ALWAYS HERE FOR US
No vegetable family is as diverse and versatile as the brassicas. While you may not know the word, you’re ...
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ALL Winter
THE COOL OF CURLING
Curling saved my life. Sounds like an outrageous statement to make, but in 1999, the year I first threw a curling ...
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FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: LUC ANTAYA
Luc is a transplant from the prairies who made his way to the Comox Valley seven years ago in search of the ...
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FEATURED ARTIST: SHANNON FORD
Shannon Ford is inspired by the magic of discovering beauty in chaos: “Walking up to a huge, empty canvas is pure ...
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ELDER VALLEY: REFRAMING REST
Restful interludes are integral to the rhythm of life.
In the natural world, winter is ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: THE QUIETNESS OF THE SEASON
The dictionary says rest is “to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” ...
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A BENEFIT FOR ALL
Except for Indigenous people, Canadians are settlers—immigrants themselves, or the descendants of immigrants. ...
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A TALE OF TWO WOODLOTS
There are two basic ways to look at a forest you manage—as a tree farm or an ecosystem.
To see the difference, ...
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STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Homelessness can happen in many ways: job loss, injuries and accidents, mental health issues, and substance use. ...
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A THEATRICAL FORCE FOR GOOD
Music and theatre provide an environment where, through collaboration, we are encouraged to celebrate diversity, ...
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THE GIFT OF LIFE
In the early morning hours of the winter solstice, December 21, 2021, my life and health changed forever. I was ...
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FAREWELL TO THE DENTAL BUS
Things are often done a little differently on the Gulf Islands. Partly by necessity, partly by inclination, these ...
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THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
The legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship doomed to never enter port, has been told and retold since the ...
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GOOD AS GOLD
I first became drawn to mead because of my Scandinavian heritage: mead plays an important role in many of the ...
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BY DESIGN
While some of us were out celebrating Valentine’s Day this past February, Eugen Sushko was feverishly drawing at ...
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BETTER BULLETINS
Colin Garritty has an enviable job. Four days a week, all winter long, he gets paid to ski and snowmobile the ...
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FORAGING FOR FLAVOUR
When we think about hunting and gathering, the season we usually think of is fall. For many of us, there’s nothing ...
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CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
My husband and I moved to the Comox Valley four years ago. From the start, we’ve enjoyed navigating our way around ...
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GIVE IT A REST
When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s and ’80s in Montreal, stores were closed on Sundays. Every single store. ...
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FEATURED ARTIST: SHELLEY VANDERBYL
Born in Hay River, NWT, Shelley has lived in Edmonton, Switzerland, and five Canadian provinces.
Her work, both ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: ANIUEMILIA
Originally from Poland, Ania of AniuEmilia Photography has lived on beautiful Vancouver Island for 30 ...
LIVING LARGE
Most people are shocked when they learn our family of five lives in a tiny home. “How many square feet?” they ask ...
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VIDEOGRAPHERS AND FILMMAKERS
SCOTT BELL
Scott Bell is an outdoor adventure filmmaker who has a commitment to capturing the beauty of the ...
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WANTED: DEATH COMPANIONS
The beginning of winter, with its transition from warmth to cold and from growth to decay, is a reminder of the ...
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MEET THE BOOT FITTER
Not many people know this about me, but I’ve got a real penchant for fine, stiff Italian boots. This confession ...
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IT’S A WET COLD
Like many Vancouver Island folk, I’ve made plenty of happy memories in Strathcona Provincial Park. In the summer ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: AVA THOMAS
My name is Ava, and I am ten years old. I was born in Vancouver and moved to Cumberland with my mom and dad when I ...
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THE BLUE BUZZ
If there is one truth the pandemic has disclosed, it’s that, as humans, we yearn for connection to the elements. ...
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THE GIFT OF MOTION
Growing up in the Comox Valley, Mal Irvine, who uses they/them pronouns, often felt uncomfortable. They were ...
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GETTING THE DRIFT
Every poem tells a kind of story, but poems are not short stories. They are a unique medium which is concerned ...
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DROP INTO A DEEP READ
In 2015, on his way to Whistler, Duncan Hague flew over the Rocky Mountains and peered out the plane’s little oval ...
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IT TAKES A VILLAGE
We’ve all heard the adage “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Now imagine we’re talking about your child. ...
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MUD, MESS, AND MAGIC
I respectfully acknowledge that we are on the unceded traditional territories of the K’ómoks First Nation, and I ...
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SALMON AND STEWARDSHIP
The late autumn sun lazily streams through dwindling golden leaves. Live music drifts across the smiling, ...
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BREWMOX VALLEY 2.0
When I wrote The New Brewmox Valley for the inaugural issue of this magazine in 2014, I told a hopeful and ...
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WHERE THERE’S WATER, THERE’S HOPE
Imagine noticing smoke in the distance, then, less than ten minutes later, your property is fully consumed by ...
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WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
I grew up on Vancouver Island, the fourth of five generations of my family to have done so. I have had the great ...
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KNIT LIKE A NORWEGIAN
I pull up to Kelsey Epp’s Merville farm, and, before my feet hit the ground, the silence of the long, verdant ...
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MUSIC WAS OUR CONTRABAND
May 31, 2021: “Hey, Meaghan, we’re thinking if some restrictions lift this summer we might try to book some shows ...
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LET THE RIVERS RUN
In case you haven’t noticed, the Comox Valley has been experiencing a population boom of late. Newcomers choose ...
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THE DUBIOUS PLEASURES OF WINTER BIRDING
The first time Tom (not his real name) had someone call the cops on him was in the winter. He was several blocks ...
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BLOOM WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED
This is a tale of resilience. A tale of how, if your resolve is true, you can make it to your destination.
Even ...
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A LIFE LIVED WITH VOLUME
Everyone remembers the first time they met Thomas Dunn. He was a rare individual who made an impression—mostly ...
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DEMYSTIFYING MUSHROOMS
My mom used to make stuffed mushroom caps at the drop of a hat. “We’ve been invited to so-and-so’s for dinner. ...
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THE THREADS OF RECOVERY
My adventures used to involve adrenaline. Like the time I hitchhiked from Kamloops to climb Mt Forbes in Banff ...
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SPEAKING FOR THE TREES
Devin Burton grew up in the Comox Valley but only recently discovered the Bevan trails, a network of paths winding ...
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FEATURED WORDS: LONGEST NIGHT
On the longest night
Tuck tiny love notes
Written with winter berries
Into the dark earth
Whisper them ...
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FEATURED ARTIST: ZOEY MAYENBURG
Originally from Comox, Zoey currently lives in Victoria. Her work is inspired by nature, the seasons, the cycles ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: JARRETT LINDAL
Jarrett Lindal is a Vancouver Island-based outdoor adventure and wildlife photographer who grew up in the Comox ...
HEALING DIRT
One day, the Itatsoo Lake Trail will connect the community of Hitacu, near Ucluelet, to the lake hidden in the ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: ZOË HENDERSON
My name is Zoë, and I am nine years old. I have lived in Cumberland my whole life and I really love winter in the ...
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COASTAL COLLABORATION
It was late August in the Great Bear Rainforest and the salmon were starting to return to their nascent streams ...
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THE VINYL REVIVAL
In the last few years, you may have noticed the resurgence of vinyl records and local record shops. What is it ...
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TAKING THE PLUNGE
On January 1, 2019, a large group of adventurous Cumberland residents gathered on the shores of Comox Lake. ...
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RAISING WOMEN
Famed feminist leader Gloria Steinem is quoted as saying: “Revolutions that last don’t happen from the top down. ...
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CALLED TO THE BAR
It began in a small kitchen on a small island, with peanut butter, honey, and oats.
It was 1993 when Trish ...
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STORM, SPIRITS, AND ISOLATION: LIFE ON THE LIGHTS
Few manmade structures have the universal allure of the lighthouse. We are drawn to them, as much for their ...
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RAKING THE COALS
I never know what to expect during our visits. Often, she is not home; her tiny body is present in a mobile chair ...
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TAKING THE TEMPERATURE ON GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
I’ve been intimately involved in the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) industry for 20 years. I began with mud up to ...
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UNHINDERED GOOD TIMES ON FORBIDDEN PLATEAU
Katherine Kirk suspected the roof of Forbidden Plateau’s day lodge was going to collapse. “One day, a woman in the ...
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ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET?
I began to write this letter on a rainy, blustery day in early November—possibly not the best time to reflect on ...
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CHASING SUNSETS
Bula! Pronounced “boo-la,” this is Fiji’s version of “aloha,” an all-purpose word that makes you feel instantly ...
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THE MOUNTAIN CENTRE IS HERE. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY?
Have you ever parked at Mount Washington’s Raven Lodge and wondered about the impressive, yet solitary, building ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: KELLAN D’AOUST
My name is Kellan and I am 8. I was born here at the old hospital in Comox and have lived here my whole life. I ...
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THE ROOTS OF ALL GOODNESS
Q: What do beets, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, yuca (cassava), kohlrabi, onions, garlic, celery root (or ...
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FEATURED ARTIST: ANOUK HARTWELL
A former dog sled and kayak guide, Anouk’s paintings amplify her love for the outdoors. If she could, she would ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: BRETT KROEKER
Brett Kroeker is a photographer based in the Comox Valley. His deep love for outdoor adventure is perfectly paired ...
THE ELK IN OUR BACKYARD
“What was that?” says Scott. His head swivels in the direction of the sound.
I raise my hand above my head and ...
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WINTER’S POEM
Even in the darkest winter
under the frost-hardened earth
the roots are deep in discussion
through mycelium ...
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THE PERKS OF PLAYING PRETEND
You have been stuck on the glacier for three days and whatever has been stalking you is closing in. Night is ...
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and
THE BIG ONE
The stopwatch on the computer screen read four minutes and counting until the Great British Columbia ShakeOut. ...
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BRAVO FOR BUCKET OF BLOOD
It’s two in the morning. I just turned the last page of Kim Bannerman’s book, Bucket of Blood.
I flip through ...
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YOU’LL BE GLAD TO HEAR: UNION BAY 2040
This year, we’ll be exploring possible futures for the communities of the Comox Valley based on current community ...
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A BACKCOUNTRY, MODULAR ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
Gaining popularity in the mid-1950s, the modest A-frame, with its inherently simple aesthetic, defined a way of ...
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PROFILE OF COMMUNITY IN ACTION SPONSORED BY NORTH ISLAND UROLOGY
The first thing you need to know about Glen Alwin Farm is that nobody involved is named Glen. Or Alwin. The people ...
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THE SONSHINE LUNCH CLUB: A LOCAL LIFELINE
It’s a Tuesday, and when the doors of St. George’s United Church hall open at 11:30am, Gail, who is 70, comes in ...
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THE ORIGINAL SPIN SESSIONS
Driving north out of Courtenay on an October day, one really notices the changing seasons. The wet leaves and ...
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WAIT ’TIL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE
While looking at a 1931 photo of a crew of men seated on a logging raft, long-time Cumberland resident Karl ...
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THE SEASON OF EARTH
Almost all the ancient civilizations identified four similar basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water. I ...
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CONTINENTAL DRIFT
I’d heard of Ecuador for years: stories of great rivers, easy transportation, and friendly people. Now was the ...
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THE WATERS WITHIN
Every person is made up of water. The Comox Valley Art Gallery Youth Media Project is nine folks coming together ...
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PLAYING THE LONG GAME
Walk into any garage in Canada and you’re likely to find a hockey stick or two, tucked in a corner or shoved ...
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BEARING WITNESS
On a late October day, a pale sun shines through sparse golden leaves, making sparkles on the Orford River. I know ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: CADENCE HERRON
When my Mom asked me what I wanted to write about for the CV Collective, I said climate change! It’s a big problem ...
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FEATURED ARTIST: JENNIFER EATON
I am a mother bear, yoga instructor and acrylic artist living in the village of Cumberland. I spend as much time ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: SHERYL HANULA
Living in the rugged, rain-soaked wilds of rural British Columbia, Sheryl finds ample inspiration in her own ...
GROUND RULES
When people in the community fear getting sued for speaking freely about a controversial land development ...
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WHAT TIME LEAVES BEHIND
Have you ever wondered about parked cars at the side of Highway 19, near the bridge about three kilometres south ...
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WINTER FUN FOR EVERYONE
I can safely say that mountain snow sports are for pretty much everyone. Think about it. With downhill skiing and ...
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SMOOTH MOVES
Around 11am on a sunny Monday, Dan Espeseth, Sean Manara, and Chris Hancock show up for work. Instead of riding to ...
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A CUSHY ARRANGEMENT
If you live close to a ski hill, the couch surfer is a species you’re intimately familiar with. Much print space ...
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A CHILLING TURN
Despite living on the water in the Valley, you have few options for surfing and it helps to get creative. I met ...
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IN THE FIELD
NAZANEEN DIZAI: CONNECTOR
Nazaneen Dizai brings ideas and people together. Whether in the corporate heart of ...
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WHAT MOVES US
We are made of the place we came from. If you eat locally and don’t drink bottled water, your body becomes a ...
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LONG MAY YOU RUN
Jane Wilde and Monika Terfloth are waiting for me at a patio on 5th Street. Not far from here, Terfloth once ...
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AN ELEGANT STRUGGLE
It’s a crisp November morning and the autumn sun has just breached the Beaufort mountains, casting gold and pink ...
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UNIVERSAL LOCAL
Dance has always been a significant part of Cathy Stoyko’s life. Her mother was a ballroom dance teacher, and with ...
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A PLACE UPSTREAM
The rivers of the Comox Valley are made in the winter. All season long, drop by drop, the rain falls and they ...
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THE STAY-AT-HOME DEFENCEMAN
In the small coastal towns of BC, long-time locals are often suspicious of newcomers. Yet when former professional ...
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ANCHORED IN ICELAND
In the late seventies, Sandra Dykstra skied into Skoki Lodge, an historical backcountry destination in the ...
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A COMMUNITY EMERGES
Nala'atsi is a word in the Kwak'wala language with more than one meaning, but one in particular conveys what we’re ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: INDI NEUFELD
My favourite things about living in Black Creek are that my house is close to my school, which is nice, and also ...
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EVERYDAY INDULGENCES
Hallucinations. Feelings of bliss or excitement. A turbo-charged memory. Chocolate and cheese, those classic ...
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READY AND ABEL
“Nature abhors a vacuum.” This is what Jeff Jones, the secretary of Mount Cain’s board, used to say. And then ...
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ON A SWELL AND A PRAYER
What a difference a year makes. I’m watching a small train of two-foot waves roll through a pack of paddlers at ...
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POWER MOVE
If you’re of a certain age, you’ve likely watched Flashdance. As a full-blown Gen Xer, I’ve watched this iconic ...
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KYE BAY MORNING
Calm gravity of a misty morning rise —
Waves tickle the shoreline into a smile.
Cricket song lingers, entangled ...
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SPOKEN LOCAL
While California’s Marin County is credited with the invention of mountain biking, there is little debate that ...
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GOING PUBLIC
Armed with a limited budget, dedicated volunteers, and a substantial amount of exuberance, the Downtown Courtenay ...
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TOUGH LOVE
GALLERY PHOTOS BY SARAH KEER
& KAIN MCCOLLUM
There is a well known Western idiom that “work is a means to ...
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THE SWEET SPOTS
Shinrin-yoku, sometimes known as “forest bathing,” is simply the act of being mindful and present in the forest ...
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FIELD OF DREAMS
“I just want to wake up one day, open the company’s books, and not see the Field Sawmill property there,” John ...
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HEROES, BIG AND SMALL
YANA’s Executive Director Marcie Dumais has agreed to meet me at their office in Tin Town. I’m a few minutes ...
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THE SCIENCE OF SAFETY
Avalanche forecasting on Vancouver Island is getting a boost this winter thanks to the installation of two remote ...
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THE CONSTANT GARDENERS
I grew up in a cheaply thrown together subdivision in Fort McMurray, erected during Alberta’s oil boom. Surrounded ...
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THE FIRST SNOWFALL
In my 20s I was thrilled by the promise of a blank slate. I moved often, believing each new location was rich with ...
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LOST SAVANA FARM
At the end of a road in Black Creek, in the heart of our region’s agricultural belt, my daughter Cadence and I ...
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CAFFEINATED
The coffeehouse dates back to the Middle East, with origination suggested as early as the late 1400s, where they ...
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JAPOW
If you're a true powder junkie, you're always on the hunt for the deepest, softest, and fluffiest snow. I live my ...
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LET IT RAIN
The rain patters the roof. Again. It feels like every morning for the last week started this way. Me lying in bed, ...
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OFF-THE-GRID
Mention to someone that you want to live off-the-grid and it will conjure up images of a smoke-filled tarpaper ...
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NANAIMO
In its infancy, much of the development of Vancouver Island was the result of exploration and the search for ...
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BEES IN A MAILBOX
They’ve been compared to a hive of bees trapped in a mailbox. If there’s truth to this metaphor, don’t be ...
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SERENITY IN SEAL BAY
Smooth leather reins are held tightly in the hands of a nervous six year old who is guiding an eternally patient ...
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KNIT, CONNECT, KNIT
I’ve been a knitter most of my life. I consider it a sort of meditation. In the past, it felt novel, or cute, to ...
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A LIFE’S WORK, IN PROGRESS
Whether it’s hanging out with High Lamas in the Himalayas, studying palaeontology in Drumheller, hosting poetry ...
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SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE
A high level of competency and skill is required in order to function in the high-risk environment of search and ...
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LITTLE VALLEY: WALLACE BAIKIE
Hi, my name is Zakary Wallace Baikie and I live in Campbell River.
My favourite sports are skiing, mountain ...
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THE COMOX VALLEY THERAPEUTIC RIDING SOCIETY
As you walk through the sliding door of the barn, the smell of the earth is the first thing you notice; then, the ...
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FINDING OUR WAY
Navigation is integral to our daily lives. It’s not just for seafarers, mountaineers or explorers, but a learned ...
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BLACK-TAILED DEER
Upon moving to the Comox Valley at age seven, I developed a newfound appreciation and sense of amazement at the ...
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UP, UP, AND AWAY
Fall, winter, and spring storms rolling in from the Pacific push strong winds up the Georgia Strait, where they’re ...
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SETTING GOALS IN THE SNOW
By the time you read this I will have awoken from my first ski dream of the winter; the one where I’m ...
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NATURE’S NUTRITION
The opportunities we have, the choices we make, and the decisions we face each day determine how our life will ...
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ELEMENT
As the light dims, we must find ways to fill our hearts, challenge our minds, and keep our bodies healthy. We turn ...
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ABUELO’S CORN TORTILLAS
Handmade, gluten free and using 100 per cent certified-organic ingredients, Abuelo’s tortillas are a delicious, ...
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COMPLEX TERRAIN
Strike inwards on foot from Vancouver Island’s inhabited perimeter and, in a few hours walk beyond the strip ...
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HERBALISM 101
The summer months have faded into fall as many look forward to the winter adventures the Comox Valley has to ...
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DANCING IN THE DARK
When I arrive at Horne Lake caves, I’m warned by the guide that “it will be wet.” Myles leads us to Main Cave. ...
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QUIETLY QUADRA
Quadra Island is the kind of place that offers free wood, free books, free money, and free hugs; the kind of place ...
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LOVE IS A BURNING THING
Contrary to the expansive vision of the young, it’s often the tiny details where we live the largest parts of ...
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FUMBLING TOWARDS GRACE
It took momentous effort to get to the top of this hill and I celebrate the fact that I haven’t vomited on Mt. ...
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SHOW OF PROGRESS
In a list of quintessential Comox Valley events, it can be argued that the World Community Film Festival sits ...
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FINDING FORBIDDEN
There may be no finer view in the Comox Valley than the one from the top of Mount Becher in mid-winter. On a ...
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PULLING PLASTIC
Desperately clinging to a blob of wall-mounted epoxy plastic can be considered a contrived experience by many rock ...
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TOFINO
I pulled up to my desk with a fresh Earl Grey and Carolans. It was a sunny afternoon to begin what I thought would ...
INSPIRED BY SOUND
It was a moment that I knew I would cherish long after the crowd departed. I stood in Village Park during The Big ...
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A BIG TENT WITH BIG INTENT
An authentic Italian Circus Tent was shipped half way around the planet to Vancouver Island this past summer. It ...
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BRIDGING HISTORY
Roaming north along Royston’s Union Colliery Line, the air is damp and heavy with the scent of smoke wafting from ...
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SEWING WILD
Adventure is dirty business. With piles of gear comes the need for novel ways to store, stow and transport gear ...
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YOUTHFUL CYCLE
Emilly Johnston is a force of nature on local singletrack. At only 13 years old, Johnston is quickly establishing ...
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FORAGING 101
A bucket bumps gently against my hip, filling slowly with ripe purple-black berries. This is high summer gathering ...
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MATERIALIZING THE SOUL
The wearable art of jewellery has been a form of self-expression for millennia. These adornments have been seen as ...
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OSCAR’S STORY
Oscar was a beautiful, flamed point feline who lived out his days on sunny counter tops and in the laps of locals ...
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KINDRED SPIRIT
Three years ago I first laid eyes on a Kindred snowboard in a local sporting goods consignment store. The top ...
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THE HUMAN FACTOR
It’s Saturday morning at Mount Cain. The 50 centimetres of new, inbound snow is becoming tracked out. You begin to ...
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WHEN HERRING SPAWN
One of our most memorable experiences in the Comox Valley began on March 1, 2015, when we received an email from a ...
LITTLE VALLEY: SHOLEH KERRIGAN
I was born in the Comox hospital overlooking the ocean and trees and mountains. As soon as I was born I was ...
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OUT OF THE BLUE
Marla Limousin and her husband George are the fermentation alchemists conjuring up the innovative wines coming out ...
CHALLENGING MOTHER NATURE
While it is a small community of athletes, it is a passionate community that craves what most others dread, the ...
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THE NEW BREWMOX VALLEY
When I moved up to the Comox Valley from Victoria over 10 years ago, I noticed a huge lack of what I call ‘good’ ...
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A TREASURE IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD
Dull, dark and rainy days are inevitable during winter on Vancouver Island, but thanks to a local gem shining ...
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INSPIRATION IN A MOUNTAIN TOWN
In the fall of 2011 I walked away from my role as the director of a big-budget video game production at a studio ...
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THE VERDANT VALLEY
There is a deep-rooted satisfaction in food production for both commercial and personal use. On the outside, the ...
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LAKE OF DRAGONS
Though Comox Lake is a short drive from Cumberland’s west end, past the Chinese town site and a quaint collection ...
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WHERE THE TRAIL BEGINS
Trail building in Cumberland dates back to the 1980s, when a freewheeling group of tree planters and mountain ...
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THE FIRE INSIDE
Our associations with the notion of inspiration are more fiction than fact, made evident by the familiar image of ...
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VAN ISLE SKI TOURING
It was the perfect storm for backcountry success on Vancouver Island; a skier’s dream.
Okay, ...
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DRAC’S CASTLE
If you’re rattling down the back roads of Merville on your way to Mount Washington or searching the Tsolum River ...
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RIDING IS AWESOME
Old school, new school, ski school no school. Freestyle, freeride, slopestyle, no style. Front side, back side, ...
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CONCERNING ISLANDERS
A few months ago I traveled all the way from Norway to visit Vancouver Island for the first time. My Islander ...
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COMING HOME
Some say it’s simply where they grew up, the place they remember most or where they count most familiar. Others ...
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