Report Submitted by Tom Koleszar
This field trip was again run for two groups: the first on Saturday July 25, and second was delayed from Sunday July 26 to Saturday August 8 due to inclement weather (the 26th would have been quite wet and gloomy!). The trips were aboard a crew boat generously supplied by Western Forest Products, with each following the same itinerary. The trip leaders were Nancy Pezel and Tom Koleszar.
Our first stop was near Cassiar Island where Nancy provided some information about the logging and fire history around the lake that has resulted in mainly second growth Douglas-fir forests. Tom discussed how the last ice age created the “fjord” we now call Powell Lake, with its series of deep basins (350+m) separated by shallow sills, and that two basins still have 200m of salty, anoxic water at the bottom.
On route to the next stop, we cruised by Elvis Point for a photo op, then proceeded on to Olsens’ Landing. There we stopped at the old dock which has developed its own floating garden of bog plants, including sundews, Labrador Tea, Bog Laurel, some sedges and a few western red cedar saplings. Here we had a chance to stretch our legs, and learn a bit about the glacial history of the area and the also about the early farmers in Olsens Valley.
After leaving the dock, Nancy talked about how cutblocks have to meet the Visual Quality Objectives (VQO) designated by the government in scenic areas like Powell Lake, and after cruising around past the Beartooth Valley, Nancy also talked about protected Old Growth Management Areas and Ungulate Winter Ranges (this area is a mountain goat hangout in winter). Tom then spoke about the different types of rock in this area compared to other areas of the lake, and how these were formed.
We had lunch at the head of the lake while Tom told us some stories of the eccentric characters that once inhabited the area, then walked up the logging road to the bridge over the upper Powell River. Though the weather was cool the first day and warm the second, the views from the bridge are always great.
On the way back we went through the second narrows and looked in at the Rainbow Lodge, then proceeded around to a small dock in the Goat Narrows and those who wanted to went for a swim (there were no takers on the cool first day, but some keen souls took the plunge on the second day!). We then continued on the last leg of our journey, stopping off Fiddlehead to hear about the old farm and see the octagonal cabin from the “hippy” era that had been skidded down to the lake and is now a float cabin.
Lastly, special thanks go to Geoff Matheson and Mike Dunn of WFP for their friendly, efficient, and safe piloting through the two days!
