Category Archives: Historical

Northern Vancouver Island

Posted on 08/21/2026 by Jens

When people visit Vancouver Island they usually go to Victoria, Tofino, and Ucluelet. A beautiful area that receives less visitors is Northern Vancouver Island. I recently returned from a road trip to historical Telegraph Cove, Port McNeill, Port Alice, Alert Bay, and Coal Harbour. In the Johnstone Strait I saw Orcas, Humpback whales, Dall’s porpoise, Pacific White-sided dolphins, and Sea otters. If you can spare about 9 minutes of your time please watch my video. All filming, editing, and drone work was done by me.

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Mount Slesse Sunrise

Posted on 12/24/2024 by Jens

This mountain which is 8,002 feet high is located in the Cascade mountains just north of the US-Canada border. The name means ‘fang’ in the Halkomelem language and it was first climbed in 1927. However, it’s most famous for its Northeast Buttress which was climbed in 1963.

On December 9, 1956, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 on a scheduled flight from Vancouver to Calgary encountered severe icing and turbulence. The pilots climbed to 19,200 feet and then they experienced a fire warning indication light in engine number two. They contacted Vancouver Air Traffic Control and requested a flight path that would return them to the Vancouver airport. Instead of turning left they turned right into the mountains. The Canadair North Star plane crashed on the upper slopes of the mountain, killing all 62 people on board. Among the victims were five professional Canadian football players on their way home from the annual Shrine Game between the East and West all-stars in Vancouver. At the time, it was one of the deadliest airline crashes. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Colour, Hiking, Historical, Mountains, West Coast, Winter | Leave a comment

Rust Never Sleeps

Posted on 10/27/2024 by Jens

This small cemetery had a beautiful wrought iron gate. What made me stop was the colour of the rust on the gate. Have a fun and safe Hallowe’en everyone. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Historical, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment

Haida Gwaii

Posted on 07/19/2023 by Jens

I just returned from a ten day trip to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. This is an archipelago isolated from the mainland. It has many unique plants and animals. I look forward to sharing my photos of its richness and beauty. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

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Rock and Ice

Posted on 08/01/2021 by Jens

It was very warm and smoky, but I enjoyed camping for a week in Banff National Park. At Lake Louise I hiked up to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint, which is past the tea house and a great place to eat your lunch. In my photo below you can see Mount Lefroy on the left and Mount Victoria on the right. In the middle is Abbot Pass which was named after Philip Stanley Abbot who was an experienced climber who died in 1896 trying to be the first climber to ascend Mount Lefroy. He was the first climbing fatality in North America. It’s hard to see in the photo, but at the top of Abbot Pass is the Abbot Pass hut which was built in 1922 by Swiss guides working for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a base for mountaineers. The route up the pass is known as the Deathtrap because of its exposure to avalanches and crevasses.

Lawren S. Harris was a painter and a member of the Group of Seven. He did abstract work of Lake Superior, the Rocky Mountains, and the Arctic. One of my favourite paintings is one he did of Mount Lefroy in 1930 which is part of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

” When I first saw the mountains, travelled through them, I was most discouraged. Nowhere did they measure up to the advertising folders, or to the conception these had formed in my mind’s eye. But, after I became better acquainted with the mountains, camped and tramped and lived among them, I found a power and majesty and a wealth of experience at nature’s summit which no travel-folder ever expressed.” Lawren S. Harris

Posted in Hiking, Historical, Inspiring, Mountains, Summer | Leave a comment

The Diner

Posted on 09/21/2019 by Jens

This is one of the last free standing diners left in British Columbia. It opened in 1956 and it reminds me of the quintessential 1950’s diner. I arrived here early in the morning and was excited to see there was no vehicles parked in front. As I was setting up my camera a vehicle pulled up and initially I was a bit disappointed. However, after seeing the image, I think the vehicle, and where it’s parked, actually contributes to the photo. I was fortunate to get this interesting moody sky in the background. This was my first attempt and I think I’ll return and try to capture an image with some falling snow. That would be cool.

Posted in British Columbia, Historical, Night Photography, Summer, West Coast | Leave a comment

Haida Gwaii – Islands of the People

Posted on 07/19/2019 by Jens

Approximately 45 to 60 kilometres off the west coast of British Columbia are 150 islands that form the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. The climate produces lush vegetation, abundant wildlife and the area is nicknamed Canada’s Galapagos. It’s the heart of the Haida nation and they’ve lived on the islands for 13,000 years. There is more than 500 archeological sites, a few containing totem poles and longhouse remains. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is located in the southern islands and is accessible only by boat or seaplane. I just returned from a 10 day trip in this area exploring the dramatic landscapes, moss-covered rainforest and ancient village sites with my camera. I’m now sorting through my images and looking forward to sharing them soon on my website.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve

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Fred Herzog – Modern Color

Posted on 03/24/2018 by Jens

One of my favourite hardcover photography books is Fred Herzog: Modern Color. The Canadian photographer was known primarily for his photos of working class people in Vancouver, British Columbia. For over 50 years he took images with Kodachrome colour slide film when most people were shooting black and white film. There are 230 photos in the book and some of my favourite images are Man with Bandage, Main Barber, Flaneur Granville and Curtains. I would really like to own a few of his prints.

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The Beaver – A Watershed Engineer

Posted on 09/17/2017 by Jens

This morning I was watching a pair of beavers eating the bark off of water soaked branches with their large orange incisors and preening their fur to remove dirt and straighten matted fur. The beaver is an emblem we’re reminded of every time we fish a nickel out of our pockets. The beaver nearly became extinct as a result of the fur trade, luckily Europeans took a liking to silk hats and the demand for beaver pelts disappeared. They are a keystone species in temperate and boreal forest aquatic ecosystems. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Historical, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Summer Days

Posted on 07/29/2017 by Jens

The Johnstone Strait area gets over 150 cm’s of annual rainfall. It creates a very lush and green environment. This photo was taken in the village of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island which is the home of the U’mista Cultural Centre and museum. It has an amazing collection of First Nations potlatch artifacts. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Historical, Summer, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment