Never in my 20 years of playing in Fernie has winter rolled over so early to summer! In past May-long-weekends there has been a meter of snow frozen at my doorstep and a brown and grey casting to the valley. Not this year! Snow can still be seen however only at altitude and colour—the whole valley is green!
Fernie’s vast trail network is almost completely open, the mountain biking and hiking are great. Fernie Golf and Country Club is open and reporting the best conditions in some time. New in Downtown Fernie is a slew of street side patios springing up on Victoria Avenue. The Loaf Bakery, The Northern Bar and Big Bang Bagels are the three businesses leading the trend.
The Elk River is running strong and brown and flowing within its banks. Locals are anxiously waiting for the river to flow clean and June 15’s opening day for fly fishing.
Here are a couple of images from a 100 year flood in 1916 that can help to remind us of the power of the Elk River.
