A lot of years went into building trail
Those who regularly hike and mountain bike in the Okanagan rarely, if ever, get to meet the trail builders.
Often, you come across a new trail and have no idea who was responsible for laying it out and investing hundreds of hours in establishing it.
But when it is a particularly good trail, especially if it takes you to a panoramic view of the Valley, many of us say a silent “thank you.”
The Sheriff, Constant Companion Carmen and other members of the Central Okanagan Outdoors Club recently had an opportunity to not only meet 64year-old Chris King (and his wife Pam) but hike the new Gladstone Trail west of Peachland.
It’s a cautionary tale not only to get permission before starting construction, which was a challenging process of three years in this case, but also of the amount of work required to build it.
King worked in the forest industry for 38 years. Before he retired three years ago, he was the harvesting/logging supervisor for Gorman Bros. Lumber in West Kelowna.
So unlike many who establish new trails without any knowledge or experience, King knew the fundamentals for building roads through the backcountry and he could use those skills to build a proper trail with long-time buddy 70-year-old Dave Oakley.
However, “we were what they call pirate trail builders,” King admits with a laugh.
“We didn’t have a permit. We just went back here and were following deer trails and fixing them up. We were doing some backcountry mountain biking just to find a few trails. And we started fixing them up a little bit more, realizing we probably need a permit, but we thought nobody would care.
“And then, someone unbeknownst to us set up a trail camera, got us actually building the trail and reported us to the Ministry of Forests.”
It turns out the area is the favourite hunting ground for another Peachland resident even though the hillside is just upslope of a residential area.
The hunter didn’t want to see more people in there since it could disrupt his sport.
As a result of the complaint, King received a call from a provincial compliance and enforcement officer he knew from his logging days.
“Chris, you wouldn’t be building a mountain bike trail behind your house there, would you?” the provincial officer asked.
“No, no, I’m not doing that,” King responded with a chuckle.
“Well, he says, before you go too far, I have you on video. “I go: ‘Me?’ “Well, it sure looks like you,” he said.
“I said ‘Really.’ I said ‘Listen, we’re taking a few deer trails and we’re fixing them up.’
“He said ‘well, you’re doing a little more than that. I have to give you a stop-work order. The only way you can continue on with the trail is to make an official application. Otherwise, you’re going to have to totally re-habilitate it.’
“And we had done a kilometre by that point.”
In total, it turned into a threeyear process.
“We got official approval last September with a lot, I mean a lot, of controversy. First Nations didn’t want it because it is within WFN’s community forest. Their main concern, and understandably so, was fire from more people in the area,” said King.
The pair received support from The new Gladstone Trail in Peachland provides panoramic views of the urban area below and Okanagan Lake. The trailhead is located at the end of Harrington Court (off Victoria Street). The elevation gain is 249.5 metres and the average time to walk up is about 90 minutes depending on your fitness level. A shaded bench at the top provides an ideal resting spot and you can sign the guest book in the mailbox attached to the bench. Peachland council, which approached WFN and received approval. The Ponderosa Golf Club development at the bottom of Pincushion Mountain also came onboard.
“They said this would be a good thing because Peachland doesn’t have very many good trails. Next to zero other than Pincushion,” said King.
When the Ministry of Environment found out about the proposed connection to the Pincushion Mountain trail “with a beautiful traverse,” says King, it responded that this area was “very sensitive mule deer winter habitat” and suggested a loop instead. And then, the ministry stipulated there would have to be an inspection for pockets of invasive weed species. The inspection found no issues.
“Every time we thought we were so close we could taste it. There were many times that I said this is not worth it. The whole process was very difficult. Although I must say that the fellows at Rec(reation) and Trail Sites BC, Ian McLelland and Ryan McAllister, once they got more involved and walked it with us, they saw it was a good thing.”
The extended approval process turned out to be “a blessing in disguise,” King admits, since “it pushed us to keep going and get it done.”
It wasn’t without other challenges as well.
“We would hide our tools behind a tree, thinking: who is going to find them? But when we got more than halfway done, three-quarters of the way done, we came out one morning and the tools were gone. It was one more thing that pushed us harder.”
The pair re-launched their trailbuilding efforts last September and King estimates they devoted between 1,700 and 2,000 hours to complete it, virtually working full-time from September until the first snowfall and resuming in the spring.
It has now been open for about eight weeks.
“We were out here almost every second day if not every day, the two of us.”
One of the bureaucratic steps in establishing a maintenance partnership with the province was forming a non-profit society. Fortunately, both men were Peachland Ski Club regulars on the 37-kilometre Wilson Lakes snowshoe and cross-country ski trails which then became the Peachland Outdoors Club Society.
Those trails on both sides of Brenda Mine Road were popular during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Today, the trails are still maintained by a few people, and are being explored and rediscovered by a growing number.
“It was a long, long arduous process to get the approvals. But when we did, it just gives you that much more satisfaction. Now that we’ve completed it, I feel so good. To hear all the positive reviews and people coming out and enjoying it, that just goes over the top for us, the builders of it. It’s such a great thing.
“Like we said, it’s something our grandchildren will be able to use. And our great-grandchildren will say: ‘you know, great-grandfather built this trail,’” said King.
The trailhead is located at the end of Harrington Court (off Victoria Street) in Peachland. The elevation gain is 249.5 metres and the average time to walk up is about 90 minutes depending on your fitness level and how often you stop to admire the panoramic views of Peachland and Okanagan Lake looking east and south toward Penticton. Dogs are allowed. Information is posted at: peachland.ca/gladstone-trail
***** Today is Parks Day across Canada.
The BC Parks Foundation website shows Parks Day activities in this province at bcparksfoundation.ca/events/parks-day-walksand-picnics/
In the Okanagan, the South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Network wants those interested in celebrating Parks Day to bring a picnic lunch to Mount Kobau for a wildflower nature walk with naturalist Eva Durance and/or hike with astronomer Chris Purton around the site where an observatory was proposed in the 1950s but was never built.
Meet at parking lot at the top of Mount Kobau at 10 a.m. with a picnic lunch, water, closed-toed shoes, long pants, jacket and hat, binoculars, camera, notebook and mosquito repellent. There are no picnic tables, so bring a blanket or chair. There are pit toilets.
The road to Mount Kobau is about a 15-minute drive from Osoyoos west on Highway 3. After you pass Spotted Lake (which is not too spotted because of the wet spring), turn right (north) onto a gravel road. There is no sign here, but a wrongly placed marker for Spotted Lake marks the turn, according to the society.
It is a leisurely 30- to 45-minute drive for about 19 kilometres to the top.
The road is a bit bumpy and dusty but the views are spectacular. Mount Kobau at 1872 metres above sea level so it is about 10 degrees cooler than the valley bottom. For more info on Mount Kobau, go to exploreoliverbc.com/ blog/hiking-osoyoos-mt-kobau
The BC Parks Foundation is launching its Healthy by Nature initiative today with 100 “Outside and Unplugged” walks in 100 parks led by 100 health care professionals.
“These walks are an informal, one-hour, family-friendly walk designed to connect the community to their local BC parks,” said Jennie McCaffrey, program coordinator. “There is a lot of interesting new science around the health benefits of being in nature so health-care professionals will be leading walks.
“We are also encouraging everyone to go for a family, friend or group picnic. One of the highlights of the new Gladstone Trail in Peachland is this huge Ponderosa pine tree, perfect for a group photo or tree hug. More than 350 rings have been counted and the sample had not yet reached the centre of the trunk. So it must be in the 400-year range. It is located in a slight hollow so it receives lots of water and is protected there from wind. On the trunk, you can see deep scratches from bear claws.
See more details on the walks at healthybynature.ca.”
***** Members of the Kelowna Canoe and Kayak Club will hold an informal rescue practise session 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday at Whiskey Cove, off Westside Road, north of Highway 97 in West Kelowna.
“We are very safety conscious at KCKC. We encourage everyone to be competent in performing rescues, to be aware of the process involved in a rescue and be able to be active in your own rescue, should you need it.
“We should all practise our rescues frequently — be ready, be prepared for the unexpected,” says Morag Stevenson who will be there with husband, Andrew.
“If you know how to rescue, come practise. If you’ve kind of got an idea but it’s been awhile since you did one, come brush up your skills. If you have never capsized and just want to get that over and done with, come do it. If you don’t know how to rescue, come learn.
“This is not formal instruction. But Andrew and I will be there to help and advise anyone who would like to practise their wet exit, assisted rescue (as rescuer and rescuee) and self-rescue too.”
The second annual KCKC picnic will be held at 2 p.m. on Aug. 18 at Beasley Park, 3450 Woodsdale Rd. in Lake Country. Everyone is welcome so members can bring friends and family, and their own picnic lunch since it’s not a potluck.
Bring chairs, kayaks and games as well. There will be music in the park at 6:30 p.m. by Daytrippers, a Beatles tribute band.
***** If you join Wild Walks, you can learn some secrets and natural features of Central Okanagan regional parks. A park interpreter promises to turn an ordinary walk in the park into something extraordinary.
Each Wild Walk lasts about two hours, and is suitable for all ages, including families with young children, and they range from easy to moderate in difficulty.
Saturday walks start from 10 a.m. and Wednesday walks start at 1 p.m., rain or shine, so participants should dress for conditions.
There’s no cost to take part, but you should pre-register for Wild Walks on the following dates and locations: today and July 25 at Scenic Canyon Regional Park; and Aug. 25 and 29 at KLO Creek Regional Park.
To save a spot for your family on these free outings, drop in to the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan in Mission Creek Regional Park in Kelowna, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or phone 250-469-6140.
These free events are held in conjunction with the Community Recreational Initiatives Society (CRIS) to provide barrier-free access to regional parks. To request the services of CRIS volunteers, go to: adaptiveadventures.ca.
J.P. Squire, aka the Hiking, Biking, Kayaking and Horseback Riding Sheriff, is a retired Okanagan Weekend reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. Email: jp.squire@telus.net.