Above his door and residence for more than a year, is a plaque titled “Leo’s Lair.” As Kelly escorts us to our room stuffed with mismatched carpets and drapes and vintage knick-knacks, the piano miraculously bangs out a melody and scares Roxy. We also meet Leo pushing a pram with a cockatiel inside followed by an ancient dachshund. Proprietor Kelly Belanger greets us in the lobby wearing pajamas and slippers-it’s 5:30 p.m. A stone’s throw from the brewery is the quirky Old Courthouse Inn, the town’s former police station and jail. Because dogs are welcome on their garden patio, I stay for the flagship flight of beers: Zunga Golden Blonde, Suncoast Pale Ale, Tinhat IPA-my personal fave-and Perfect Storm Oatmeal Stout. At Townsite Brewery you can see hipsters in their natural habitat blue collar paper mill employees white collars relocated from Vancouver mountain bikers and hip retirees. That adage “People make a Place” could be Pow Town’s motto. But you can arrange a private guided hike with Eagle through the Powell River visitor’s bureau-his passion is contagious. “It’s important that we linked the trail to old-growth to increase awareness and support.” With 500 wooden signs at road intersections and fluorescent orange markers every 100 metres or so, with more being installed, it’s almost impossible to get lost. “Because we are in a working forest, there is logging, but we’re working hard to have buffers,” Eagle explains. You’ll come across many different environments on the SCT, from ocean shore to mountain ridge, lake and creek, as well as old-growth forest.
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Free! Darren Robinson taught the author how to take this photo. The shelters also have barbecue pits and (when I was there) firewood. “We just finished building our 15th cabin on the SCT and hope the government will let people use the huts again but you can use the outhouses and camp,” says Eagle. We struck black gold on that hike-wild mushrooms galore and all we needed was a Coleman stove, skillet and spatula. “If you hike to Fairview Bay-which should have been named Oyster Bay-all you’ll need is an oyster shucker and beverage of choice,” Eagle says, laughing. On my second trip I met Eagle Walz, president at Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society and co-founder of the Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT).
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And I’ve been shooting on a manual setting ever since. When someone shows you how to look at something in a different light, from another angle, it’s amazing what you can see. We hiked the Appleton Creek Trail and shot one waterfall after another. But on my first visit to Powell River, almost a decade ago, I took a four-hour outdoor photography course with resident Darren Robinson and saw nature through a new lens. I love the great outdoors but when it comes to serious hiking-that is, more than an hour in the rainforest-my interest wanes. The bench is dedicated to Ted Crossley, who “loved nature, photography, poetry, people and his dogs from 1947 until 2019.” Ted must have loved Powell River. A bench at the end of a walkway and fishing pier has a sweeping view of the Salish Sea and below, through crystal clear water, the seabed. We pass a dozen or so people practising Tai Chi and check out turn-of-the-century logging equipment showcasing Powell River’s industrial history to our destination. Fuelled with coffee and the cutest cupcake from 32 Lakes Cafe and Bakery, my dog Roxy and I stroll from Marine Drive (aka “downtown”) to Willingdon Beach where some kids are building sandcastles.
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