuff is the desserts.  They are to die for, pies with flakey pastry, heaped full of fruit or cream fillings and piled high with whipped cream

Bugaboos Bakery Café  Probably the best known café on the hill and open from 7:30 am  to 5 pm daily, Bugaboos is well known for its cinnamon buns, apple strudel and croissants.  All its 50 chairs  seem occupied when you come in the door but surprisingly the wait is never long.  Lunch is always good and the coffee is Italian.  Après ski you can have beer, wine, specialty coffees or hot chocolates.

1609 Restaurant and Lounge Newly opened this season 1609 is, quite literally, a few steps above the other establishments.  There are two ways to enter, but neither seems instinctive.  One is from the west side of the Vance Creek Hotel and the other is the Vance Creek Hotel entrance from Main Street and then up the stairs. Fortunately they leave a sign out to direct you up to the restaurant. The ambiance is different here, with sun pouring in the large windows, and a view down to the village. There is a distinctive Aussie influence, pumpkin in the salad and the best flat white on the mountain, no surprise the joint is owned by three Aussies from Brisbane.  Wine by the glass starts at$5.50 and there is a huge selection of crafted beers.  The name, 1609 is the altitude of The Village

View of village from 1609 Restaurant and Lounge

The Saloon  With the wooden floors and swinging doors, the pool tables and dart boards, you know you are in The Saloon, although a family friendly one, with lots of activities to while away an afternoon if you've had too much skiing .It is also a good spot for lunch.  The cheese and broccoli soup was thick and had a cheddar bite to it.  We enjoyed a good burger and a juicy turkey wrap with cranberries, purple onion, tomato and a zippy aioli sauce.  To sweeten the meal, we got 10% off with our Season passes.


We have more than a couple months to check out the rest of the eateries, not an unpleasant way to spend winter up at the Star.






 

 

 



Silver Star Shines

 

 

Since we moved to Vernon three years ago we have heard that Silver Star Mountain Resort  is a great place to be for New Year's Eve.  It is also the busiest time of the year on the mountain.. Knowing that the heads of happy skiers and party goers would be resting on all of the 5600 pillows on the mountain, in the hotels and lodges, chalets and condos later that night  and the parking lots would be full, we wanted to take in festivities but did not relish the crowds.  We were charmed by the winter ambience and surprised to find ourselves not at all bothered with crowds.

Brewer's Pond

Brewer's Pond, 2.5 acres of skating surface, has ample room for a vigorous shinny game and also recreational skaters who circle around the treed island.  At 3pm  we joined the skaters and had plenty of room to find our glide.  The sun was still bright but the air was nippy and so were our toes so we crowded into the Tube Town Cantina where skaters were warming up with cups of steaming hot chocolate.  Just outside others were also warming up around a roaring fire, some roasting wieners.
As the day darkened into a winter night and the moon moved above the tall narrow spruce trees on the island, multicoloured lights began to shine onto the snow and ice. It was a winter wonderland.

Beer Board from the Final Run Bistro

Wanting a light supper, we decided to try out one of the newer eateries on the mountain located just beside Brewers Pond, the Final Run Bar and Bistro which is attached to Pinheads Bowling.  Decked out in lime green and florescent blue décor there is a feel of both comfort and chic.
We nestled into a booth, ordered some pints and the Beer Board, a wooden platter loaded with cheeses, hot bratwurst sausage, Italian cold cuts, gigantic olives, yummy balsamic pickled onions and lots of grainy crackers and bread.  It was a satisfying, relaxed feast for the three of us.
Then we headed back out into the night, with our cross country skies on our shoulders to the Village XC Trail Head to try our the lighted Night Loop.  The Nordic trail was crisp and fast.  We were alone except for a row of snow shoers, looking like a wiggling centipede with the lights of their head lamps, that crossed our trail and disappeared into the woods.  Only the rub of our skis and the rhythmic squeak of our pole plants filled the cold, shaded quiet until we rounded the Knoll and could see the lights of the Summit Chair Lift, Brewer's Pond  and the chalets along the alpine meadows.

View of Brewer's Pond, Tube Town and the Summit Chair Lift

 

We loaded our skis back into the car and headed to the Village. We paused to take pictures of the lighted trees, one at 125 feet, the tallest Christmas tree in the Okanagan. Three horse-drawn sleighs waited as people, bundled up for a night time sleigh ride, climbed aboard. The shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes were full of people sharing holiday greetings.

As 8 pm drew near, a large crowd gathered at the bottom of the Summit Chair Lift where loud speakers were pouring out funky music. The lights were turned off; the sky above the mountain had a distinct red glow.  And then the traditional torch parade began.  From the summit little red lights began bobbing down the slopes followed by brighter lights.  Soon it looked like a stream of red lava making its way down the mountain.  The 300 plus skiers who created this effect lined up at the bottom, extinguished their torches and all eyes then rose to witness a 20 minute show of fireworks against the back drop of snow covered forest.  It was a very festive way to herald in the New Year.

Now, a week later, the Okanagan has been blanketed with a couple feet of snow.  Usually our snow stays up on the mountain but this time the whole valley is digging out from a record snow fall.  School was to have resumed yesterday after the Christmas break but all classes were cancelled yesterday and again today.  The city doesn't seem to know what to do with all the snow.

Waiting for spring

 

Those of us from other parts of Canada are somewhat amused as this would just be ordinary circumstances and life would continue in other places.  But we've enjoyed the hibernation and know, with 339 cms of cumulative snow and an alpine base of 174 cms, that skiing will be great for quite a while.  We'll be up there tomorrow to check it out.

A Sun Day on Silver Star Mountain

 

It's Monday December 15. It's chilly in the morning in Vernon with scattered clouds and a band of low cloud sitting in the eastern sky, between us and Silver Star Mountain.  At 9:30 the road up to the hill is quiet, the surface is bare and dry.  There is no snow at the side of the road until we are half way up to the mountain.  We drive through the cloud into a robin-egg blue sky.  The trees hold fresh hoar frost that sparkles in the bright morning sun. 

We park our car in the second line of vehicles and start the plodding ascent up Paradise Trail, a 7 km trail from the Village to the top of Silver Star Mountain. The beginning, Main Street Skyway, is a slow slog across downhill ski runs, and under the Comet Chair. 

 

Downhill Runs above Main Street Skyway

 

Today there are few down hill skiers to watch out for. The word is out.  Rain last week, no new snow.  The locals don't come up to the mountain unless they know conditions are ideal.  And at Silver Star, where about 7 metres of light powder will drop on the slopes during a ski season they are usually not disappointed.  But those of us who have endured ski conditions in other parts of Canada are more willing to take a 30 minute drive and check things out.  And, in the three seasons we have skied here, we have never been disappointed.  Sometimes the down hill runs might not be absolutely  at their best but the Nordic trails have never let us down.  Since our season pass offers either type of skiing (and snow shoeing and skating), we just load up the car and pick the best option for the conditions.

The groomers have done their magic.  The trail has been raked.  It is firm with a corduroy dusting of powder.  This might not be perfect, but it is damn close.  And any minor imperfection we may find, will not matter.  The winter sun is full on.  It is a brilliant day.

 

Paradise Trail, well groomed and in full-on sun

 

We have the trails mostly to ourselves as we wind through the forest to the top of the Powder Gulch Chair Lift. 

 

Top of the Powder Gulch Chair.  No downhill skiers, no Nordic skiers, just us

 

We shed a layer before reaching that rhythmic, almost meditative cadence of Nordic skiing. We are alone with the metronomic rubbing of our skis on the track and the squeak as we plant each pole.  We turn onto the Upper Paradise Trail and march upward into the sun and up to the summit. To the north we can see the Shuswap area, its valleys and lakes shrouded in cloud, the long serrated  eastern horizon of the Monashees and the Okanagan Valley to the south, dappled with scattered clouds.

 

Looking north toward the Shuswap from top of Silver Star

 

 

 We mingle with the downhillers being deposited from the Comet Chair and put on our discarded layer of clothing.  The trip down is cool and exhilarating. 

 

Top of Paradise Nordic Trail and top of Comet Chair: Top of Silver Star Mountain

 

Because the mountain is quiet today we find a table in the small and popular Bugaboos Bakery and Café.  We chow down a sausage roll and chicken curry pie, sip a smooth flat white and share a chocolate croissant, taking in one last view of the Monashees through the window.

We are home in our hot tub by 1 pm.  The locals might not call that a perfect day but it was good enough for us!

 



Fall Back into Winter

We left Vernon on Nov 10 for a three week trip to Mexico.  I left a pot of ivy geranium with its bountiful crimson blooms guarding our front door and a pot of bold yellow and purple pansies keeping their eyes on our back deck. It had been an unseasonably warm and long fall with no frost.  I did not expect them to last until we returned but could not  bring myself to toss them into the compost while they were still in full bloom. 

Silver Star Mountain Resort  December 3

Soon after we left snow blanketed Vernon and a metre was deposited on Silver Star Mountain.  Then a week of unusually cold weather cemented that snow to the ski runs.  My flowers had expired but we returned to wonderful early season ski conditions.
Two days after flying into the Kelowna International Airport, we were on the slopes.  It was sweet, about -5 degrees, soft fresh powder, and sun.  Below the valley was stuffed with gray cloud.

Looking east from Silver Star Mountain towards the Monashees

Within the last two weeks we have experienced a remarkable variety of ski conditions.  The first day was cool with the inversion.

  A week ago Friday the mountain was wrapped in mist, but the downhill runs were dressed with fresh snow.

 

Scenes off Comet Chair December 5

  Then a warming trend moved in accompanied by moisture.  First there was wet snow but that deteriorated to rain, except for the higher parts of the mountain.  We persevered, while most of the locals stayed home.  Wednesday was a wet day and the Nordic trails were mushy.  We stayed on the lower trails.  But by this Friday the air had cooled.  The bottom trails were a bit crunchy with the remnants of the earlier rain but we headed up to Coming Round the Mountain and the trails were good.  We inspected the new warming cabin and the intersection of Coming Round the Mountain and Alder point Loop.

 Captik Cabin, from the Okanagan Nations first language meaning "Legend" Dec 12

It did seem a bit strange though.  We had never been up on the Star without the trees being covered with snow.

Coming round the Mountain trail Dec 8

 Cooler weather now prevails and no precipitation is forecast for at least a couple days.  We will return to the upper trails tomorrow.  They will be perfectly groomed and we know we will have a good ski.  We also know we will have the trails to ourselves as Vernonites do not venture up to the mountain unless they think the conditions are absolutely perfect.  It will also be sunny, While we wait for snow the valley will be full of gray cloud and the mountain will be bathed in sunshine.

The 2014 Adams River Salmon Run

On October 23rd I join some Alberta friends for a trip up to Adams River to view the salmon run.  Every four years is a "dominant" run with millions of salmon expected to return and 2014 is one of these years.  The fall has been warm so the salmon are later than usual.  Even though it is late October, the wave of fish is peaking and we hope to see the river red with salmon.

The day is dreary, with intermittent drizzle setting a somber mood for our viewing of tens of thousands of crimson coloured Sockeye salmon waving their bodies to remain stationary in the creek, their green faces pointed upstream.  They are positioned in pairs, the males recognizable by a hump on their back and their long deformed snouts with razor-sharp teeth.

Silver scars mar their battle-weary bodies from their arduous journey upstream from the Pacific Ocean, into the Fraser River and up its tributaries to the very creek where they began.  Here they return to spawn, laying and fertilizing their round translucent pink eggs in the gravel. Of the 4,000 eggs that each female lays only two will survive and return in four years’ time to start the cycle again.  They will stay and guard their eggs for about 10 days and then drift into the shallows where they will die.  The sweet stench of dead Chinook salmon and earlier Sockeye hangs in the air. Their deformed, decomposing bodies are strewn along the shore or float motionless and bloated in the quiet pools of water.  This is not a killing field but the end of a four year life cycle that disintegrates and enriches the  land.

  A biologist wearing a floppy fish shaped hat holds his blood soaked hands above a gutted Sockeye, running his fingers over the orange flesh, pointing at the remaining eggs.  His sense of ease and knowledge draws us in and we see the slab of fish as a fascinating specimen.  He pulls out the fish's eye and pops out the perfectly round fish lens for us to examine.

Display of maturing salmon from egg to fry

  We return to our car feeling a mix of fascination and macabre, amazed at the force of survival of this cycle of life and death but wanting to wash our hands and escape from the lingering smell of fish.

The Last Days of Autumn

 

The last couple of weeks have been glorious. I've actually worn sandals and capris some days. The thermometer has not dipped to zero yet so the trees have continued to wear their brilliant yellow and orange leaves.

Some mornings there is mist in the valleys but often the sun melts it away and showers come and go as the cooler weather slides down over Terrace Mountain.

I finally picked the last of my tomatoes and raspberries a week ago.  I've planted spring bulbs and garlic and trimmed the roses.  The yard is ready for winter.







The late October rambles, hikes and bike rides with the Vernon Outdoor Club have again reminded me how special the North Okanagan is.  The occasional showers have cleansed the air after the long  and hot summer and the earth feels softer and smells alive again.  There is a fresh green hue over the hills.

View of Armstrong and the Spallumsheen Valley from Mount Rose Swanson

Just after Thanksgiving weekend we climbed up Rose Swanson, the treed mountain that sits just west of Armstrong.  It is named after the first Caucasian woman born in the interior of BC.  Rose was the daughter of Augustus and Catherine Schubert, two of the Overlanders who made the trek from Fort Gary via Edmonton and down the North Thompson Valley to Kamloops in search of gold.  Catherine was the only woman among 149 men.  She had three toddlers and was 5 months pregnant when the journey started.  The family ended up homesteading in the Armstrong area in 1862.  Rose married and had 13 children remaining in Armstrong until her death in 1942.
The forest trail loops up to several summits with rock outcrops.  The autumn sun shone warmly on us as we sat on the rocks eating our lunches.  We looked over the patchwork of green and rich brown fields in the  Spallumcheen Valley that stretches south.  Sunlight gleamed on Otter Lake and on the north fork of Okanagan Lake. It almost felt like a late summer day except for a freshness in the air and the show of autumn leaves.

Myra Bellevue Provincial Park

The following Sunday we hiked up to Crawford Lookout, in Myra Bellevue Provincial Park along the edge of the North Okanagan Highlands east of Kelowna. We walked among the stark black forest skeletons left behind by the 2003 fire that over look the eastern orchards, the urban sprawl of Kelowna and a smooth dark Lake Okanagan. Above us the hillside was decorated with patches of golden larch tucked within the green conifers.





A few days later we wind up a trail through bunch grass at the end of the Sunset Properties subdivision to sit on a huge granite shelf overlooking a still navy-blue Lake Okanagan.  There is a feeling of timelessness, a moment between seasons as the sun comes and goes between some thin clouds.  We ate lunch quietly, pensively taking in the view.

Having lunch overlooking Okanagan Lake on Sunset Properties hike

Our last Sunday hike for the season was, as it is every year, to Kalalmalka Park.  We parked at Cosen's Bay gate under a grey sky and start walking along Cosen's Bay trail.  Soon we head up a steep trail that takes us up to John's Jump.

Cosens Bay, Lake Kalamalka

 

   We look down at Cosen's Bay.  Despite all the hikes we have taken and all the views we have enjoyed, the view of Cosen's Bay always makes us pause.  The colour of the water is so unique, shades of turquoise  and green, and never quite the same.  The cottonwoods that fringe the beach have leaves so yellow they seem like lights along the edge of the lake. I never tire of this view.  We walk around to the other side of Rattlesnake Hill and stop for lunch sitting among the ripe grasses looking over to Middletown Mountain, Kal Beach and the apple orchards below us.

Lunch overlooking Coldstream

We can see the top of Silver Star Mountain dusted with some fresh snow.  We eat our lunches and chatter away. After 32 consecutive Sunday hikes this will be our last lunch-with-a-view together until next season. There is still one more ramble and one more bike trip.  The weather is good enough to continue but the season seems tired. It is time to take off the hiking boots and park the bikes.


I walked up past Davisons' Orchard this morning and just had to take one last picture of autumn, hard to believe today is November 3rd!

View of Okanagan Lake above Davison Orchard

Just now I have just checked the web cams up at Silver Star Mountain Resort and it is snowing!  The cumulative snow fall to date is 13 cm with a 4 cm base, not much but a beginning.  How's that for good timing?