100 Years of Adventure

You wouldn’t normally connect snowshoeing with surfing, but BC Parks found a way, and on a chilly weekend in early March they kicked off a season of outdoor adventure for their 100^th anniversary with snowshoeing in Manning Park, and surfing at China Beach.

100 years ago, on March 1, Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island became the very first provincial park in BC. And today, 14.26% (13.5 million hectares) of British Columbia’s land base is protected, with more than 340 campgrounds, 6000km of hiking trails, and 263 day-use areas in our provincial park system. Mountain Equipment Co-op has partnered with BC Parks to help them celebrate 100 Years of Adventure and to get more people outside and enjoying what our provincial parks have to offer. And they really do provide great venues for people who like to hike, camp, bike, climb, paddle, or any other outdoor activity, no matter what their age or skill level. So get out there!

To start things off, the Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning hosted a family-friendly snowshoeing event at Manning Park. The group of roughly 50 people included children, parents, seniors, and event leaders, who learned about the history of Manning Park while snowshoeing along the shores of Lightning Lake. There was a free catered lunch and hot chocolate when they reached the Spruce Bay Picnic area, as well as a prize raffle, a trivia contest (with prizes), and a safety talk about hypothermia. Plus the kids got to dig snow caves – sweet!

Further west, the Vancouver Island chapter of the Surfrider Foundation hosted their 4^th annual surf competition – Wavehunt – at China Beach in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. They partnered up with BC Parks 100 Years of Adventure to promote awareness of our coastal regions and our impact on our ocean. The waves weren’t the greatest for the first heat on the water, but Wavehunt is all about having fun and sharing great experiences, so participants made the best of it with headstands, party waves, and backwards rides. Eventually the surf picked up but people were happy and having a blast regardless. And the fun wasn’t limited to the surf either – there was a treasure hunt for kids, a “fastest person into their wetsuit” race, a beach clean-up, and tonnes of stuff for everyone to get in on.

And the fun isn’t over yet! Events will be happening across BC all the way through until September so make sure to check out what’s coming up at the BC Parks site, and pop back to our MEC Blog for stories and photos from some of the events. The next adventure is June 5 at Ellison Provincial Park, where the North Okanagan Cycling Society will be hosting an Adventure Run and Ride Poker Event.

Which BC provincial park is your favourite place to play?

Photos by Michelle Kalyk, Hope Mountain Centre, Becs Hoskins, and Alicia Gilmour.