Returning Eastward : Lake Cowichan to Shawnigan Lake

Yesterday we walked 30 km west to Cowichan Lake, and today we walked 38 km back east down the long, narrow Cowichan Valley, completing what will be our last major eastward push on our 'westward' trek across Canada on the Trans Canada Trail.  After a short and restless night we were up and ready to head out into the frosty morning air by 7 am.   Each morning now it feels like winter is drawing one step closer, and during our brief stop at Tim Hortons for a breakfast of coffee and muffins a friendly and talkative fellow patron assured us that today it wouldn't rain - it would snow instead.  As it turned out there was no precipitation until much later in the day - something we were very grateful for.

We retraced our steps through the small and charming town, enjoying a gorgeous sunrise of light pinks and yellows above the surrounding mountains.  As we crossed the wooden pedestrian trestle bridge over the famous Cowichan River, a delicate mist was rising from the dark waters below us. This heritage river flows east from its headwaters at Cowichan Lake, over the Skutz Falls, and through Marie Canyon before reaching Cowichan Bay.  It lies at the centre of Cowichan River Provincial Park, which is home to hundreds of animal species, including a native and endangered Vancouver Island ermine, as well as over 200 species of birds.  During the summer, the park is a popular spot for swimming, canoeing, white-water kayaking, tubing, fishing, camping, and hiking.

A short jaunt through quiet city streets quickly brought us back to the treed corridor of the Cowichan Valley Rail Trail.  For much of our eastward trek today the wide, flat, gravel rail trail followed the river, and unlike yesterday, we were close enough to see the water at several points today.  For example, about an hour into our walk, we crossed over the 70.2 Mile Trestle Bridge.  The wooden footbridge spanned not only the main Cowichan River, but also a restored side channel.  Off-channel areas such as side channels, wetlands, and alcoves form naturally during stream migration, and they provide essential spawning and rearing habitat for coho and chum salmon, as well as cutthroat trout.  They also provide flood relief, and wintering habitat for a variety of different fish species.  The 2.5 km long side-channel at the 70.2 Mile Trestle was formed in 1990 from an oxbow in the river after a major winter flooding event. Restoration work was done in 1993 to ensure that adequate water flow fed the oxbow to provide high quality fish habitat, and the channel now has the capacity to support 20,000 coho smolts, 800 steelhead smolts, and tens of thousands of chum fry every year.

We continued down the wide, flat rail trail, walking through a tunnel of greenery, seemingly always advancing towards the light ahead.  As the golden light of the sun began to set the forest aglow, we stopped often to admire the lush green moss that festooned the branches and stumps of the rainforest around us, and to soak up the peaceful, quiet, atmosphere exuded by the enormously tall trees around us.  Soon we crossed the boundary into the Cowichan River Provincial Park and came to the parking lot for the Skutz Falls Day Use area.  It was full of cars, and a steady stream of more visitors was arriving to enjoy the beautiful morning.  A network of footpaths led off from parking area, but although we were tempted to explore the falls area, we had a long walk today and didn't feel like we could take the time to deviate.

Soon we arrived at the 66 Mile Trestle, which spanned the deep river canyon high above the swirling blue waters of the river.  We took a break at the picnic tables located beside the river, listening to the rush of the nearby water as we sat under the tall trees.  A couple of fishermen were on the bridge, scouting the waters from above, and when we eventually crossed the wooden trestles we could also spot several huge salmon spawning in the fast moving waters far below.  More impressively, humans weren't the only ones out fishing on the river this morning.  As we sat at the picnic tables a pair of Bald Eagles flew low overhead, following the course of the river and occasionally emitting one of their distinctive keening calls.

 

 

The guidebook had left us slightly concerned about the condition of the trail in the section that passed through the provincial park, but to our relief it was in perfect condition throughout.  Nevertheless, our progress was somewhat slow as we repeatedly stopped to take in our surroundings.  The rainforest of North America's west coast is something that defies description.  The trees are on a different scale, much larger than anything we've seen in the rest of Canada.  Some of the tree species in this area reach heights of 50 - 60 m (roughly the height of a 12-13 story building), and they are more than 100 years old.  Until you've stood in the midst of these forest s, felt the presence of the ancient giants that grow there, inhaled the fresh, oxygen-rich air, and experienced the vibrant life that bursts forth from the mosses, ferns, shrubs, and the earth itself, you can't begin to really imagine what it is like.  As we followed the rail trail through the Cowichan River Provincial Park we were surrounded by a very beautiful tract of forest, and we couldn't help but stand in awe of it.  We felt like we could be on a mythical fantasy quest like the one undertaken in Lord of the Rings.

Even though the sunshine was filtering down through the trees, the air was still crisp and cold, and in the slightly more open sections of trail a thick layer of frost still coated the grasses, leaves, and berries.  Frost formed in the damp sea air seems to have a curious density to it, while also forming very long, feathery, sharp, strands.  We stopped several times to enjoy the patterns it made as it clung to the last of autumn's plump red berries, and outlined the over- sized deciduous leaves blanketing the forest floor.

Around 1:30 pm we came to the Holt Creek Trestle Bridge, causing us to dub this the 'day of trestle bridges.'  The Holt Creek Trestle was originally built by the CPR railway in the 1922, but it was refit by the Trans Canada Trail in 2001.  It is now a very impressive bridge, its wooden supports extending far down into the river canyon below.  This bridge is located adjacent to the Glenora Trails Head Park, which is considered to be the eastern gateway to the Cowichan River Provincial Park.  The Glenora Trails Head Park is a small green space tucked into the trees which features parking, a playground, a small zip line, which was in constant use by a group of enthusiastic children as we hiked past, a picnic shelter, a washroom building, and a caretaker residence.  Although it was very tempting to stop for a break, we still had another 15 km or so to hike in order to reach Shawnigan Lake, and we only had about 2 hours of daylight left, so instead of stopping we picked up our pace.

Just after the Holt Creek Trestle the trail passes through the tiny conjoined communities of Deerholme and Glenora. These are small farming communities nestled into the Cowichan Valley, which primarily consist of vineyards and small farms, with rural and residential neighbourhoods making up the rest.  They are known for their fine artists and artisans, wine-tasting tours, and opportunities to view exotic farm animals, including llamas, emus, ostriches, alpacas, and peacocks.  The name 'Glenora' is Scottish in origin, meaning 'Golden Valley.'  For us, a slightly depressing aspect of reaching this town was that it is located only 4 minutes southwest of the town Duncan by car.  We had hiked nearly 60 km over two days since leaving Duncan!  However, by now we have come to embrace the idea that this quest is about the journey and not the destination, and the Cowichan Valley Trail certainly makes the journey a pleasure.

For us, signs of civilization around Deerholme and Glenora included crossing a small road that came with a warning of active logging in the area, the presence of small stone cairns and some cheerful rock art along the trail side, and several other walkers out for an afternoon stroll on the trail.  The landscape around us opened up a little to make space for several small farms.  Thick billows of white smoke from a brush pile in one the yards rose into the air, reminding us of cozy fireplaces lit to the keep the winter chill at bay.  It felt like a peaceful and quiet rural community, but we soon found ourselves surrounded by quiet trees and forest once again.

When we finally reached the famous Kinsol Trestle Bridge the light was fading extremely fast.  The Kinsol Trestle is one of eight trestle bridges along the Cowichan Valley Rail Trail, and it is by far the longest and most spectacular.  Indeed, it is one of the tallest free-standing wooden trestle bridges in the world, spanning an impressive 187 m over the Koksilah River 44 m below it.  Benches, a picnic area, a kiosk and pavilion, toilet facilities, viewing platforms, and a parking lot were all located at the end of the historic Kinsol Trestle, which we instantly recognized from many different promotional materials on the Trans Canada Trail.

 

 

Wooden trestle bridges were built by railway companies across North America, and the Kinsol Trestle is a noteworthy example.  It was designed by engineers and built by loggers and local farmers, forming an essential component of a railway system that was critical to the early economic development of Vancouver Island.  In particular, the railway was essential for transporting timber from the central parts of the island to the mills along its coast.  Work on the bridge began just before WWI, but progress was delayed until 1919, after the war ended.  Construction was completed in 1920, and in 1922 the Canadian National Railway launched a twice-daily passenger service from Victoria to Cowichan Lake in a gas engine motor car known as the Galloping Goose.  However, with the growth in popularity of the automobile, rail passenger traffic quickly dwindled, and service was suspended in 1931.  Forestry activity in the Cowichan Valley also began to decline in the 1960's, and on June 20, 1979 the last train crossed the Kinsol Trestle.  It is now a pedestrian bridge, open to hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders.

The Kinsol Trestle was clearly a popular spot with locals, and quite a few people stopped to chat as we took a few minutes to read the interpretive signs and admire the long graceful curve of the bridge.  It was quite an amazing experience to cross over the river, so far below, on such an impressive structure.  The Koksilah (Xwulqw’selu) River originates on the slopes of Waterloo Mountain, southwest of Shawnigan Lake.  It flows eastward for approximately 44 km before emptying into the Cowichan Estuary.  Its name is believed to have originated from the Hul'qumi'num word for horse corral, a fact noted in the journal of Robert Brown, a settler in the region in the mid 1880's.  He also described the river as being rich in minerals, marble, coal, copper, and gold.  Today the river is in recovery as its population of stealhead slowly re-grows after being severely over-fished in the 1980's

Soon after we crossed the bridge the light faded, leaving us to follow the feint outline of the rail bed through a darkness that was almost completely impenetrable.  After camping for many months we've grown accustomed to moving about in the darkness without needing to use a head lamp.  However, the sky was overcast, a light spitting rain had begun to fall, and the trees on either side of the trail were so tall and dense that we could see almost nothing on either side of us.  It is quite a rare thing in our modern world to find such complete darkness, so while it was a bit difficult to navigate in some ways, we chose not to use our headlamps, but rather to enjoy the rare treat.

Unfortunately, what had seemed like a treat on the trail quickly became a liability when we eventually turned onto the road leading into Shawnigan Lake.  It was a narrow, winding road that Google maps indicated lead nowhere.  However, an almost constant stream of fast moving cars was coming down it, the occupants likely on their way home from work.  The headlights were blinding, and since there was no ditch to dive into and many, many blind corners, we could only pray with each passing car that the drivers would see us in time and we wouldn't be hit.  A light drizzle began to fall as we made our hair raising detour into town, reducing visibility even further. 

Eventually we spotted the glowing sign of the Lakehouse at Shawnigan up ahead, a restaurant and bar situated on the shores of a lake that was completely invisible to us in the darkness.  Unfortunately, the establishment was rather high end, but the staff was incredibly nice to us, letting us sit at the end of the bar with our wet clothes and large packs while we consumed a couple of delicious veggie burgers.  With few other options, we had booked a B&B in Shawnigan Lake for the night, which was a good 10 km off the trail.  Since it was raining, pitch black outside, and getting later by the minute we decided to take a taxi the remaining distance to our accommodations.  To our dismay, we soon discovered that the taxi service was mostly theoretical, consisting of a single driver that was only available when it was convenient to him, and clearly dinnertime was not one of those times.  When I phoned the B&B to let them know we were going to arrive considerably later than we had originally indicated, the owner very kindly and generously offered to come and pick us up.  It was the very best kind of trail magic, and after nearly 40 km of hiking, the last bit in the darkness and rain, we were incredibly grateful. 

The village we passed through, which was shrouded in darkness and completely hidden to us, is known for its rugged beauty, and the 7 km long lake after which it is named.  In summertime it is a popular spot for vacationing, fishing, swimming, and sunbathing.  Apparently, the village itself consists of gift shops, galleries, eateries, and the Shawnigan Lake Museum, which features the work of E.J. Hughes, a famous landscape artist.  Sadly, we saw none of this during our much too brief visit. 

The B&B turned out to be absolutely gorgeous, with our quarters tucked into a spacious, airy loft above the garage with its own entrance.  The hosts were amazing, giving us lots of information about the trail, which included a warning about the hills we will apparently encounter tomorrow.  This was unexpected, as we had naively assumed that the rail trail would continue, with its 2% or less grade right into Victoria.  They shared a wealth of information, and even offered to provide us with a lunch, and to drive us back to the spot on the trail where we had left it earlier today.  It felt like we had been showered with kindness.  Really, what more could we ask for? 

See you on the trail!

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