Castle Creek Small Hydro Power

This comic rendition of small hydro development is currently being played out in Aspen, Colorado over building a hydro plant on Castle Creek. The Aspen community is being sold on small hydro being a “green” and renewable energy source. The Western Rivers Institute is attempting to educate and inform Colorado communities on the impact of such small hydro developments.

Telegraph Cove

Recent pics of an eleven day sea kayaking trip to the Broughton Islands off of Vancouver Island. The Broughtons offer endless small islands to explore, paddle or camp. The biggest trip obstacle is the Johnstone Strait crossing (3km) which you navigate leaving and returning to the Telegraph Cove. We rented a double sea kayak from North Island Kayaks out of Telegraph Cove, British Columbia. Telegraph Cove makes for a very easy putin/takeout location. You can organize out of the Telegraph Cove Resort campground or go luxurious with one of their cabins on the Cove’s boardwalk. Getting yourself and your backpacking gear to Telegraph Cove is really all you need to do logistically to make this trip happen. We flew from Vancouver to Port Hardy, BC, you can get a cab at the airport, we negotiated a 45 minute grocery stop at the IGA in Port McNeill with our driver (Reg, Rainbox Taxi, 250 956 8294). You can buy last minute items at the small dockside store in Telegraph Cove. Many sea kayakers or boaters; short on time, use various water taxis to get shuttled out into the Broughtons. The rates seem to vary greatly, but expect $400 to $600 for any destinations beyond Johnstone Strait.

Upper Boulder Creek

Cory Walker, Gary Eldridge, Bruno Lutz running Upper Boulder Creek (UBC) during peak run-off (June 27, 2009). The gauge was at 700cfs in the morning. Elephant Buttress Drop shown. Super fun level. All photographs: Cheyenne Willis. Video: Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS (read: cheap).