When skunk cabbages rise in roadside ditches still wet from winter rains, my pulse quickens. The bright yellow flowers appear almost overnight and are like bursts of sunshine signalling that a re-awakening is near. Shortly after, spring sneaks around the corner.
I love seeking out quiet nooks adorned by wildflowers. Sometimes I am rewarded by a clutch of calypso (aka fairy slipper) orchids, one of six orchids found in the Gulf Islands. Sadly, they are rapidly being lost and I hold their locations a close secret.
The broad-leaved stonecrop is usually perched on a rocky cliff or outcrop. It sta
rts as a low almost moss-like plant, but then a yellow flower bursts forth and it grows much higher, towering over the leaves below.
To see chocolate lilies, I head to a grassy meadow near Gowland Point on Pender Island. Although quite rare, for a short period, hundreds of these lilies are scattered here like jewels amongst the grass.
Near Boat Passage on Saturna Island with a sparkling early morning sun, I stood among dozens of white fawn (aka Easter) lilies, still wet with dew, their white flowers dangling from slender straight stalks.
In late spring, the foxglove grows up to 2-metres high with the purple and sometimes white flowers lining up like small bells. I love to watch bees humming from flower to flower, often burrowing right of sight.
In springtime, the bright yellow flowers of Scotch broom are ubiquitous. Though a lovely sight, the broom is a rampant invasive with prolific seed production, up to 18,000 seeds per plant. The plant can live 15 years, and on hot days you can hear their seed pods popping open like popcorn. Each seed has the astounding ability to lie dormant for up to 30 years before germinating.
Who cannot admire a rose, the very symbol of love? The Nootka (aka wild) rose sports pink flowers and can reach as high as 3 metres, favouring open habitats such as meadows, roadsides and shorelines.
Native plants are excellent for gardens because over the centuries they have adapted to the regional weather and soil. They need minimal fertilizer, very little watering, minimal 
weeding and no pesticides. Best of all, they attract birds, bees and butterflies, providing colour and movement that soothe the soul.
A traditional fire-pit was built at the school where annual roasts are attended by students from the Pender and Tsawout schools. Of particular note, a student leadership program with six students from each school was established.
At Mayne Island an Honouring Figure in Emma and Felix Jack Park welcomes visitors with outstretched arms.
Saturna Island, for example, has recently built a large recreation centre with a gymnasium, kitchen, medical clinic and a large firehall/emergency-services building. The Old Hall, built in 1933, however, continues to be popular, particularly for cultural presentations, which benefit from the building’s excellent acoustics, its cozier size and its unique historical ambiance. Currently, renovation work is underway to significantly improve the old building.
Galiano Club, and is a hub of the community with many local events such as concerts, dances, weddings, plays, exhibitions, lectures, etc. held there. The quaint North Hall, a renovated 1930s school house with a new commercial kitchen, is a hub of north Galiano community events including the Canada Day Jamboree, the Robbie Burn’s Supper, the Great Chilli Cook-off, weddings, receptions, workshops, weekly Scottish Country dancing and a monthly Luncheon Games. It is also the reception centre for the Emergency Preparedness program, and is the home of the Galiano Garden Club and it’s library. The hall at the north end is also a social hub and features soup-and-bread Mondays.
With their many social events, community halls are invaluable in uniting our island communities. They are also a bridge into the past.
I quickly found Car Stops are terrific and now I use them frequently. I seldom wait more than three cars, and saving gas, reducing road congestion and limiting green-house-gas emissions makes me feel good.
The driver and I chat about the approaching fall fair, water shortages and, of course, we gossip. I rode with a local politician and vented about an irksome zoning by-law. Another time, I hung on for dear life as a teenager careened around corners with tires squealing. He was, however, kind and drove out of his way to drop me at the library.
A similar mode of travel is hitchhiking, which is highly encouraged on the Gulf Islands. Paul Brent, Island Trustee for Saturna, summed it up well, “You can’t go for a walk without people stopping their cars, wanting to give you a lift.”
land at the Twin Islands Cidery sippping a Baldwin & the 3 Pippins 2018, which combines four heirloom American and English apple varieties. The server explained they harvest from over thirty heritage orchards on Pender, Saturna & Mayne Islands to make traditional cider and perry (from pears).
Hop Farm contributes to Hoyne Brewery in Victoria. The hops are picked in one day by a crowd of volunteers and ferried the same day to Hoyne, where they are immediately made into Wolf Vine Ale, hoppy, delicious and, of course, very fresh.
Later, I kayaked to Saturna Island and strolled among the 44 acres of vines at the former Saturna Vineyard, which stopped production in 2012. The winery has recently been purchased by the owner of Pender’s Sea Star Winery, and I was pleased the long rows of unkept vines would soon be revived. I can’t wait for the first vintage.
, a curious companion monitoring my progress. At Taylor Point I beach the kayak and explore the ruins of the old Taylor home and the remains of the quarry that supplied stone for many buildings in Victoria a century ago.
Paddling on the Salish Sea brings peace to the soul.
d usually within 100 metres of the sea. Over four months I watched as the eagle mom incubated two eggs and then lovingly nurtured the single chick (the other egg never hatched).
On my island of Pender, walking trails are abundant and I know them well. My favourite is George Hill where I’m soon labouring uphill, through moist forest and then a meadow and onto the summit. I sit next to a spindly Garry oak, watching ferries and the distant snow-capped mountains on the mainland. Ah, wonderful.
My quest continues. Disembarking from the ferry at Mayne Island, I check the trail map and head for the Halliday Ridge hike in Mount Parke Regional Park. The deep forest and views from the top are wonderful, but best is hearing a loud rat-atat-atat and then seeing a pileated woodpecker, its red head a blur as it attacks an old log, sending wood chips flying.
I return home having hiked many great trails. But I think I’ll have to do it all over again, for I can’t decide which one is best.
