I have uploaded some images of Jasper and Mount Robson to a new Photoshelter account. Check out the Jasper National Park and Mt. Robson galleries on the new site.

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park

Mt. Robson from Hargreaves Shelter

Sacred Headwaters in northern BC

Check out the slideshow of the Sacred Headwaters in northern BC.

In northern British Columbia, three of the province’s greatest salmon-bearing rivers are formed in the subalpine basin known as the Sacred Headwaters. The land has one of the largest intact predator-prey systems in North America, earning it the nickname, “Serengeti of the North,” and is the traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation.

The Headwaters is at the centre of a dispute between the Tahltan, resource industries, government and environmental groups. Competing interests concerning land use, mining and hunting have created divides and put the future health of the Sacred Headwaters at risk.

Stunning photos of an amazing landscape. They are worthy of support through The Big Wild’s Big Wild Bucks campaign.

Hiking Jasper trail guide

Rob Bryce’s new Hiking Jasper and Robson is a hiking guide with a twist. It has descriptions of 70 trails in Jasper National Park and Mt. Robson Provincial Park, but, it also comes with a DVD that has GPS data for all 70 hikes on it, including elevation profiles, Google Earth map overviews, and tracks and waypoints that can easily be downloaded to a GPS. If you are a technophile, or like to carefully plan your hikes, this guide is for you.
The guide is available at  stores in Jasper, MEC in Alberta and BC, and soon some other stores in the region. Or it is available online at Canadian Rockies Books.

I love the endless possibilities of digital cameras, and timelapse photography is one great application. This timelapse video of Vancouver is an amazing example. Turn up your speakers and enjoy! it also happens to show off Vancouver at its best.

Another condo development in Squamish is facing bankruptcy. The developers at Point of View Developments – builders of the Soleil and Aqua in the Coastal Village project in Squamish, BC – are going bankrupt at the cost of the pre-sale owners. Anyone who owns a pre-sale condo should call Harper Grey LLP in Vancouver to help protect their rights.

Vancouver gained another icon this weekend: a 65-m tall wind turbine on the top of Grouse Mountain. It is the first wind turbine in BC, and expected to produce enough electricity to power 400 homes, which is 20-25% of Grouse mountain’s electricity needs. The unique aspect of the turbine is the small observation pod near the top – the first of its kind in the world. An elevator inside the tower will take visitors to the pod, from which they will have a stunning 360 degree view over the city and mountains. Smart idea; this creates another (unique) tourist attraction on the mountain, and provides education about renewable energy sources. It will be fully operational in time for the Olympics.

Usually lunches that are provided at a meeting are same old, same old: some sandwiches wrapped in plastic, or with some luck a salad. Certainly nothing to remember, or write about. Enter Oneplanet catering. These guys deliver lunches in slick wooden boxes, which reveal fresh sandwiches, a salad, and desert, all made from fresh and local ingredients. And note the real cutlery and napkin, and especially the little turtles for salt and pepper.

Now this is a lunch to remember. Highly recommended.

The Monkman Pass Memorial Trail was opened recently in Northern BC. This 63-km long trail follows the route that Alex Monkman and his band of pioneers established in the 1930s. Most of this little-known, but spectacular trail is in Monkman Provincial Park, leading from Kinuseo Falls over the Rocky Mountains to Hobi’s Cabin on the Herrick River. There are very few facilities along the route – this is a true wilderness experience.

Details can be found in the Monkman Trail brochure.

I recently attended the first GMIST sustainable tourism gathering in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. It was a great conference; our CTC News has a nice little write-up on it. I am currently taking in a few of the sessions of the TIES Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference here in Vancouver. Also some great speakers, and excellent networking opportunities.

Matador online travel magazine just published a list of the top 15 adventure towns in the world. Vancouver was listed 2nd, just below Valdez AK.