Hiking around Kelowna area - anyone done this?

[Relentless]

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#148382

Retirement home destroyed

A B.C. man’s Okanagan retirement dreams have been shattered after finding the property he loved –destroyed by vandals.

Paul Melnyk, 68, of Burnaby loves his multi-acre property up Westside Road in the Okanagan.

He dreamed of living his retirement years on the secluded property in the hills off Bear Creek Service Road he purchased in 2006. He visited often with family and friends until health issues in 2011 forced him to stay in the Lower Mainland.

For years he was unable to visit his property and when he finally made it back earlier this summer he was disgusted with what he saw.

“I was basically devastated,” says Melnyk. “It doesn’t make sense how people can act that way.”

The property contains several cabins and out buildings all of which had been destroyed or vandalized.

“I just can’t fathom what happened here,” adds Melnyk.

More than 100 windows shot out, possessions trashed, items stolen, one cabin burned to the ground, graffiti on the walls, fire damage – most of it is a complete loss.

“They went to every single place,” says Melnyk. “They didn't just shoot out windows on the ground floor, they shot out windows on the second story and put holes through the roof.”

Melnyk says he is sadly not all that surprised as he has had issues with off-roaders, ATVers, motor bikers, hunters and partiers trespassing on the property for years.

This ongoing issue forced him to get a firearms license and rifle to protect what is his.

He says he has been forced to confront trespassers who argue it is an abandoned commune and he does not own it. He says private property signs he had posted have all been pulled down.

While the damage has been reported, Melynk believes police have not done enough to try to catch those responsible.

He says there was multiple things to fingerprint, shell casings to investigate, but nothing was done.

Kelowna RCMP Const. Joe Duncan says the RCMP has done all it could as there are no leads to follow.

“There was no security or surveillance,” says Duncan. “No suspects, no witnesses, no video. “

Duncan says the call came into RCMP on June 29, 2015 and the homeowner told them he believed the destruction had happened sometime over the year prior.

As for the future of the property, Melnyk is unsure. He cannot afford to repair the cabins and outbuildings on the lots, nor does he want to lose the land he loves so dear. The property was also uninsured because of its remote location.

“I have few options,” says Melnyk. “I don’t have a lot of money. I am not rich.”

He says forestry companies have offered to buy the lot for ‘cheap’ so they can clear its lumber, but that is an option he wants to avoid.

“I know they wouldn’t give me much,” says Melnyk. “They would just go in and destroy the land and take as much as they can.”

He says selling the timber is an option to fundraise the money he needs to fix the place, but he is leery to do that for the safety of his land.

He also fears that if he finds a way to repair the property it will sadly just happen again.

[Relentless]

Not a very good Retirement home, it needed lots of work before the vandals got to it

[westsidegeek]

Well, it is unfortunate that Mr. Melnyk suffered this damage to his property (Stocks Meadow, as it has been called), regardless of how long ago it happened, whether or not the property was insurable ( it is NOT, btw), or his seemingly optimistic regard for the welfare of his land after an absence of any length. Disregard for personal property has always been present in that area for more than 40 years and has gotten much worse as of late. I would never blame the landowner for willful damage done not just by simple trespassers, but by persons intent on destruction. When I recalled the history of the property as I experienced it in a earlier post, I included my experience with people who thought they could take and/or destroy whatever they liked, and goes way beyond someone hiking the area, passing through and leaving a note of their visit.

Having said all that, I resolved many years ago that this property would never be anything more than a "summer" retreat, due to the remoteness of the area, especially in the winter. A few winters, the only way in and out was a several mile snowmobile ride; not even passable with a 4WD vehicle much of the winter, into the early spring. And the forest service or logging contractors felt no requirement to keep the road open in the winter. Don't know if they are still hauling trees out of that area or not, but accessing the property back in the '70's would almost always mean you would meet a few tree length trucks chasing you down to where Westside Road and Beer Creek Rd met, or getting stuck behind one on the way up. Not to mention the soil at the property needed major rebuilding in order to grow and harvest anything over the very short growing season there. And a constant source of water would be an issue as well. Not to mention, no electric utilities (still?). Just the reverend Stock's gravesite that has stood, unmolested and undisturbed, as it should be.

Even after all of my reservations about being a full time resident, in the end, it is now Mr. Melnyk's property, and his choice to do with it what he wishes: one person's dream is another's nightmare to be sure. In the end, a property owner should be able to leave their place vacant without the fear that some opportunistic, knuckle dragging neanderthals will destroy it, but it wasn't that way back in the '70s, and time has not improved things, obviously.

And, Paul, if you are reading this, my best to you, my friend. Our halcyon days in Hope are still a source of great memories I enjoy looking back on, especially since we are both in our late 60's now. As they say, there may be snow on the peak, but there is still plenty of fire within. How old is Chad now?

[gman313]

I would highly recommend the Divide Lake Trail in OK Mountain Park. 10km to the lake and another 3km to the cell tower and you get a 360 view. You can see Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, West Kelowna, Penticton and Naramata.

Great spot!

[Woodenhead]

I would highly recommend the Divide Lake Trail in OK Mountain Park. 10km to the lake and another 3km to the cell tower and you get a 360 view. You can see Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, West Kelowna, Penticton and Naramata.

Great spot!

+1 It's a nice hike which I do at least once a summer, sometimes doing another trip on my mountain bike.

Plenty of elevation change & it has long stretches with no shade, so bring lotsa water if it's a hot day.

[cubafreak]

I think Linda from Outdoor Adventure Gear is the person you need to speak with

curious....does anybody know what happened to the store? all of a sudden it was gone... I grew up with Linda and it seems like she has just disappeared....I hope all is well with her