ss alpine zone” (Cannings 11).When the raging storm approaches it is up to Don, Tubby, and Tom to return and try and find Old Cowbells. We get a glimpse of just how powerful the ocean is when the Falaise comes out of the harbor “into three backbreaking swells, steep and high and short” (Haig-Brown 224). These swells toss around the forty-foot boat, threatening to overpower her. The water pours over the deck of the boat, washing sand and debris into the corners.The end of fishing season is distinguished by “a mild southerly blow” (Haig-Brown 241), evident of the strong impact the coastal weather has upon the wildlife of the area. This weather front is most likely that of the westerlies, commonplace in the early fall.As the four men return home to the Starbuck (Fraser) River the “gold of maple and scarlet of dogwood [show] through the dark green of fir and hemlock up the hillsides” (Haig-Brown 242), showing not only the season but also the forestation in and around the Fraser Valley. We know this to be true because “The boreal and sub-alpine forest of British Columbia are dominated by firs and hemlock, the foliage of which provides the smell of the British Columbia mountains” (Cannings 51).The natural landscape of BC lends itself well to the story. The author has incorporated the landscape and common features of both the sea, and the land. This gives the story an atmosphere, and shows how the human activities of the area also affect the surrounding industries, such as fishing and trapping. The images provide us with some insight into the essential character of the region....
