Spring 2009
Is it spring YET? This issue will have you aching to stretch your limbs on “joy rides” through the Chilcotin’s spectacular volcanic backcountry and explosive wildflower meadows. And do hang on to your spring copy: our Saltspring tour features original artwork by international bestselling author/illustrator Nick Bantock—creator of the magical Griffin & Sabine books. We expect fans to go wild.
Cover: Mountain biking in the Chilcotin’s Taylor Basin.
Photo: Boomer Jerritt.
Nick Bantock and the art of self-trickery
Observations from the editor of British Columbia Magazine.
Letters to the Editor
See what readers are talking about.
Harmonious Sointula
Established as a Finnish utopia, this historical village on Malcolm Island retains a simple authenticity.
Nick Bantock’s Saltspring
The author and artist behind the richly illustrated Griffin & Sabine books—worldwide bestsellers translated into a dozen languages—invites us to see his Gulf Island home through fresh eyes.
Itcha Ilgachuz
With a name like a giant sneeze, this remote Chilcotin park relies on the eerie beauty of its volcanic landscapes to attract the few horseback travellers who ride through each year.
Triangle Island survivors
A million seabirds nest each spring on this storm-lashed dot of land off Cape Scott. The protected site is strictly off-limits to humans, save for the few hardy researchers who brave isolation, rogue waves, and perilous cliffs to study these globally important colonies.
Wheeling through wildflowers
Mountain bikers follow backcountry trails into the south Chilcotin Ranges to revel in the explosive bloom on the subalpine meadows.
Salamander secrets
10 revelations about B.C.’s amphibious tigers.
The enigmatic explorer
Was David Thompson a saint or a coward? The man who charted almost four million square kilometres of North America remains a controversial figure.
Paddling with wings
Harness wind power to travel farther and faster in your canoe or kayak.
