490 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Rain and cooler weather bring end of campfire ban on Vancouver Island

 

 

Fire danger ratings across most of Vancouver Island are listed as very low, with some areas on the South Island listed as low.

 

https://www.timescol...-island-9437434

[Nparker]

How long before flood warnings are issued? 

[Matt R.]

Any suggestions for some easy access car camping spots on the island between say Nanaimo and sooke? Not looking to drive all day.

[Blair M.]

Any suggestions for some easy access car camping spots on the island between say Nanaimo and sooke? Not looking to drive all day.

The Provincial sites located a bit of distance away from Victoria (French Beach, China Beach, Bamberton) are all open, but with reduced services. No showers, firewood, some washrooms closed, etc).

Goldstream is all but closed down, with only 5 or so campsites right at the main gate being available throughout the winter, this presumably to prevent any sort of winter homeless encampment from developing. 

The Provincial sites are still fantastic though, especially if you're equipped for minimal (or no) service, lower temperature camping.

 

I believe all the Mosaic Forestry Campgrounds close down completely for the winter. 

The Rec Sites are open, but they're all pretty far off the beaten path by design, although they all qualify for car camping.

 

Heading inland usually means a rise in elevation, which this time of year can open you up to cold nights, frost, and occasionally snow. But they're still nice (Gordon Bay at Cowichan), and they fit your geographical requirements.

 

The two best private sites IMO are Weirs Beach Resort out in Metchosin (but they only allow RV's and don't allow tents), and although it's not inexpensive, I'd say the most full service and beautiful winter campground is Living Forest (which allows tents) up in Nanaimo.

Both Weirs Beach and Living Forest are spectacular waterfront campgrounds with stunning views out over the water.

Edited by Blair M., 17 November 2024 - 07:16 AM.

[Mike K.]

Nice tips, Blair.

Matt, are you talking about logging road accessible or asphalt drive up?

[Matt R.]

Asphalt drive up. Not looking for any 4x4 adventures.

[lanforod]

Country Maples would be fine too.

[Victoria Watcher]

Camping Using Cleaning Supplies (Steve Wallis)

 

I challenged myself to creatively use as many cleaning supplies as possible for a camping trip. From shelter and cooking to fire starting, I used everything I could think of. It was a great evening camping by a small creek in the woods. It got a little bit cold and a small skiff of snow, but huddled by the campfire I stayed warm until I crawled into my cozy garbage bag shelter.

 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/dt0...8uUf0vJ9w43074J

[Bambam]

^ Good for him, nice creative initiative too. Then of course you reach a certain age when "camping" means either a basic but comfy motel or for one of our fishing crew, dropping a $190k on a Pleasure Way "OnTour" rig lol.

 

I went for years from a classic 2-man tent for camping/fishing, to an 'oversized' 2-man model which provided more room for "stuff", to eventually a 4-man tubular frame stand up tent with cot, when crawling into the smaller tents and sleeping on anything other than a cot was too hard on my knees (especially) and my back, and currently for the most part the group looks for handy motels. Except of course for "buddy" who opted for the P-W van. Age catches up to all of us, eventually....

[LJ]

"Roughing it" for me means no room service.

[Bambam]

Heh no such thing on the Conuma, Stamp, Nitnaht, Cheakamus, Squamish, Lillooet and dozens of other west coast river ecosystems. Ya eats whatever you can carry in and cook yourself - unless you're staying in a glammed-up six-figure RV-van of course....

[Victoria Watcher]

Dump Truck Stealth Camping

 

https://youtu.be/2vQ...nRy7dw5Pp1ad7uC

 

Metchosin Road.

[Blair M.]

Camping is huge these days, and camping channels are super popular on YouTube, and one of the most, if not the most successful camping channel, Outdoor Boys, is calling it a day, and ending his YouTube channel.

This guy has 15 million YouTube subscribers.

 

It's hard to say with accuracy how much money a channel with 15 million subscribers would generate, as subscribers are only half of the equation, with number of actual video views being the other half. 

But it's safe to say he's making (at least) a in the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars per year with his channel. His very large library of videos will continue to generate substantial amounts of revenue for him, even though he's no longer posting new videos.

 

What's interesting is that his reasoning behind ending his channel is largely focused on the safety and security of his family, as he and his sons have become so well known that it's started to be a safety concern. 

He and his boys are basically "movie star famous", but with no security or isolation from his 15 million fans. He explains it a bit in his farewell, and if you read between the lines, it's unlikely he'll be back.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=VwC8jwnXfo4

Edited by Blair M., 17 May 2025 - 04:16 PM.

[Mike K.]

And yet he also says his son is launching his own YouTube career.

The fellow was a lawyer and was quite good at it. I guess he decided to drop the daily grind and move the family to Alaska once YouTube got big.

My favourite video of his is when he goes on a survival challenge in the Japanese jungle with a platoon of US GIs. He took it in stride as the rest of the group went through exactly what you’d expect.

His content updates will be missed.

[Victoria Watcher]

I guess if you are famous, it's best to be rich, too.  Hire security.

[Mike K.]

We are now here:

In a recent case, Calkin and his team were called to Unnecessary Mountain after two hikers used ChatGPT and Google Maps to select a trail, unaware they would encounter snow. Wearing flat-soled shoes, the men soon realized their mistake and turned around, but became unsteady on the descent.

“We ended up going up there with boots for them,” he said. “We asked them their boot size and brought up boots and ski poles.”

The call prompted Lions Bay Search and Rescue to remind people that chatbots and apps are “not always best for backcountry navigation.”

…

“All you had to do was look at the top of the mountains from Vancouver and know there’s snow up there,” searcher Allan McMordie told Postmedia News at the time. “To be in running shoes and not even expecting any snow was pretty naive.”

The issue isn’t limited to B.C. A recent report by Mountain Rescue England and Wales blamed social media and navigation apps for a record rise in call-outs last year, particularly among the 18 to 24 age group.

- https://vancouversun...-on-ai-and-apps

There’s gobs of people heading out into the backcountry here on the Island in vehicles that a reasonable person ought to know have no place being there.

[Victoria Watcher]

For the thousands of campers who flock to the sandy beaches and warm, shallow waters of Tribune Bay Provincial Park on Hornby Island, it will be business as usual this summer.

 

But major changes are coming next year and beyond, as B.C. Parks dismantles the cramped formerly private campground, reducing the number of sites on the existing property and spreading campers out into new areas of the provincial park.

 

The province acquired the 116-site, eight-acre private campground and a 16-acre parcel of undeveloped forest land and beachfront in 2021.

 

Since then, B.C. Parks has been consulting with locals, First Nations and user groups on how best to utilize the new land. It has completed an ecological overview, tree assessments and an inventory of invasive species, and is continuing archaeological digs with First Nations.

 

Amy Ross, section head for B.C. Parks North Island, said tenders to redevelop the existing campground closed this week, and a contractor will be selected to carve up and re-purpose the site starting in the fall.

 

By next summer, there will only be about 67 sites available for use, and wood-burning campfires will be banned, she said. Only propane appliances will be allowed in the park starting in 2026 to provide “healthier air” and reduce the risk of wildfires.

 

 

https://www.timescol...summer-10834044

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 June 2025 - 04:36 AM.

[LJ]

Nothing like smores over a propane burner.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ya. Lame.

[lanforod]

My kids never complain about that. Shrug.