With the clocks turned back an hour Sunday morning it seemed we were up awfully early. About mid-morning we had finished up all of our normal routines of computer browsing with our coffee, taking Molly and Rylie out for a walk and then a quick breakfast. It was quite overcast outside but at least it wasn’t pouring rain so we thought it might be a good idea to head out somewhere early.
The Cowichan River was really rolling yesterday
I suggested to Paulette that we take a drive out to Skutz Falls on the Cowichan River and go for a little hike along the riverbanks to see if we might be able to see any salmon and take a look at the wildest part of the Cowichan River to see how it was doing now that we’ve had a lot of rain. She was up for that so we bundled up in light raingear and headed out towards the Lake Cowichan highway.
First Nation guys using spears to catch salmon
When we parked our car and started down the path to the Cowichan River at Skutz Falls we stopped and made sure we had the muttzo’s securely leashed. The reason for that was the roar of the rapids coming up from the river – it was really loud. This would not be a good spot to slip and fall that‘s for sure.
Under the grates are the fish ladders for the salmon to swim up
When we got down to the river the first thing we noticed was a group of First Nations men who were fishing for salmon. They were on top of one of the many fish ladders situated at these rapids. The fish ladders enable the salmon to swim upstream by avoiding the hard charging rapids of the Cowichan River. I don’t even know how the salmon get through the fish ladders as the water roars through them at an extremely fast pace.
They use the same fishing technique they used for 100’s of years
The First Nations still used their traditional spears for catching salmon. I managed to hop up onto the fish ladder they were on and watched them work for a while. They were very friendly and showed me their equipment and how it worked. I was standing right beside one guy and looking down into the swirling rapids when all of a sudden he unleashed his spear at something in the water. I guess it was a fish but I never saw anything except white water.
Salmon get through the rapids using the fish ladder on right
Sure enough though it was a big salmon and his spear had found its mark and the catch was soon hauled up and placed with the others. I could have stayed and watched these guys work for quite a while but Paulette and the muttzo’s were waiting for me on the riverbank. It was just a bit too dangerous for them to venture out to the ladders.
A closer look at the entrance to the fish ladder
We ended up finding a trail through the woods well away from the river and managed to let Molly and Rylie roam off-leash for some exercise. It wasn’t raining at all so it was quite a pleasant hike through the woods. After about an hour of that we walked back to the car and headed for home and the comfort of a nice, cozy and warm fireplace.
Standing on the grates looking down into the fish ladder
That was the extent of our Sunday adventures as I watched the end of a few NFL games while Paulette worked on a class she is teaching Monday morning at her Quilting Guild. Last night, we just watched a few of our favourite Sunday evening TV shows – i.e. The Good Wife and our new favourite Homeland.
Have a great Monday, and thanks again for visiting!
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