Home Page

Experience Westbank!

• About Us
  
  
• Add Your Company to the Business Showcase
  
  
• Contact Us
  
  
• Table of Contents
  
  

Be Prepared for Okanagan Hiking Fun!

"An short hike can quickly become a long hike when the unexpected happens. Be prepared for anything - and remember to bring water!"

Remember to bring water!

It doesn't matter whether you are strolling along the beach, going for a 15 minutes walk, or one-hour hike, or a half-day adventure - remember to bring enough water for everyone.

Protect yourself from the sun and the heat!

If you are planning on spending time outside in the Okanagan sun, then be prepared for the sun and the heat. This is a desert afterall!

• SLIP on a light and billowy long-sleeved shirt. Remember Lawrence of Arabia? People in very hot countries wear swaths of gauzy fabric for a reason. If you have to be out in the heat (though we’d recommend that you’re NOT) try wearing a light and loose quick-dry shirt and wet it down periodically with some extra water. Some outdoor stores and golf shops sell specially-woven sun-resistant clothing.
  
  
• SLAP on a hat – finely woven straw or fabric usually do the trick- or take an umbrella (others can laugh, but you won’t cry in the blissful cool of your portable shade). Plus, we never leave home without our sunglasses - that sun glare is strong!
  
  
• SLOP on the sunscreen.
  
  
• And did we say, "Remember to bring water"?
  
  

Protect Your Feet and Legs:

Good footwear makes all the difference between a pleasurable walk or hike and a painful experience! Sturdy sandals (best for the sand and beach), walking shoes, or running shoes are great for many of the green walks and hikes in the area. If you plan on doing a lot of hiking - especially in uneven or rocky terrain, do your feet and ankles a favor and invest in some good hiking boots and hiking socks. The newer designs on these boots are so lightweight, you barely notice that you are wearing them!

• If you’re walking in long grass or heavily vegetated meadows - you can pick up a tick at certain times of the year, spear grass seeds, or a bunch of burrs. Hiking boots and long pants help keep these critters and pokey things out.
  
  Side note from Deborah: Ever hear of puttees, or gaiters? These are wrappers for the bottom of your legs, extending from the soles of your footwear to your knees. If Deborah had been wearing her lightweight gaiters on one hike through particularly pretty but very burr-y territory last year, she would have saved her socks! Your favourite hiking socks can look like porcupines after a hike. The sharp seed heads of the spear grass can be too numerous to extract - and you need to remove these little ‘needles’ or toss the socks.
  
  
• If you’re in the shade, or in the forest near water – you may be plagued by bugs. Wear long-sleeved, long-legged and light-coloured clothing, and bring some bug spray or equivalent protection.
  
  
• Much of the Okanagan is rocky, coated with pine needles or sandy - so it tends to roll or slip around under your feet. If you’re out on dry ridges, make sure you have thick soles - the spines of prickly pear cacti are one inch long, and impressively sharp!
  
  
• A few other meanies - ground or stump-dwelling wasps, and poison ivy. Your best protection for poison ivy or stinging nettle is lightweight long pants, or zip-off pant legs, and long-sleeved shirts. To avoid poison ivy, stay on wide trails. Your best protection against wasps is a keen eye and good hearing. If you hear buzzing or see tiny golden bodies, act casual and quietly tip-toe away.
  
  
• Believe it or not - quick sand. It’s rare, but some of those little gray-lined beaches around some charming natural lakes and ponds have some extremely gooey mud at their edges. When approaching a pond without a rocky beach, look carefully before strolling to its edge. Don’t ask us how we know about this - sheepish grin!
  
  
• Yes, it’s true about rattlesnakes. They live in the Okanagan, usually on dry grassland slopes or dry and rocky pathways that catch the sun. Scan the path ahead of you when walking, hiking, or biking in an area that may have rattlers. Ensure everyone that you are with knows to “look before sitting ” on the ground for a picnic. Rattlers are usually shy, we’re told, so keep an eye out, and give them a minute to slither away if you startle them. If you’re walking in rattler territory, those sturdy hiking boots are probably a good idea.
  
  

When you’re wondering about outdoors trails or need a tip about critters, we recommend that you seek out a member of the Central Okanagan Naturalist Club - many of them have been marching around these hills for many decades and they know their way around.

What to bring

OK, you have packed water, you are dressed for the sun, complete with sunscreen and a hat. What else do you need to bring?

Keep in mind, we are not hiking experts, so we like to be prepared. Each of us carries a lightweight backpack (the kids use a bright red backpack so they are easy to spot). Here's what we pack...

• Water
• Our names, addresses, phone numbers, and emergency contact information
• A snack such as fruit bars, carrot sticks, or apples. A lunch if we are hiking for more than a couple hours.
• A whistle (and the kids are shown how to use the whistle in case they get lost)
• A small non-breakable mirror (to signal with in case we get lost)
• A small light-weight flash light (in case we accidentally end up in the dark)
• A large orange garbage bag or rain poncho - to wear in the rain (plus it is easier to spot amongst the trees)
• A jacket and touque (if we are heading into the hills for a longer hike - it can get cool up there!)
• Matches (in the adult pack)
• A charged cell phone (in the adult pack). Please note that there are many spots in the Okanagan that do not have cell coverage.
• A trash bag (in the adult pack) - for any trash - pack out what you bring in.
• Sun screen and bug spray (in the adult pack)
• If dogs are coming along, bring water and trash bags for them too.

Be Bear (and Cougar) Aware

Bears and cougars share the Okanagan with the many coyotes, deer, moose, rabbits, marmots, birds, and other wildlife. When hiking in treed and remote areas keep your eyes open for both (cougars are less commonly seen than bears). Use your binoculars and telephoto lenses when viewing wildlife.

Here's some bear safety tips from the Government of British Columbia website: (BC Parks).

• Keep your dogs on a leash and your children close by. Walk in a group. Avoid hiking or walking alone in bear country.
  
  
• Check ahead in the distance for bears. If you see a bear, make a wide detour and leave the area immediately.
  
  
• Stay away from trails where signs have been posted about bear activity in the area. This may include avalanche runs, meadows, stream beds, salmon runs, berry patches, and the forest.
  
  
• Make plenty of noise when walking and hiking. Here's tip we heard many years ago while in Banff. Everyonce in awhile, or when you go around a corner, or when you find yourself in a berry patch, yell out "Hey Bear" or "Sou-eeeeeee" as loud as you can. Let the bears know you are around. And guess what? Bear bells, though they’re sold everywhere around BC and Alberta, are NOT recommended. Bells make bears curious. Do you want the bear to be curious about YOU? Not a good idea.
  
  
• Keep your eyes open for signs of bear activity - tracks, dead animal carcass (look for ravens or crows circling around in the sky - there may be a carcass and a bear below), bear poop, etc. Leave the area.
  
  
• If you see a bear cub or two, know that the mama bear is someplace close. Leave the area.
  
  
• If you see a bear, don't get close for a great photo! Stay calm; talk in a normal voice, stand tall. Walk slowly away facing the bear, to someplace safe.
  
  

For more information about bears in British Columbia, please check out the BC Parks Website.

Cougars

Seeing a cougar is a rare thing. They are unlikely to attack adult humans, but have been known to stalk small children because they’re the size of deer, the cougar’s normal prey.

Again, hike in groups, stay together, keep your children and pets close. “Make yourself big,” is the advice given by authorities. Cougars don’t like to waste their time on troublesome quarry, so it is said that if you seem aggressive and big - even holding a stick over your head- the cougar will usually leave.

For more information about cougars in British Columbia, please check out the Ministry of Environment - Cougar Safety.

And did we mention, "Remember to bring water"?