Mt Lavina

From left to right. Glacier Creek, Mt Lavina, Hamill Creek, Comb Mtn, Clint Creek. (Left Center) Duncan Dam and the south end of Duncan Lake behind the dam.

MacBeth IceField

Fire Scence of the Davis Creek Fires

I fought a fire in this steep valley in 1998 and six years later after I was out of the forest fire fighting business another wildfire tore through the same area. The fire in 2006 helped accomplish what we stopped it from doing in 1998.

Kootenay Lake September 2007

Cooper Face, Mt Cooper and McKain Creek Surrounding Area

Mt Marion

The black spotting on the nearest ridge (left center) is from what I believe is from the Little Spokane Creek fire of 07'.

McKian Creek Drainage

Mt Cooper (3089 m), Spokane Glacier and McKian Creek Drainage

Surrounding mountains that usually have snow covering them at this time of year lay barren after a very dry summer of 07'. It's been reported that the West Kootenay's are in a 6 year drought.

Mt Cooper (3089 m) and Spokane Glacier from Meadow Mountain

I had'nt been to Meadow Mountain since 1972 and then as teenagers we liked the scenery but we where more interested in exploring the new found mountain top. For the the next 34 years I always wanted to get back up to see the scenery and on my holidays in 07' I finally did. There were'nt any bears to bother a person, they had all headed down into the valleys to forage and one could sit for hours just taking it all in.

Mt Templeman from East Creek

B.B. Creek from the East Creek bridge

The photo was taken not far from the old K.F.P. (Kootenay Forest Products) formerly the (Eddy Match Stick Company), camp at 63 klm on the BCFS Duncan Lake Foresty Access Road.

Upper Duncan Lake from Cockle Creek

The Duncan Lake Reservoir was created in 1967 after BC Hydro flooded the Duncan Valley and the original Duncan Lake creating a man made lake.

To see more of what Duncan Lake looks like, check out Balance of Power: Hydroelectric Development in Southeastern British Columbia

South Bay or Lower Arm

South Bay or Lower Arm. Duncan Island in the background

Healy Creek in the Alpine

Healy Creek

Hall Creek from Pass pass between Hall and Healy Creeks

The Purcell Mountain Range in the distance from the top of Hall Creek

Redfish (Kokanee)

Small school of Redfish (Kokanee) waiting for the right time to spawn in the Lardeau River. The world famous Gerrard Rainbow Trout use the Lardreau River in the spring to spawn at Gerrard. It's peak is usually around Mother's Day in the spring.

Laedeau River

Lardeau River from Goldhill Bridge

Mtn Willet

Mt Willet can be seen from almost anywhere on the north arm of Kootenay Lake as seen here from the beach at Kaslo. I have never climbed it either from the backside via Kootenay Joe or up from Argenta. Maybe someday when I have the time and a day or two to kill.

Mtn Davis

It looks better with a winters snow on it.

Kootenay Lake (Fighting the Haze)

A view down Kootenay Lake from the top of Salisbury Forestry Access Road. The haze in the photo is what I was fighting the day before while at the old Buchanan Forest Fire Lookout.

Buchanan Lookout

I went to Ainsworth Hotsprings to visit a old friend but found out he was'nt home and was still in the US, so I had a afternoon to kill, so I thought that since I was around the Kaslo area I'd take a drive up to the old Buchanan Lookout that the BCFS use to use as a fire lookout before they started using planes to spot forest fires. The road was alot worse than I remember, especially towards the top, but it was well worth the drive. You could probably drive it in 4x2 in low range but it's much easier on you and the vehicle your driving if your in 4x4.

I found most of the main Kootenay Lake valley encased in haze, probably from other forest fires in the area that were not visible as well as moisture in the air and general pollution from lack of any winds to clear it out, so most of the photo's I took turned out to be a disappointment, except for this one. The Kaslo River drainage was clear of the haze.

Near Nancy Greene Lake

I know I have'nt updated this blog for quite awhile, but then I have'nt been to the West Kootenays for quite awhile, but recently I had my annual vacation from my job at Ryder Logistics and Transportation and thought it would be nice to go back the the West Kootenays and do alittle re-visiting to places that I had photographed before and one place I had'nt been to since about 72'.

On the drive up from the coast I stopped not far from Nancy Greene Lake at what looked like a marsh that had'nt seen very much moisture over the past several months. While walking through the timber, you might call it the forest, I found that the ground litter (small twigs and branches as well as duff) was crunching under my feet, meaning that this area had'nt had any great amount of moisture for quite some time.