I took a break from my busy beavering on home and garden projects and went to explore the hills on the east side of Slocan Lake, along the Springer Creek Forest Road. I didn’t get as far as I’d hoped because of snow on the road, but I hiked up through the snow patches for a couple of kilometres and got a few decent views of the Valhallas.
This peak is the Devil’s Couch.
This view is of Mt. Dag, the Wolf’s Ears, Gimli and Gladsheim.
Birds are starting to return, and I was happy to see a few yellow-rumped warblers along the way.
This whiskey jack, aka grey jay, was hunting for grubs along the roadside.
The leaves are just beginning to emerge at the higher elevations and, along this old road, the Douglas maple was in flower.
The tightly furled leaves of young False Solomon’s Seal are edible, known by the local Doukhobor population as suziki. Tastes a bit like asparagus - delicious raw or steamed!
Butterflies have also emerged. I saw several different kinds, including this member of the Polygonia genus.
I drove home via the Little Slocan Road and stopped at the Little Slocan Lakes Rec Site, where skunk cabbage was blooming in a little wetland near the lake.
It was my good luck that a loon swam by when I walked down to the shore. A perfect BC mountain lake moment!
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I hope you had a good taste of the suziki! I think of it each spring but never seem to get it together to find any in the correct time frame. It is sooooo good! Thanks for all the gorgeous photos Karl. Sam
Thanks again, Karl, for reminding us that we live in a beautiful world despite the madness going on. These vicarious walks with you give me hope. Kind regards, Ron