Riding the trails in Kalamalka Lake Park

May 20, 2011

It is fun to mix business and pleasure and since we had to go to Vernon to take care of some business, we decided to take our mountain bikes and go for a ride in the area afterwards.

I am very new at Mountain Biking so although I like to find something challenging, I'm definitely in the 'beginner' category. We were told to try Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.

What a beautiful place. The trail system is well developed and with more than 3700 hectares, the trails vary from wide trails to accomodate cyclists, hikers and horses and also offers single lane trails for mountain bikes.

We were gone for over two hours and the trails went from easy, to steep uphill to scary, fast single lane downhill (well for me it was!) - but what a thrill, I think I'm hooked. Along the way, there are benches placed strategically to enjoy the most spectacular views of Coldstream and Vernon and the lake. Our start point was The Red Gate but there are other parking areas within the park to choose from.

It is always fun to try a different area; the scenery there is quite different than what we're used to in the Kootenays, but we loved it.
The best time to see wildflowers is early spring to June and the Arrow-leaved Balsamroot (Spring Sunflower) was in bloom everywhere. (click on picture to make it bigger).


We found that there was something for everyone there and if you stay on the wider trails, most of them are not too difficult.

If you venture in the single lane trails, then there are some definitely more difficult, steeper and challenging trails. Bring lots of water!

I can't wait for our next mountain bike ride.
Til then, happy trails.

Zumba takes on
Relay for Life

Raising money for
Breast Cancer Research

Saturday, May 28th
5:30pm to 7:00pm
in front of the

LELAND HOTEL

Boys and girls,
WEAR YOUR PINK !!!!

Minimum $5.00 donation for Cancer Research to participate in the class - or you can watch and cheer - come and see what the buzz is about! Zumba is the most fun you'll ever have exercising. (www.zumba.com)

5 HOT instructors including our very own Sharon Metlewsky and 4 of her Okanagan friends who'll be riding in town on their Harleys.

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT

Let's have fun raising money -
everyone is welcome

LIVE MUSIC WITH BLINDSPOT AT 9:30PM

SLOCAN LAKESHORE TRAIL

Sunday, May 15

Since the snow pack is still low in the alpine, we decided to find a lower level hike (so we wouldn't need snowshoes) and our great book 'Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenays" delivered in offering a few options for shoulder season hiking.

We opted for the Slocan Lakeshore trail; it sounded interesting and with a name like 'Lakeshore', we figured it had to be pretty since we'd be hiking along the Slocan Lake. The hiking book described that although we wouldn't gain much elevation, it had rolling hills which made the trail a bit more challenging. The round trip would be approx. 16km, and would take about 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

Under sunny skies and a balmy 20 degrees, we left Nakusp in the morning and arrived at the trail head just before 10.

Immediately after entering the trail, we knew we would like this trail; the large boulders and Douglas fir along the way reminded me of the West Coast a lot. Being early spring, everything was just starting to bloom and the fragrance of all the wild flowers was intoxicating. It was lush and green everywhere and quiet.



We were told we might hear the trucks on the highway just across the lake, but since it was a Sunday, we didn't hear anything but birds and squirrels.
We saw beautiful butterflies, a very tiny bird which we had not seen before, many squirrels, and no bears. Actually we did see a bear but it was on the side of the road on our way to Slocan.

The hike isn't difficult but rocky in some parts; and it is 8km one way so if you're not in shape yet from winter hibernation, then you may want to shorten the trip a little. There are plenty of great spots to have lunch and enjoy the view.

The trail leads to Evan's Creek/beach, which is a provincial campground, and includes a few tent spots, 2 fire pits, a toilet, and food cache. And of course, a trip to see the waterfall is a must; it is spectacular. There's a bridge across the fall so if you're not afraid of heights or rushing water below your feet, you're in for a treat. A camera is a must.






We had lunch on the beach in the sunshine; we figured it was at least 25 degrees. We thought about a 'dip', but the icy cold water made us change our mind. It looked inviting, but very glacial.


There are other trails available at this point to continue further but we made that our stop for the day. Unfortunately, we had to come home the same day but we give this 'early hike' the thumbs up. Nothing beats going up in the alpine, but for a low level hike, we highly recommend this one.

We can't wait for summer to be here - come by the store if you are ever interested in joining us for a hike.

Until then, Happy Hiking!

5K Run on May 8th

May 8th, 2011 (Mother's day)
5km group

What do people do on Mother's Day?

For over 120 people (plus those watching) in Nakusp, they decided to either walk 2km or run a 5km course around the streets of Nakusp.

Everything was organized to perfection AND the sun decided to show up. We couldn't have asked for better.

Kari Tithecott, founder of the Arrow Lakes Running Group and event organizer, had all her volunteers ready to go; many showed up to set up tables and tents , get last minute registrations and the event started and
finished with a bang.


Mayor Karen Hamling was at the finish line handing out carnations to the runners, tables full of sliced oranges, muffins, water was there when finishing the run or walk. The baked goods sale was a huge success; Shannon, your granola bars are out of this world.

The silent auction had some amazing items and for those who were really hungry, the BBQ was on for great hot dogs with all the trimmings.

There was a demonstration of Parcour or Parkour, which is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, using only their bodies. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, and is quite popular in urban areas.

The event benefited the newly-formed Arrow Lakes Medical Aid Society, a charity that will raise funds to help families facing financial stress as they travel to receive medical care in larger city centers.

A group of 12 runners from Kaslo came to the event and a group of us in Nakusp are planning to go to Kaslo in October to participate in the Suffer Fest event. We are developing a great relationship with the town of Kaslo and in turn we can support each other in our efforts to bring events to our communities.

I hope we double the amount of people next year. The energy and excitement was palpable.

The Arrow Lakes Running Group, founded by Kari Tithecott, has provided a way for all of us to enjoy running while doing it safely. We have created new friendships and it has been an amazing experience. We are all awaiting anxiously for the next clinic which will hopefully start in June.

Thanks Kari for your amazing dedication and support.
(all photos courtesy of Mayor Karen Hamling - thank you Karen!)

SNOWSHOEING IN MAY

May 1, 2011

We woke up again to sunny skies with a chill in the air. Mike had been anxious to go hiking, but with the snowpack this year, we can't get too far in the alpine without having to strap on the snowshoes.

We opted for something easy; just off Hot Springs Road, there are cross country and snowshoe trails, and Mike knew of an area that he wanted to explore a bit more. So off we went, and of course, not even 100m in, we had to strap on the snowshoes. But it was warm and most of the trail was in the sun so that was great.

We made it to an un-serviced forest road to lead us to a mountain range behind the Hot Springs but we ran into an obstacle; a raging river that was wide enough and too slippery for us risking crossing it.

It was really fun though, and with only a 15 minute drive from home, it is so great to get out and explore the Nakusp area.

We will go back when the water is a bit calmer and bring more equipment to be able to cross the river this time.

Happy trails.

Paddle to the Bahamas

Sunday, April 24th

If you don't live here, don't be fooled by the title - we DO have a beautiful sand beach on Arrow Lakes that we commonly refer to as "The Bahamas" - why? well, for one thing, it gets the most sun; and the sandy beaches becomes an island in the summer when the Arrow Lakes is at its peak (Arrow Lakes is a reservoir - the levels are quite low in winter months but quite high in the summer months).

It was a gorgeous sunny day, so we decided, why not! Let's go for a paddle. We just purchased new racks and were anxious to finally fit both kayaks on the same car.
We left our house in the sunny, warm weather and drove to Bayview to launch the boats. It was a bit of a different story by the water; suddenly, I was wearing about 3 layers to stay warm. But that didn't stop us, we rowed to the Bahamas slowly,and paddled around the inlet and in the area.

The Bahamas is very quiet at this time of year; and with the low water levels, the normally fairly small island looked so big. We had a picnic on the beach, but with the cold wind blowing, we didn't stay very long.
It was so great to be out in April, after such a long winter and paddle the wateways of the Arrow Lakes.

For those wanting a short trip, this is great - we launch at Bayview but be courteous, there are people living next to the launching area. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the Bahamas (at a leisurely pace).

we can't wait to do more trips this summer. Stay tuned.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIKE DEALER

It is now official, Little Mountain is a dealer for Rocky Mountain Bikes.

If you've never heard of the company, they started about 30 years ago. Rocky Mountain has developed a reputation for quality and innovation. And the best thing, it's an all Canadian company.

Rocky Moutain tests and ride their bikes in the harshest conditions imaginable. And being a BC born company, the challenge of the different terrain available has made it a playground to build the best product possible.
Since the early 90's, RM has been at the forefront of cross country racing with pioneer riders like Alison Sydor, Andreas Hestler, Chrissy Redden, and Bruce Spicer.

From pioneering the sport to winning races, Rocky Mountain Bicycles has a lot to celebrate from the past 30 years.

Come and see us for your next bike. It's an amazing ride.

IT'S RUMBA TIME

What time is it?
It's R U M B A TIME !!!!RumbaTime began with the simple idea of making time keep up with your life, instead of the other way around. They make time weightless with silicone watches that feel like a second skin. Smooth, bright, water-resistant & durable - in styles and colors as diverse as personalities.
Retails between $24.99 and $27.99 - check their website: www.rumbatime.com
Join this new revolution!

GO LOUD. GO SIMPLE.

DO WHAT YOU DO,

& DARE PEOPLE TO WATCH.

NAKUSP HAS A RUNNING GROUP

Spring is 'almost' here and then it's bathing suit season.
What better time to get in shape than right now.

Kari Tithecott started the Arrow Lakes Running Group recently and it is gaining popularity. A group of about 10 to 12 runners meets every Tuesday morning at 9:00am for training and tips and the enthusiasm of the group is catching.

It's been so popular that Kari has decided to put a running event in Nakusp on

SUNDAY, May 8th in and around Cenotaph Park

THIS EVENT HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A RUNNER!

5k Run - starting at 9:30am

2k Walk - starting at 9:45am

100m Kid's Run - starting at 10:45am

CHARITY BBQ - Starting at 11:00am

Draw Prizes (post-race)
Event T-shirts
Music

This is a family Event. Registration forms are available at our store (Little Mountain) or at People's Pharmacy.

Registration fees are:
$15.00 - for the 5k run
$10.00 - for the 2k walk
$15 - event t-shirt

All event day proceeds will go to the Arrow Lakes Mountain Trust. This will support a variety of local causes such as a new charity being developed that will assist Nakusp residents with costs related to out of town medical treatment."

So come and join in the fun
and get in shape at the same time.

For more information on the race or to join the running group, please contact Kari at klwheels@hotmail.com or arrowlakesrunninggroup@gmail.com

HELI-SKIING WITH CMH -

If you like to ski but have never tried Heli-skiing, you must put a trip with CMH in the Kootenays on your bucket list.

On Friday, February 25, Mike and I had the amazing opportunity to go heli-skiing with CHM (Canadian Mountain Holidays).
For our blog fans living far away, CMH operates a Heli-ski lodge out of Nakusp. People come from all over the world to experience the amazing powder that our vast mountain terrain offers all winter.

And now we know why.

It helped that Friday was the sunniest day we've had in weeks, and the absence of wind meant that it was WARM!!!

CMH is ran by professionals. Their primary goal is to give you the best experience possible, while doing it safely. Their track record for safety is unblemished, and I felt very safe all day; and judging by all the smiles on everyone in our group, I think that feeling was shared by all. The guides know the terrain well, and won't take you where your safety is at risk.

They also make the entire experience as comfortable as possible; water and juice is available in the helicopter, along with snacks to keep your energy up. And they serve an amazing lunch, including hot soup and beverages, in the alpine.

Mike McKenzie, our pilot for the day is ranked one of the best in the world, having 35 plus years experience with heli-skiing. We ski in groups; ours was 10 people, most of them from Germany and our guide Dan. We skied almost 6,000 meters (or 18,000 feet) that day. After it was all over, my legs were screaming but you couldn't wipe the grin off my face. That was by far the best day of skiing of my life!


One thing to keep in mind though is that the terrain is not easy; although CMH does run clinic on how to ski powder and trees (or glades), it isn't offered on all trips so if you are an average skier, it might be overwhelming on your first day. (check their list on the website "are you ready for your first time? - it'll give you a good idea if you can do this or not). But for those looking for powder, CMH delivers; no one skied someone elses tracks all day, unless you chose to.

There is one bad thing about it.... it is ADDICTIVE! We are hooked.


We ended the day at the Nakusp Hot Springs with some of the skiers; a warm lunch and beverages awaits skiers, and shuttle buses are available at different times to take them back to the lodge. We met some of our new friends from the day back at the lodge to share a beer and a few stories.

So thank you Ken, Cheryl, Patrick, Dan and everyone at CHM for making this ski day the best we've ever had. From now on, we'll have to put aside holiday money to do this at least once a year.

For more information on CHM and the different lodges they operate, visit their website at: www.canadianmountainholidays.com. For those who don't ski, they also offer summer adventures.

HAWAII ADVENTURES

On a previous blog, we mentioned that our November holiday was cut short due to a Hurricane in St. Lucia and we re-scheduled our holiday for Hawaii in February.
We're back, and our rating for the Big Island of Hawaii is definitely thumbs up. There is so much to do, we didn't get to explore everything on our list (*that just means we'll have to go back), but we hiked, snorkeled, swam with dolphins, and giant turtles, and ziplined in the rainforest, walked to an active lava field, learnt about the amazing gods, legends and myths of this beautiful place, went up to 14,000 feet at Mauna Kea,met great people and ate yummy food.

The Big Island boast 11 of 13 climate zones in the world; from the desert sunny side of the Kona Coast (where we stayed) to the rainforests of the North and east side of the island, and freezing conditions at the top of Mauna Kea, it makes for a diversified eco-system depending on where you end up.
We found many advantages of hiking in Hawaii; no bugs, no carnivores, no snakes, and if hiking in the rainforests, it is particularly nice and cool.

There are 2 hikes we'd highly recommend; Polulu Valley and Waipi'o Valley located to the North of the Island. The 2 valleys used to be connected by a trail but the rains has washed out a lot of the trail, making its passage too dangerous, and we were also told that this is sacred land to the Hawaiians and there are no trespassing signs everywhere. There are lookouts at both trail head if someone doesn't want to hike down to the black sand beaches, and back up the other side. We went as far as we were allowed to go on either side and the scenery was breathtaking. Wear decent footwear; it rains a lot and the treck down can be hazardous at times.

This picture is on the Polulu valley trail. The hike isn't very difficult, and once we got to the end of the beach, the trail continues to another peak. The weather was partially overcast that day, which made the hike very comfortable.

The above photo shows the black sand beaches on Hawaii. we continued on past the beaches and ended up on the other side of the peak showed above.

The accessible trail ends at the bottom of this cliff. There are few hikers venturing this far so the trail was nice and quiet. A group of 4 arrived as we were making our way back, and were the only people we ever saw.

The picture on the left is at the lookout of Waipi'o Valley; the great thing is that if you are not a hiker, this is what you see from the lookout, it is spectacular.

The road down to the beach and waterfall is steep; you can drive down with a 4 x 4 or pay a tour company $50; we hiked down, it wasn't that bad. Our goal was to reach Hi'ilawe falls, which at over 1400 feet are the state's tallest falls. we were warned that bad weather had made the trail almost inaccessible. The trails also meanders through private properties so we were careful to stay close to the stream and not venture inland.
We didn't make it to the waterfall but very close; at the second pool, Mike ventured a bit further but it involved carrying our packs through water and bolders, and we didn't have any waterproof bags with us. So we turned around but the hike was fun and beautiful.



Photo above is walking through the rainforest in search of the waterfall.

Photo to the right is trying to find a trail at the first pool we encountered.

And below, the beautiful falls in the distance.

Most of the island is very rocky so if you are looking for white sandy beaches, there are a few of them but most of the coastline is rugged. Lava fields are present in many places and we walked for miles on the black landscape that it creates.
Sea turtles, and all sea creatures are protected in Hawaii; if you are caught touching a turtle resting on the beach, like the one pictured below, you will be fined up to $10,000. From what we observed, it seems tourists and locals alike respect the law. Humpback whales were also all around the island while we were there, we could see them breaching from a distance and were lucky enough to see them on a couple of boat excursions we did.

If you want to see a few more pictures, scroll down to the very bottom of the blog. Hawaii is definitely a worthwhile place to visit.

Happy trails, anywhere you end up in the world and remember, life is an adventure.

WINTER SALE CONTINUES....

Since mother nature has decided to continue bringing us winter conditions in the Kootenays, no one is thinking spring clothing yet, so we are extending our winter sales for at least another 2 weeks!

There are still great deals in ski jackets and pants:
50% ALL SKI WINTER JACKETS (Men/Women and kids)
40% ALL SKI PANTS

We also have items at 60% off. Molehill for small kids are all 50% off.

So come on in, get warm, and grab a few last minute great deals before it ends!
See you soon.

LITTLE MOUNTAIN WINTER HOURS

Little Mountain is changing their hours of operations for January and February ONLY -

Our hours will be:

Open - Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5:00pm
Closed - Sundays
Closed - Mondays

We will resume our regular hours in March:
Open - Monday to Saturday - 9:30am to 5:30pm
Closed - Sundays


Thanks everyone!
Mike & Marie

SUMMIT LAKE SKI RESORT

Photo: The Zinselmeyer family enjoying a great day of Skiing! All in the gear from Little Mountain!!!

Week of Dec 27, 2010
Summit Lake mountain opened its door on Dec.27 with a bang!
I've had the pleasure to go skiing twice this week to great snow conditions. It is hard to beat being able to ski in a less than a 20 minute drive from Nakusp. And better yet, it is affordable!!! ($23 for a full day for adults).
The beautiful log ski lodge has room for all the skiers, there's great hot food and hot beverages available, the staff is super friendly and in no time they know who you are.
We were lucky to get a good 4 to 6 inches on the night of Dec 28 which made for powder conditions on Thursday. It was simply amazing. According to the staff, they've had record days for attendance which is so great to see. It is so important to support our local ski hill, and the many volunteers who put so many hours to keep it running each year. We are still blown away that we have this resort in our backyard.
I am still amazed that when I show up for a day of skiing, I know so many people. Kids are skiing on their own, parents do not have to worry because everybody knows their kids. Summit Lake offers such a great community feel, we'll probably be there this weekend again and whenever we have some time off over the winter. See you all there~!~


For more information, check their website at www.skisummitlake.com.

FIRST SNOWSHOE OF THE SEASON

Winter in the West Kootenays started early this year; we saw snow in November which got everyone excited for winter sports. There is nothing worst living here when it is raining. We know the snow will come and we all wait anxiously for it every year.

So on a cloudy Sunday in November, we decided to go for a nice hike with the kids. Our friends Jodee, Maia, Zoe and Dawson and of course, dog Jewel were all part of the expedition.
We opted for a wide trail close to the hotsprings; it is low elevation and easier for the kids.
We had a blast~ the kids were running in their snowshoes, finding hills and just having a great time.
Snowshoeing is great exercise and cheap! The initial investment is a pair of snowshoes (we sell the MSR Evo at $159.99 for adults, kids version at $65.99). We've had our MSR for almost 10 years and they're still working just fine. These snowshoes fit just about any boots and are light and easy to carry. THere is so much terrain to explore around Nakusp, we plan to do a lot more this year.

If you're not ready to invest in a pair of snowshoes right away, we have adult and kids size available for rent. $15 for the day so it's a great and inexpensive way to try it before buying a pair. And if you rent a pair and decide on the same day to purchase snowshoes, we will put the rental fee towards your new snowshoes.