The Western Terminus : Duncan to Lake Cowichan

Today we began with the feeling that the world is not without a sense of humour. For more than 550 days, as we walked from Cape Spear, NL to Vancouver, BC on the Trans Canada Trail our goal lay to the west.  However, during that time we spent so much time walking north and south that we hiked more than twice as far as someone driving the Trans Canada Highway would have travelled between those two points.  Since leaving Nanaimo our goal has been to the south, so naturally, now we will spend today walking 30 km due west and tomorrow walking 38 km back east.  Sometimes all you can do is laugh.  At least it was a gorgeous walk today, which ended with a pleasant surprise.

Last night was not a restful one, with the thin walls and large gaps around the door of our motel room doing little to mask the sounds and smells of our neighbours, or the comings and goings of their clients.  By 7 am we set off in search of sustenance, finding a refreshing breakfast of coffee and muffins at Java World to lend us energy for the day.  Feeling much refreshed we headed out into the clear, frosty, morning, crossing Duncan once again to pick up the Cowichan Lake Trail.  The city was busy with kids heading to school and people commuting to work as we climbed back up through the city streets, weaving towards the cycling path.

 

We were glad to turn back onto the wide, flat, crushed stone dust trail and take a step away from the bustle of the town.  Almost immediately we were surrounded by lush green ferns and undergrowth, and a canopy of very tall trees towered high above our heads.  As we crossed a wooden bridge over a small stream we heard the iconic calls of a Common Raven sounding through the quiet forest.  A carpet of fall leaves still blanketed the trail, their colours beginning to fade, and their scent one of fresh, damp, earth.  Although we could still hear the sounds of civilization in the distance, and see the homes that backed onto the green space we were following, it felt like we had been transported to another world.

 

For the first few kilometres we met quite a few people on the trail out walking their dogs, jogging, and enjoying the peaceful forest.  Quite a few stopped to chat, but the farther we got from the town the quieter it became, and soon we found ourselves alone on the peaceful rail trail, walking through a tunnel of green.  It felt like we were always moving towards the light, sometimes passing between dark, densely packed trunks of conifers, at other times traversing lines of loosely spaced, skinny, white alder trunks, and in between tunnelling through rounded corridors of shrubs.

 

As we progressed we noticed that distance signage had appeared on the trail, apparently counting down in increments of 5 km to some as yet unknown point - likely Cowichan Lake, our destination for the night.  This type of signage always feels like a mixed blessing - it is nice to know you are making progress, but as the day goes on and it seems to take longer and longer to reach the next marker, it can become increasingly dispiriting.  However, as we passed the 23 km marker we were feeling energetic and ready to take on the day.

 

 

 

A little before noon we came to an interesting historical site, although we didn't realize its full significance until afterwards.  A modest metal archway marked the entrance to a quiet drive leading up a forested slope and out of sight.  Apparently, what lay just beyond the trees was 3.8 acres of open green space that housed the Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery.  The land is situated just north of the old E&N Lake Cowichan Subdivision Railway, and it used to be owned by the Hillcrest Lumber Co.  According to online resources, the cemetery was founded in 1944, when Wah Sing Chow and Sue Lem Bing asked the local mill owner, Carlton Stone, to set aside some land as a burial ground for Chinese workers. Chinese labourers performed many dangerous jobs in the forestry industry, including working as loggers, chain pullers, saw fillers, and mill workers.  At the time, Chinese people living in Canada faced many restrictions.  Among other things, men were prohibited from marrying, so when they passed away there was often no family in the country to take care of their remains.  The mill owner agreed to provide land that could be used as a burial ground, and it now holds the remains of 127 Chinese Canadians buried between 1945 and 1968.  The site is currently being taken care of by the Duncan Chinese Community Association.

 

After this interesting discovery, we continued down the forested rail trail, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine as we progressed through the tunnel of greenery.  About half an hour later we came to another historically interesting spot.  A faint footpath wound off into the trees on the edge of the trail, its entrance marked by a wooden box filled with information sheets that was affixed to a tree trunk, and a small sign reading "Yellow Fir Lumber Co. Site.  Destroyed in fire Sep 8, 1923.  Railcars."  There was also a hand-made wooden owl attached to a tree trunk, and a collection of small figurines, creating the appearance of a memorial.  Inside the wooden box was a lovely, hand illustrated journal and visitor's log, which offered some interesting comments and pieces of advice.

 

The printed pages of the info sheets indicated we had arrived at the site of the Hillcrest Lumber Co. mill.  Scattered throughout the forest along the trail bed were the remains of the concrete foundations for company cottages, the office building, the kiln, and other structures associated with the mill.  Most evident to us were the remains of a railway car located some distance from the trail, which had a large tree growing up through the centre of it. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1923, and the remains of the operation were moved to Mesachie Lake in 1942. Similar to our hike on the C&W Rail Trail after Castlegar, where little evidence of the once thriving railway and lumbering communities along the tracks remained, we were once again struck by the power of nature to reclaim the land.  I have to admit it was a comforting feeling to think that the signs of our passing will one day fade away.

 

As the day progressed we continued down the treed corridor, loosely following the course of the Cowichan River, for which the valley was named.  The river is designated as both a BC Heritage River and a Canadian Heritage River, and it is internationally recognized for its wild salmon and steel head fishery.  However, in recent years low water levels have threatened the salmon run.  Due to climate change there is no longer sufficient snowpack on the surrounding mountains to keep the rivers flowing throughout the summer, and repeated droughts on the West Coast have exacerbated the situation in recent years.  There are reports that in 2014 some of the salmon eggs and juveniles had to be trucked down the river to the sea to keep the run alive.

 

Although we didn't see much evidence of the river today, we passed a turnoff for Mayo Lake Park in the early afternoon.  This is a popular fishing spot for locals, and likely would have made a good spot to take a break.  However, we decided against making the diversion, because we only had a few hours of daylight left, and still quite a long way to go.

 

It was clear that Lake Cowichan is a rather long town, extending down the length of the valley.  For the last few hours of our hike we could hear a busy road beside us, and homes began to line both sides of the trail.  In some places greenery had been deposited over back fences to pile up on the trail sides, and we even spotted a carved pumpkin at one point, its frosty grin reminding us that Halloween was now long past.

 

Other evidence of civilization also became apparent when the trees gave way and we could see the heavily logged slopes of the valley walls beyond.  The hills were lit by the late afternoon sunshine, and bands of light began to set the forest around us aglow.  Recently, my mother has developed an intense fascination with mosses, learning as much as she can about them, observing them closely, drawing them, and including them in the children's book she is writing and illustrating.  Perhaps because of this we paid extra attention to the deep, lush, blanket of moss that covered the logs, stumps, and tree trunks around us, and dripped from the branches above.  The coastal rainforest is lush and vibrant, and as we approached Lake Cowichan we found ourselves in a very beautiful forested area.

 

 

Eventually we emerged onto the streets of the town of Lake Cowichan, which is located on the shores of Cowichan Lake at the spot where the Cowichan River begins.  The water body is 30 km long and 4 km wide at its widest point, and it is the second largest body of water on Vancouver Island.  There are several communities along the shores of the lake, many of which are popular fishing and vacationing spots in summer.  At one time the valley was a major centre for logging operations, but as the forestry industry shifted and the railway lines were transformed into transportation corridors and the Cowichan Valley Trail, tourism and art became more important to the local economy.

 

We followed the rail trail across a trestle bridge over the Cowichan River, emerged into a neighbourhood, and then found ourselves at an unexpected landmark - the Western Terminus of the Trans Canada Trail!  A beautiful wooden pavilion marked the western most point on the trail, and as we stopped to read about local history on the plaques inside the pavilion we felt like this should be the end of the trail.  How could we be at the western most point and still have 3-4 more days of walking left?  You'd think by this point we would have learned not to ask these questions.  Either way, it felt like yet another milestone reached, and it was extra sweet, because it was an unexpected one!

 

 

We still had some time left before we could check into the motel, so we wandered down to the shores of the lake, stopping to explore Saywell Park.  In 2013 the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society began some truly impressive restoration work along the shoreline of the waterways.  The process involved removing the invasive Himalayan blackberries that had colonized much of the riparian area, and then planting more than 1,000 native plant species within 200 m of the shoreline.

 

 

A dock was also installed to provide safe access to the river without disturbing the sensitive riparian habitat.  The work was done by volunteers, including local school groups, providing another great example of the difference individuals can make to conservation of natural spaces.

 

 

From the park we made our way into the Town of Lake Cowichan.  The region is known by the Coast Salish People as Kaatza, or the Land Warmed by the Sun, and it was indeed a relatively warm afternoon as we explored a little.  On the charming main street we came to Ohtaki Park, a small and neatly landscaped green space that celebrated the twinning of Cowichan Lake with the Japanese city of Ohtaki in 1989.  An outdoor art exhibit adjacent to the park told the history of logging in the area in a series of carved wooden panels hung in kiosks around a circular brick courtyard.

 

Nearby, a carved wooden totem pole, which atypically included a round hole near the top stood watch.  The Ts'uubaasatx Pole was raised in 2015, and it reflects the past, present, and future.  Figures on the pole represent the different time periods, with the future looking towards the library, signifying that knowledge is the way forward.  The mountains and the lake are also depicted, and the hole represents a nearby cave that is filled with quartz crystals.  The cave has huge spiritual significance to the Ts'uubaasatx People, and at certain times of year it comes alive when the sun fills it with light.  The artwork in the downtown suggested impressive local talent and a willingness to celebrate and embrace different cultures in the area.

 

After exploring briefly, we stepped into Ed's Coffee House for a warm drink and some delicious chocolate squares.  It was wonderful to sit down in the warm, cozy, place and our backpacks ensured that we were soon part of a lively discussion involving all of the other customers in the cafe.  We thoroughly enjoyed the creative and artistic atmosphere, although we were certainly glad to be visiting during the off season, as the 'resort prices' of even very modest accommodations would have far exceeded our budget during the summer months.  As the sun began to set behind the hills and turn the sky to pink, we made our way to the motel, bringing one of our last days on the Trans Canada Trail this season to an end.

 

See you on the trail! 

 

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