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Travel & Adventure Guides

Past stories ------ Summer 2006 ------ Table of Contents Canadian Winery Destinations Otters of Kyuquot Sound Fishing in the Prairies Moncton - 3 Great Day Trips Sylvia Forest - Mountain Guide Yukon River Quest Path to Paradise A Century of Summits Mina Hubbard's Journey Tent Buyer's Guide Climbing Della Falls ------ Winter 2005 ------ Table of Contents 10 Best Mountain Destinations Affordable Adventures Spa Holidays Snow Shelters David Marra - The Ice Man Adventure Travel Insurance Tempest in Tofino ------ Summer 2005 ------ Table of Contents Dealing With Mosquitos Search for the Freshwater Sea Girls On Top Journal Astronomy Ottawa - 3 Great Day Trips Seabound Grasslands National Park Sugar Bush Country Hallowed Home of the Haida ------ Winter 2004 ------ Table of Contents Cross Country Skiing Snowshoeing Dogsledding in the Yukon Snowmobiling Winter Photography Mountains as Water Towers Knapsacks Explained Contributors ------ Summer 2004 ------ Table of Contents Thor Peak Rocky Mountain Teahouses Canoeing in Northern Sask. Fantastic Fundy Destinations Summer Stargazing Kayaking the Great Lakes Adele Frizzell - Adventure Racer BC Mountaineering Hiking Shoes Explained Exploring Nootka Sound

PATH TO PARADISE

The northern tip of Vancouver Island offers everything an adventure hiker could ever desire: rugged coastline, remote beaches, old-growth rain forest, abundant wildlife, archaeological sites, fascinating tidal pools and lively river crossings. And, before the end of the 2006 season, the new Cape Scott North Coast Trail will give Canadians access to the best of the West Coast.

An initiative of the Northern Vancouver Island Trails Society, the Cape Scott North Coast Trail is destined to become the hiking trail of the Canadian Pacific. Upon completion, it will form a 46-kilometre easterly extension of the existing Cape Scott Trail as it blazes through the islands rough-and-tumble geography between Nissen Bight and Shushartie Bay.

To improve access and buffer the impact of growing traffic, friends of the trail have been constructing boardwalks, foot bridges and self-propelled cable-car crossings over rivers in sensitive areas and installing tent pads, privies and food caches for overnight campers. "The trail is a paradise for those seeking a remote outdoor experience," says Jonathan Lok of Strategic Forest Management Inc., the company spearheading the improvements. "We're doing our best to keep it that way forever."

The target date for completing the new Cape Scott North Coast Trail is September. For more information, visit www.northernvancouverislandtrailssociety.com

— Marty McLennan

Advertisement top Moon shadows Seven Sisters This spring and summer, the Moon brushes past the sparkling Pleiades, offering a rare and dramatic view of one of the night sky's most impressive sights. Photo: Terence Dickinson Shaped like a gem-studded jewel chest with an open lid, the Pleiades is not only the best-known star cluster in the night sky but also one of the most beautiful. The Pleiades' seven brightest stars have earned it the popular name "Seven Sisters." Under dark rural skies, you can see six or seven of the twinkling "sisters" with unaided eyes, while binoculars reveal dozens of the stars in the cluster. There are three outstanding opportunities this year to view the Moon near the Pleiades. Look to the west in the early evening of April 1. From locations in eastern Canada, the crescent Moon passes directly across the Pleiades, temporarily hiding the cluster of stars. From points west, the Moon appears close but does not cover the stars. In the wee hours of July 20, well before sunrise, the crescent Moon swings by the Pleiades rising in the east. At the same time early in the morning of August 16, the quarter-phase Moon makes a close approach in the southeast. Be sure to look skyward on these nights. Such encounters between the Moon and the Pleiades are visible only once every 18 years, the result of an exceptional alignment between the orbits of Earth and the Moon. — Christine Kulyk