Come Rain or Shine : Abbotsford to Mission Bridge

Some mornings on the trail are hard, and nothing other than sheer force of will and stubbornness gets you moving forward.  This was such a morning.  We were exhausted, Sean was suffering from mild food poisoning, a cold and hard rain was falling outside, and we were facing a long uphill climb.  Nothing made us want to move forward, yet there was no choice - this trail is not going to walk itself.  So onward we went.

We began with a long climb on the Trans Canada Trail through Abbotsford up Whatcom Dr., which was lined with homes and shopping plazas.  We ascended through a steady, cold rain with a constant stream of traffic beside us.  Everyone seemed to be in a hurry.  About half way up the hill we turned around, looking out across the valley behind us.  We could see the lush green fields below us, but the mountains were hidden in the low lying clouds and shrouded by a veil of white rain.

What came next on the TCT was frustration defined.  After 5 km of climbing uphill on roadways we descended back all the way down only to reach the bottom and have the trail turn around again and climb back uphill.  In total we spent two hours in the driving rain rising, falling, and re-climbing the same hill on 3 different roadways.

Eventually we came to a trailhead for the Abbotsford Discovery Trail.  This 31 km community recreational trail connects parks, picnic areas, wetlands, farmlands, viewpoints, dykes, marshes and green spaces.  It winds from park to park, from the west side of Abbotsford to Sumas Mountain, apparently offering views of Mount Baker.  Unfortunately, the damp weather hid the mountains from view under a layer of heavy clouds.

We continued to climb on rain soaked sidewalks, passing plazas and rows of homes lined up to face the views.  Soon we came to a fenced off section of the trail at the edge of the sidewalk.  Thankfully the gate was unlocked, although it looked like we were entering a cage.  The fenced walkway led to an underpass, taking us through the first road tunnel we've been in for longer than we can remember.  It was brightly coloured by creative graffiti, which helped to brighten the gloom.

On the far side of the busy road we continued to climb, entering a forested area and walking underneath a hydro corridor.  We followed the shiny black ribbon of the asphalt trail, which was bordered by split rail fences and brambles past Frog Pond.  No amphibians were in sight, but the smooth black surface of the water was pock marked with raindrops.

Suddenly, with a sinking feeling we saw some of those dreaded orange construction signs ahead of us, accompanied by a tall metal fence barricading the trail.  On the far side we could see a large, muddy, water-filled hole beside which several large machines were parked. We stood there in the pouring rain, looking for an alternate route on Google maps.  As the phone began to flash a warning that its ports were filling up with water, we discovered that there really wasn't a reasonable workaround - the only option would add more than 10 km to our day, something we weren't keen on in the freezing rain. In what perhaps was not our proudest moment, we crashed through the sodden undergrowth beside the fence, picked our way up the hill through the muck and mud, and eventually emerged into another neighbourhood.

By this time we were completely soaked and freezing cold, and to our dismay, we set off down a hydro corridor with no shelter from the fierce and icy wind.  We could easily imagine people from the surrounding subdivisions riding bikes, walking dogs, jogging, and bringing their children out to play on a warm, sunny summer day.  However, we were alone on the soaking wet trail, struggling into a driving headwind, and it was extremely unpleasant.

We wove our way down through neighbourhoods, grateful to have a well-marked trail to follow as we did so. Eventually we arrived at the Abbotsford Plaza ofCommunity Champions, which was a circular meeting place with wooden benches and a bank of information plaques. It also featured the artwork of several elementary school classes, who had been asked to depict birds of fancy. Their creations were turned into metal sculptures that were displayed in the meeting place, as well as on top of the utility poles along the Discovery Trail.

We continued down the sidewalk, winding downhill through neighbourhoods in the pouring rain. Somewhat unexpectedly, the trail took us through the Hazelwood Cemetery.  To our surprise, a flock of about 100 Killdeer was running around in the grass among the many grave markers.  Uncharacteristically, they were very quiet as they moved rapidly through.

Shortly afterwards we diverted into Willband Creek Park.  This urban wetland is located on the Sumas Flats, and it features a mixture of marsh, grassy fields, and treed areas, as well as a creek and two retention ponds.  There are also 2.5 km of trails, which form two loops.  We walked the edge of this beautiful grassy and treed park, stopping to watch a huge mixed flock of ducks floating out on one of the ponds.  We spotted Mallards, American Wigeons, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, and Canada Geese. We also stopped to admire the backdrop of mountains, which was gradually becoming visible as the clouds thinned and the rain receded.

We took a short break in the parking lot, which despite the chilly, wet weather was quite busy.  From there we headed down the road, passing many flooded fields as we went.  The blueberry field adjacent to the park had so much standing water in it that it was filled with a flock of Mallards.  On the other side, a Great Blue Heron was standing in the flooded meadow, waiting with laser sharp focus for a small edible morsel to present itself.

For the next few kilometres we boxed around agricultural fields.  Tree farms, hay fields, blueberry fields, and full concessions covered in greenhouses filled with peppers bordered the roads we walked.  Sadly, the narrow roads were incredibly busy, making us wonder where everyone was going out in the countryside on a Sunday morning.

Eventually we came to the historic village of Clayburn. The original town site was built between 1905 and 1908, and it was BC's first company town.  In 1905, the Vancouver Fireclay Company was established and started manufacturing bricks, printing 'Clayburn' on its products, which were made from clay obtained at Sumas Mountain.  The Clayburn Brick factory closed in 1930, leaving behind a well developed community and an interesting legacy.

As we passed through the small village we noticed the small red brick heritage church. Small cottages lined the street, which was glowing with fall colours from the wet and shining trees that lined the sidewalk.  We had been hoping to stop at the historic General Store, but sadly it was closed due to a power outage.  When we walked back out into the fields around Clayburn we were amazed to see a full rainbow hanging above the fog shrouded mountains, clear evidence of the recent storm.

The narrow band of rain soaked asphalt took us back into the countryside.  The sun finally made an appearance, giving the scenery a dramatic look.  Snow capped mountains provided a background for rows of red blueberry bushes that glowed in the sunlight, contrasting with ominous, dark grey clouds above.  As we boxed our way north across the flat, open, agricultural land we passed picturesque farms, and large homes and modern mansions.  A particular highlight was spotting several American Kestrels perched on the utility wires, and hunting above the fields.

Eventually we turned east and followed the train tracks back towards the Fraser River and the Matsqui Trail along the raised earth embankment beside it.  The sound of train whistles had accompanied us throughout the day, and as we crossed the train tracks a CN train chugged past, the engineer answering our waves with a whistle. 

We made our way up onto the dyke, stopping for a much needed break at the trailhead, which had a pit toilet and a row of large stones that were perfect for sitting on.  We read the signs with interest, learning that the bridge up ahead at Mission must be the point at which the tide begins to affect the Fraser River.  It seems you need a tidal fishing licence downstream of the CPR bridge at Mission, but a non-tidal licence upstream of that point.

This section of trail was named after the Matsqui, who are a member of the Stö:lō First Nation.  The core of their tradition territory stretches along the Fraser River from Crescent Island to Sumas Mountain, whose forested slopes rose up right beside where we picked up the dyke trail.

We followed the raised embankment along the edge of the river for the next few hours. The skies had cleared up a little, providing stunning views of the snow capped mountains surrounding us.  With the nicer weather others had ventured out for an afternoon walk.  As we trekked along, several people stopped for a chat. One was Ron, who asked what we were doing.  He had met Mel and Malo of Between Two Sunsets, a little less than two weeks ago in the same spot, which was really cool!  He also had lots of technical gear questions for us, about weight, food, and distances.  It was yet another connection to the others who have travelled this path before us, and we thoroughly enjoyed the chat.

As the afternoon wore on a cool breeze sprang up, which turned into a strong, cold wind. We hurried along, trying to finish the final kilometres to Mission before the temperatures began to plummet.  We passed fields striped with red blueberry bushes, and lush green squares of hay. Picturesque barns continued to dot the landscape, and the mountains continued to impress, even as we began to freeze once again.

Around 3:30 pm we crossed over the CPR tracks at the bridge that marked the point at which the Fraser River became tidal.  Just beyond the train crossing we could see the arching span of the orange Mission Bridge. This 1.2 km long bridge links Abbotsford to Mission, carrying four lanes of Highway 11.  It is the only fixed crossing between the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge (which was impassable by foot, but which our trail crossed yesterday), and the Golden Ears Bridge 84 km downstream (which we will also be crossing on the trail).  Until 1973, when the Mission Bridge officially opened, cars crossed on the CPR bridge, using planks that had been laid down inside and outside the trestles.     Given the frequency of the trains, which passed through at least once every half hour, we couldn't imagine how this would have been practical.

As we approached Mission on the raised dyke, we could see the city climbing up the slopes of the hill on the opposite shore of the river. Perched out on the edge of the forested slope, slightly removed from the town, was Westminister Abbey.  This Benedictine Monastery was established in 1939 from the Abbey of Mount Angel in Oregon, and it is now home to 33 monks.  Its official name is the Abbey of Saint Joseph of Westminster, and Saint Joseph is its patron saint.

At first we assumed Mission took its name from the Abbey, but it seems it was named after the St. Mary's Mission and Residential School, which was established in 1861.  St. Mary's Indian Residential School was actually two schools, one operated by the Roman Catholic Church and the other operated by the Canadian Federal Government. Approximately 2,000 children attended these schools, most of them Stöl:lō.  Sadly, the same reports of abuse that occurred in these schools across Canada have also been made about St. Mary's. The last class graduated from the school in 1958.

As the light began to fade, we arrived at the Mission Bridge Picnic Area at the base of the bridge. The large green space featured many picnic tables, a large parking lot, and several information plaques.  One of these signs indicated the depth of the floods that occurred in 1894 (7.92 m), 1948 (7.61 m), 1972 (7.12 m), and 1999 (6.30 m).  I wonder if a fifth marker will be added for the flood of 2022 (5 m+).

As we arrived at the park a cold rain began once again to fall, so we made our way across the river into Mission, where we are staying for the night.  Although we spent much of the day walking through countryside and alongside the river, tonight we are back in the outskirts of Vancouver.  In many ways today was interesting, because it offered us a new perspective.  We have flown in and out of Abbotsford many times on the budget airline Swoop, but today we saw a different aspect Abbotsford, and grew to understand it better in the context of its place in the Fraser River Valley.  Today was one of the hardest days we've had on the trail, but we end it warm, dry, and grateful for another day of beauty despite the challenges.

See you on the trail!

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