No telling what you might find on trails
March is the transition month between winter and spring so you just might find mud, slush or ice on Okanagan trails in the valley bottom.
That was the case this week when the Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen explored some of the most popular trails in Kelowna before we start venturing further afield to the South and North Okanagan.
Our first outing on Mission Creek Greenway Regional Park illustrated this perfectly. The lower trail from Truswell Road up to Mission Creek Regional Park had damp spots, completely navigable. But heading up toward Scenic Canyon, there were puddles; then puddles got deeper; then snow and ice in patches; then stretches of snow and ice wall-to-wall. So we turned back before reaching Hollywood Road.
Needless to say, our e-bikes, paniers and clothing were covered with mud. Fenders will prevent that line of mud spatter up the back of your jacket.
For our second outing on the Greenway on Tuesday, we stuck to the lower section. Safer routes are paved: Okanagan Rail Trail, Kelowna waterfront, Knox Mountain Drive, and Cawston Avenue, Ethel Street and Glenmore Road multi-use paths. Caution: street sweeping is underway but many bike paths are still covered with sand and dirt.
Brandt’s Creek Linear Park, for example was damp with icy stretches at Valley Glen Wetland (at Yates Road), one of the nicest break stops. So no UBCO trails, Mill Creek Falls Regional Park or Okanagan Rail Trail on the shaded east side of Wood Lake yet.
BTW, a contracted crew for the B.C. Ministry of Forests will prune trees and do other annual vegetation maintenance along Mission Creek Greenway starting at Lakeshore Road MondayFriday next week which means temporary closures so obey any barricades, signs and flag people.
This work will also allow visual inspection of the dike during the upcoming spring freshet.
For information on the dike vegetation maintenance, contact the ministry at 778-622-6828.
A reminder that the Regional District of Central Okanagan offers more than 2,100 hectares of parkland including 86 kilometres of designated trails in 30 regional parks: rdco.com/parks. It was an exciting week for the Journalist Sheriff with news features on the completion of the 6.4-kilometre missing link of the Okanagan Rail Trail between Kelowna airport and Lake Country; assurances of a quality trail surface there; construction of a new 25-kilometre rail trail from Armstrong to Swan Lake; and the start of construction of the 50-kilometre Shuwap North Okanagan Rail Trail from Armstrong to Sicamous.
Friends of the Okanagan Rail Trail (FORT) will start its training for new volunteers within the next six weeks, says Phyllis Turner, Trail Ambassadore lead
and FORT director.
“So if folks have been thinking about volunteering with FORT, now would be the time to contact: volunteer@okanaganrailtrail.ca to begin the process. We currently have 69 volunteers active on the trail and are always eager to have more come on board!”
The Sheriff promised not to say anything last summer when FORT’s Hugh Hamilton launched a survey of trail users, awaiting the results.
However, the numbers were small during the summer heat, August wildfire smoke and COVID so the board did not publish or distribute the data, she said, noting the results did show consistency in the large number using the trail compared to the automatic trail counters.
“It will give us a baseline for the next time we complete a survey. The best part of it was the dedicated involvement of several Trail Ambassadors and the opportunity to chat with folks on the trail. When we decided to go ahead with the survey, we did not know that the smoke and heat would be a factor. Such is the nature of attempting projects!” she said with a laugh.
FORT is planning more “FORT Day on the Trail” events this year since they were very successful last year, added FORT chair Laurie Postill. More is planned. Shhhh! In the South Okanagan, Nickel Plate Nordic Centre will host the Teck Regional OK Cup Race on Sunday (Mar. 12) with racers from across the Pacific Northwest battling it out in the last showdown of the season.
“Trails will still be open and the race is confined to a smallish area so don’t be deterred by crowds. There will still be plenty of trails for the public to enjoy,” assured Kevin Dyck, marketing and communications manager.
Astronomer Ryan Ransom from Okanagan College will talk about how the motion of the Earth influences your birth sign at a Lunch & Learn potluck at 1 p.m. on March 19. Email communications@nickelplatenordic.org if you want to attend.
As well, “the consignment store was a success this year, helping a lot of people out with new-to-them gear. But we still have a lot of gear left over. If we haven’t contacted you that your gear has been sold, please come pick it up by March 25 if you value it. Anything left in the trailer at the end of the season won’t be secure. Thanks for participating!” said Dyck.