There are days when I think I want to leave the city and move somewhere slower, quieter, and less populated. And then I go for a walk in my own neighbourhood and am reminded of what a wonderful part of the world I already live in, and it makes a decision that much more difficult.
Case in point. This afternoon we went for a walk before dinner. We headed out around 5’ish. We are trying to walk more, trying to get into a daily routine, rain or shine. We made it about 3 feet before we stopped to chat with out neighbour who has been off this week and has turned into an obsessed gardener these past few days. We chatted for a few moments before he asked if we were going for a hike. Kirk replied, “just a walk”.
Nah.
When our “walks” venture off the pavement it’s like swimming for me. I whine like a four-year old until the first foot hits dirt or gravel and we fall into the dense green peace of the forest. Then you can’t get me out.
So the “walk” turned into a “hike”.
An easy hike, but still a hike.
It’s just a block and a half from our front door and we are into the Capilano Canyon.
We picked a trail and headed down towards the river, crossing the Pipeline Bridge, then back across the Cable Pool Bridge, where I stopped to look wistfully down towards one of the hatcheries that I work with but have been unable to visit since March, because of COVID.
I have an office down there, with books that I’d love to put my hands on again. I’d love to be able to work out of there a couple of days a week, because I don’t see myself going back to the office at Regional Headquarters any time in the near…or possibly far, future.
It was odd to be near the hatchery and to not go in. I miss the staff. I miss the fish. So close, and yet so damned far.
We walked up behind the hatchery and climbed the stairs to the Cleveland Dam. No water shortages these days; Junuary has provided plenty of rain to keep the reservoir full and the spillway flowing.
From the dam, we walked back through a short way through the neighbourhood, admiring gardens, fences, and various projects that people have underway. I was channeling my mother 🙂
There are connecting paths and greenways that provide a way to transit many sections of the North Shore. There are also many little creeks that flow from the mountains above us down tot he sea below. Although some of these have been lost to culverts and pavement, many are still exposed and provide treasured habitat and byways for everything from salmon to bears and cougars.
There are major trails on the North Shore that people come from all over the place to enjoy. Capilano Canyon, Lynn Canyon, The Seymour River, and many others. But the little creeks, like McKay Creek and its trails are largely known only to the locals, so they aren’t crowded and everyone you pass knows you are also a local and the smiles and greetings are always plentiful.
We’ve lived on the North Shore for 25 years now, we’ve been in our present neighbourhood for coming up on 7 years and we are embarrassed at how many trails we have not yet explored.
But we are working on it these days.
And, in doing so, we find trail-treasures like this……
…talk about a peaceful scene.
Except for the mud…if we go for a walk in the woods and I am in the lead…..I WILL find mud. And I will push my luck by using sticks and rocks to transit the mud…and I will eventually find something that is not sitting on a solid surface below said mud.
Ah well, they are easily hosed off.
But we did find a little treasure on the trail….we found “The Fairy Bridge”. How have I never seen this sign before? It even has faeries!
I’ve been mourning the loss of my fall field season this year. Many of my projects are in smaller communities and it isn’t responsible for me to travel to them under our current world circumstances. But on this walk something occurred to me that gave me a bit of hope. This creek we spent most of the early evening walking along, is an enhanced system at the bottom end, and a Stewardship project along its length. There are a few community based projects that SEP supports on the North Shore…..maybe, just maybe, I can offer myself for some streamwalks, or other purposes, to get out in the fall and still do some fish related field work.
I have a few people to touch base with on that particular front now…. 🙂
And…that walk?
It turned into a 9.5km trek.
Good thing it’s light later so dinner at 8:30pm doesn’t seem so bad 🙂
(169/365)
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