Wilderness with Fine Dining




Blind Channel Resort Marina

 

Next stop, Blind Channel Resort on West Thurlow Island.  We were here three years ago and the only boat at the dock that April.  Being Easter weekend, there was hardly a soul around.  It’s a different place, however, during the summer months.  We found that the docks were always full, boats came and went and seaplanes dropped off guests at this busy resort.  

Blind Channel Resort

The marina and resort is a family enterprise that now spans four generations.  We admire their dedication, it takes a lot of work to run a full service marina, lodging, a well-stocked store, and a quality restaurant.  We saw members of the Richter family wearing a variety of hats as they performed multiple duties.  Lunch is provided on the patio during the months of July and August with live music on the weekends.  

Dining Room, Blind Channel Resort

Dinners are exceptional for such a wilderness location and the restaurant is decorated with beautiful artwork from the late Annemarie Richter.  Fresh homemade breads are complimentary with dinner and a nice selection of wines are available for purchase.  

Salmon Appetizer

We started with the sushi salmon appetizer followed by rouladen served in a light béarnaise sauce accompanied with spaetzle and red cabbage, a lovely presentation and very tasty!  

Rouladen with Spaetzle

We topped off our meal with an espresso and a delicious berry cobbler.  The following day we went for a walk on the Forest Management Trails where reader-boards describe various species of trees and reforestation management.  The trail system is designed to show the features of a second growth forest and is accessed from Blind Channel Marina. 

Reforestation is an integral part of logging.  By Canada law, forest companies are responsible for reforesting the area that they log.  Generally these areas are re-planted within a year of harvesting with the tree species that are ecologically suited for that area. 


Forest companies are responsible for the plantations until they reach a “free-to-grow” state, where they are outgrowing competing vegetation. 

Old and New Stands

As earlier plantations mature from the old logging, they too become valuable for harvesting.  The same planning and practice requirements are in place for second and third growth stands as for mature forests.  

We enjoyed hiking all three main trails in the area:  the View Point Trail that follows the estuary; 

The 800 year old Cedar

the Big Cedar Trail that climbs in elevation through a 90 year-old second growth forest which includes an old growth cedar over 800 years old; and the Forest Management Trail which winds through a 2008 cut block replanted the same year, a 1989 cut block planted with Cedar and Fir, and a Hemlock stand that was established following logging in 1964.  The final segment descends through a patch of 120 year old second growth logged in 1885.