MT. REVELSTOKE
NATIONAL PARK

by Jean MacKenzie

As National Parks go, Mt.
Revelstoke is small — smal

that is, in comparison with peaks
i crowd the sky — triple- §

the nearby giants of Jasper
and Banff. Yet this 100
Square miles (260 square
kilometres) of spectacular
British Columbia scenery is
every bit as breathtaking —
and not nearly so crowded.

Mt. Revelstoke, -midway
between Salmon Arm and
Golden on Trans-Canada
Highway 1 is easy to reach
by car. In addition, the
Canadian Pacific Railway
provides daily passenger
service to the nearby town
of Revelstoke.

The mountain and the
adjacent town were named
in 1986, in honour of the
British banker whose firm
bought $15,000,000 of a CPR
bond issue and bailed the
fledgling railway out of one
of its many financial crises.

The park entrance is
reached via a highway. in-
terchange just east of the
bridge which crosses the
Columbia River at
Revelstoke. A 16-mile (26
kilometre) road, first begun
in 1911, switchbacks right up

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C0-0P
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4617 Greig

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WHATEVER YOUR
INSURANCE NEEDS

ROAM AT HOME

A TRAVEL BRITISH COLUMBIA FEATURE

to the mountain summit,
6,375 feet (1913 metres)
above sea level. There, at
the park lookout, arrows

l identify the panorama of

and glaciers that

aked Mt. Beghbie, Mt.

rtier and 8,620 foot (2586
metre) Mount Coursier —
giants of the Selkirk and
Monashee Ranges.

There are no cam-
pgrounds or overnight
accomodations in the park
itself, but over 18 motels and
five private campgrounds
are close at hand, in and
around the
Revelstoke.

The park is open all year
round. Winter features
cross-country skiing from
early December to late
March, The Revelstoke Ski
Club, formed in 1915, was a
pioneer in championship
ski-jumping. Many early
records — amateur: and-
professional — were made
on the hill that today is of
Olympic Trial Standards.
The downhill course, said to
be one of the most thrilling
in North America, is 1.5
miles (2.5 kilometres) along
with a vertieal drop of 2,500
(750 metres) feet.

. town

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THE INSU ONCE CORPGRLTON|

“Bill
Keenleyside

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As the snow leaves the
alpine meadows, mountain
flowers begin their brief and
lovely reign. By July, gay
yellow Glacier Lilies
spangle the stony slopes and
white Spring Beauty
reaches for the sun.
Mountain Valerian is an
early bloomer, with pink
and white daisies hurrying
close behind. In August the
flower-decked meadows are

at

r series,

at their best, as rich with
colour as a Persian carpet.

Each type of terrain has
its own population. of
blooms. Rocky areas are
thick with penstemon,
cinquefoil and ery
everlasting. The subalpin
forest is home to heathers,
white rhododendron and
creeping spiraea. Wetlands
and ponds gleam with
buttercups, globeflowers
and marsh marigolds.

Winding among the
profusion of blossoms are
over 40 miles - (65
kilometres) of hiking trails.
These lead to popular spots
such as the “Icebox” — a
100 foot (36 metre) cleft in
the rock that even in
summer, is almost 20 feet

A Shaggy

Three children playing in
the loft of a barn see a man
below preparing to hang
himself...until he is in-
terrupted by the fierce
barking of his dog.
Distracted from his pur-
pose, the would-be suicide
discovers the children and
bribes them to leave b

ving them the dog. Wi

e dog tied toa bit of string,
the children go out of the
barn and into an adventure
they can only dimly com-
prehend.

That scene may sound like
something out of Charles
Dickens, but it is in fact the
beginning of a delightful
comedy-drama called “A
Great Day for Banzo",
which will air on Public TV 9
Wednesday, February 23 at
19. p.m. (rebroadcast
Sunday, February 27 at 2
p-m.) as the second
presentation in the five-part
Childhood.
Childhood, based on
autobiographical writings
avout the world of the young
by five well-known authors,
will be seen weekly as part
of the current season of
“Great Performances,”

“A Great Day for Bonzo”
is an adaptation by fan
Curteis of a short story b
H.E. Bates, an English .20
century novelist and short-,
story master who claimed
as his chief inspirations

(six metres) thick with snow
and ice. Those who want to
explore further take. the
relatively easy path to
Millar and Eva Lakes, More
seasoned hikers tackle the
stiff climb over the ridge to
beautiful Jade Lake. For
their own safety, hikers and
mountain climbers headin
into the isolated bac
country must register with a
park warden before and
after each trip.

Though _ilittle Mt.
Revelstoke Park is mainly
for day use, a drive to the
summit can be an out-
standing experience in your
British Columbia vacation.

(This Roam at Hore
article is one of a series
provided by Tourism British
Columbia.) .

Dog Story

Chekhov and Maupassant.
His work reflects his. un-
dying love for the couh-
iryside and people of his
and.

- The three children who
share center stage with the
remarkable canine, Bonzo,
are played by 10year-old
dullan Wedgery, 9-year-old
ic!
Teantes Cannock — all
novices who auditioned for
the roles in their schools.
‘A Great Day for Bonzo,”
like all the plays in the

Callas and 10-year-old — -

Childhood series, is in- ©

troduced by Ingrid
Bergman. It was directed by
Michael Apted
produced by
Brabazon. Among the adult
actors featured in the
production are Maurice
O'Connell and Barbara
Hickmott. I
Great Performances is a
presentation of WNET-New
York, made possible by
Exxon and pubtie television
stations. Its presentation on

James

KCTS-9 is made possible by .

a special grant from Pacific
Northwest Bell, ;

PaRNOPACHON

and -

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