A Tale of Mice and ‘Fir’ Trees

A veritable icon of West Coast life, Douglas-fir trees are ubiquitous throughout the coastal region. Beaten only by the Coast Redwoods for the title of World's Tallest Trees, these ancient giants can grow to over 85 metres (278 feet) tall. That's more than 25 stories high! The reason for the oddly hyphenated common name of Douglas-fir is that these evergreen trees actually aren't fir trees at all. Their scientific name, Pseudotsuga menziesii, literally labels this tree species as a 'false' (pseudo) 'fir' (tsuga). Gotta love that Latin.

January 26, 2012 7

Have You Met Elk Falls Yet?

Confession: I have a deep and abiding fascination with waterfalls. On any road or hiking trip I take, if there's any chance of working a waterfall into the mix, it's got to be done. I love the sound of the rushing water, and its powerful plunge over a cliff edge or gentle tumble down a hillside. Most of all, I love the way the continuous flow of water has shaped the surrounding landscape bit by bit over more years than I can possibly imagine

January 19, 2012 2

Encountering the Ancient Trees of Avatar Grove

Avatar Grove is about a two and a half hour drive from Victoria, the nearest main city. The forest site is quite easy to find, and the Ancient Forest Alliance has done a lovely job of providing detailed directions to the grove. We followed the directions easily, and with the exception of a few deep potholes (which our intrepid driver perhaps could have navigated around!) and several narrow one-lane bridges, the drive is scenic and relatively smooth.

January 16, 2012 3