Extreme heat must be treated with extreme caution
The arrival of scorching hot temperatures in the Okanagan is a reminder of similar boiling experiences and the necessary precautions.
Last summer's heat dome (June 29): 45.6 C. Grand Canyon hike: 38 C at noon at the bottom and climbing. Egypt excursion: 46 C. Others preferably forgotten.
The Sheriff has learned five crucial considerations for outdoor recreation during heatwaves. Timing. Location. Sunscreen. Attire. Water, water, water.
Timing: Plan your outdoor recreation for early morning or evening. Early mornings are cool but heat up by 10 a.m. Evening starts out hot at 6 p.m. but gradually cool down. Bring a bike light.
Location: Use shady trails; gravel instead of asphalt; near water (in water). Like our Thursday evening cycle on Brandt's Creek Linear Park,
Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna waterfront parks.
Sunscreen: Slather it on everywhere the sun can possibly hit. Don't forget about the underside of your nose, especially if you are on the water reflecting rays upwards. Don't forget about the spaces between sandal straps.
Attire: Light, loose clothing to let air circulate and heat escape. Black, bad. White, good. Always wear a hat. The newest craze is sombreros for bike helmets aka cycle visor brims. The Sheriff wets down his stylish Let's Go Biking.net neck warmer/cooler from Colleen MacDonald. If it's dripping wet, the water runs down your shirt, adding to the cooling effect.
Water, water, water: The
Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen take two large water bottles each on our bikes with another in the vehicle for to/from. Lots of ice cubes. Bottles half full in the freezer overnight. Drink even when you don't feel thirsty.
It should go without saying: slow down your activities as it gets hotter. Don't exercise or play outside for an extended period of time. Of course, e-bikes decrease the effort required on any climbs and the higher speed creates your own breeze.
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Fortunately, Big White Ski Resort's most popular summer festival ejoyed a successful return before the heatwave.
After a three-year hiatus, the Craft and Country, Beer, Cider and Mountain Music Festival last Saturday attracted more than 400 fans to 16 breweries from the Okanagan to the Lower Mainland as well as cideries.
"The vibe in the village was amazing to have back," explained Ashley McDonald, Big White's director of hospitality and event organizer.
The resort is open Thursday through Sunday and Monday on long weekends, offering liftaccess mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, hiking, ice cream, gelato, burgers, beer, Frisbee golf and breathing cooler air in a village 1,705 metres above sea level. p.s. the bike park (95% open) is typically 10 degrees cooler than the valley.
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In addition to the four-day Crankworx Summer Racing Series on July 28-31, Silver Star Mountain Resort has chairlift rides up its dog-friendly gondola for sightseeing and hiking with spectacular views of the valley and Monashee Mountains.
Plus wildflowers have started to bloom.
Sskisilverstar.com lists the best trails to see them.
If you are looking for a faster way to explore the mountain, 70 kilometres of cross-country biking trails are fully open. —————
Garnet or Garnett Valley?
The Sheriff had to choose between the original name and the current name when writing last weekend's column. The original Garnett name was posted on a Cariboo Gold Rush Trail map and explanation on what is now called Garnet Valley Road.
In fact, Garnett Valley Road and Garnett Valley were named after pioneers Edgar and William Garnett who pre-empted their land at the entrance to Garnett Valley in 1887 and again in 1889.
The family name, Garnett, is spelled with a second “t” but often the second “t” is forgotten due to a provincial map published in 1920. Some of the letters of the map title covered up the second “t” of the name Garnett. Since then, maps have used the name Garnet.
Garnett Valley Road is one of the oldest roads in British Columbia. The first map to show this road was a map attributed to Samuel Black in 1833.
Another old road, the Princeton-Summerland Road, was identified on a map in 1827. Both roads were originally First Nation trails; sections have been carbon-dated at 6,000 years old.
Garnett Valley Road, part of the Okanagan Fur Brigade Trail system, was first described in 1811 and used for the fur trade from 1825 to 1847.
After that, there was little use until British Columbia’s gold rush in 1858.
With the recent addition of a bike lane to Garnett Valley Road, it would be possible for a bike trail from Garnett Lake to the planned bike trails of the Central Okanagan Regional District in Peachland. The goal is a trail along the entire Okanagan
Valley.
A similar name change happened in Kelowna but in reverse. Kirshner Road was renamed (and all the street signs changed) after the City of Kelowna discovered the original family name was Kirschner.
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From reader Brian: Re: your comment on Garnett Valley Road last weekend. "Quite a while before the gold rush, Garnett Valley was the original route taken by Father Pandosy, the Oblate priest.
In fact, there is a Stop of Interest at the south end of Garnett Lake called Priest's
Camp explaining his route which came over by way of Antlers Beach in Peachland.
Of course, in those days, there was no road along the west side of Okanagan Lake between Summerland and Peachland."