Rewalking and Reflecting : Point Zero Victoria

Anyone who has completed a long-distance walk or pilgrimage knows that the post-hike blues are a very real thing.  When the rhythm of trail life is suddenly disrupted, life feels strange and off balance.  So, when you finally reach a milestone it took you four years of walking to reach, what do you do the next day? For us, the simple answer was to keep walking, at least for a little while longer.

 

 

Yesterday trekking Point Zero with members of Victoria Natural History Society passed in a blur, the details of those final kilometres utterly lost in the excitement.  Not yet ready to sit still and begin the transition back to life off-trail, we decided to redo the walk to Clover Point at a more leisurely pace, making the time to take in the scenery and do a little birding as well.

 

We began once again at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, which we had fondly nicknamed the ‘not parliament’ buildings due to a blunder I made a few days ago.  I had recklessly suggested we could meet up with anyone interested in walking the final kilometres with us in front of the Parliament Buildings, only to quickly discover that while Google maps and Wikipedia refer to them that way, locals do not.  No one could even guess where I was suggesting we meet up, as these imposing buildings are firmly referred to as the Legislative Assembly of BC.

 

 

Whatever their correct name, British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly Buildings have sat majestically and imposingly looking down on the Inner Harbour in Victoria since 1898.  The long, sloping lawn in front of them is adorned with a regal looking statue of Queen Victoria.  The nearby Cenotaph commemorates the province’s WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Afghanistan veterans and fallen soldiers.  Outside the Ceremonial Entrance to the buildings stands the Central Fountain, its waters splashing down into its rounded  stone basin.  Looking across the water at the Empress Hotel, the last of the Canadian Pacific Railway Hotels we will see along the Trans Canada Trail, it very much felt like we were standing in an outpost of the British Empire.

 

 

From the Inner Harbour the trail took us around the very modern glass building that housed the Inn at Laurel Point.  Well landscaped formal gardens adorned the shoreline, and the multilevel paved walkways soon brought us to Fisherman’s  Wharf.   

 

 

Here an eclectic collection of very brightly coloured buildings lined the boardwalk and docks of a working harbour.   Shops, restaurants, cafes, and tour boats were mixed in with private sailboats and working fishing vessels selling fresh seafood.  It was too early in the morning for much activity as we passed, but it looked like it would become a lively, bustling spot later in the day.

 

 

 

 

We turned up through the Fisherman’s Wharf Park, which was a lovely treed green space with a playground, and soon found ourselves on familiar tree lined streets.  As we made our way along the quiet sidewalk we noticed three small stone markers, half hidden by fallen leaves.  They were gravestones for three members of the Camel Point Indian Village, who had been buried more than 300 years ago, unearthed at various points during the past few decades, and then reburied in that spot.

 

I haven’t been able to find much information beyond this, but understand that Victoria sits on land traditionally occupied by the Lekwungen People, who are now known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.  Seven large brass markers and interpretive plaques are located at culturally significant spots for the Songhees throughout Victoria, but none were present at this unassuming spot.

 

 

Soon we once again passed the Coast Guard Facility we had managed to notice yesterday, and then suddenly we came to Ogden Point, the significance of which had entirely escaped us previously.  Although it was relatively deserted when we passed by, the very large parking area and bank of warehouses along the water's edge apparently comprised the busiest cruise ship terminal in Canada.  The deep water port facility serves as a repair and supply spot for cruise ships and other vessels, such as deep sea cable laying ships.  Its location on the Juan de Fuca Strait, close to both Vancouver and Seattle make it a popular cruise ship destination.  In 2018, more than 245 cruise ships operated by 10 different companies landed, over 20 of them carrying more than 3,000 passengers each.  That is a lot of traffic!

 

 

Ogden Point was named after Peter Ogden (1790 – 1854), a prominent explorer and trader for the Hudson's Bay Company. Construction of the piers and breakwater at the facility began in the early 20th century in anticipation of the increase in shipping that would result from completion of the Panama Canal.  Today, there is an 800 m or so long trail leading out on top of the breakwater, which has a picturesque lighthouse perched on its tip.  We couldn't resist taking a short detour out to the end and back.

 

 

 

As we approached the breakwater we noticed that its sides had been painted with colourful Indigenous artwork all along its length.  Collectively, the artwork is known as the Unity Wall Mural.  The work was commissioned in 2009 to honour the traditions of the Salish Nations, and it was subsequently created by established First Nations artists and the young artists they mentor. The incredible mural extended from the land to the sea, and was intended to help bridge the different cultures in the area.  We were delighted to see that many of the stories and scenes depicted featured birds, as well as other wildlife.

 

 

 

 

As we made our way back towards the land, stopping to read the forest of interpretive plaques explaining the history and marine ecology of the region, and describing construction of the port and breakwater, we noticed another small sign indicating we were in the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.  The breakwater is a very popular spot for local birders, with over 160 species reported on eBird.  Looking around, we spotted a couple Surf Scoters and Harlequin Ducks floating in the choppy grey waters, as well as a Pacific Loon swimming farther out.

 

 

 

We continued along the waterfront, following a paved pathway around Holland Point Park, and enjoying spectacular views of the snow covered mountains across the strait.  A small flock of Buffleheads was bobbing around in the waves just off shore, managing to keep pace with us.  It felt a little like we had an escort.

 

 

We soon arrived back at the famous “Mile 0” marker, signifying the beginning of the Trans Canada Highway.  Interestingly, just beside the large wooden sign there was a bronze statue of Terry Fox.  Terry Fox lost his right leg to cancer at the age of 18, and began a cross-Canada run to raise awareness and money for cancer research.  He began in Newfoundland, and had he survived long enough to complete the 8,000 km journey, he would have arrived at the Mile 0 marker where we stood.  It brought to mind the large memorial statue to Terry Fox we walked past in Thunder Bay Ontario, at the final place he reached on foot.

 

 

 

Nearby, there was also a small plaque to commemorate Stephen Fonyo’s “Journey for Lives.”  Stephen ran almost 8,000 km across Canada in 1984-85 to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society, for cancer education, patient care, and research.  Seeing this second commemoration was a strong reminder that many different kinds of journeys have begun and ended at this spot.

 

The Mile 0 marker sits at the edge of Beaconhill Park, which resembles a large, forested hill.  This 740,000 m park features a network of footpaths and trails, as well as manicured flowerbeds, play areas, public washrooms, and a variety of natural areas with sensitive ecological elements.   Among these areas is a patch of the Garry Oak ecosystem, one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems in Canada.

 

 

In addition to being ecologically important, Beaconhill Park is also a sacred place of cultural and historic significance for the Lekwungen People.    Their practice of cultivating camas and other native plants for food and medicine helped shape the landscape.  There is also archaeological significance to the site, with a known burial ground on the southeast edge of the plants. The park was formalized in 1882, and designated as a municipal heritage site in 2009.

 

After we had passed the slopes of Beaconhill Park we saw the Beaconhill Story Pole rising up above us.  Apparently, at 127 ft in height, it was, and perhaps still is, the tallest free-standing totem pole in the world.  The pole was erected in 1956, carved by a team led by Mungo Martin, a Kwakiutl tribal chief and renown carver.  It was restored and repainted in 2011, and the colours still looked bright against the blue sky beyond.  However, totem poles have an average lifespan of about 50 years, and this one is no exception.  At the end of this time they are returned to the earth, so the stories can live on in future generations.

 

 

 

 

From the world’s tallest totem pole it was a short walk down the paved cycling path along the shore of the Salish Sea to Clover Point.  The long stretch of open green grass was busy with a herd of very enthusiastic canines and their obliging owners.  The overcast sky was streaked with soft bands of yellow and pink light, and although the sun was mostly hidden, the reflection coming in off the water was fairly bright.  We looked for a second time at the mountains rising up on the far side of the strait.  In some ways it felt strange to see land, and not to be standing looking out at the unbroken waters of the Pacific.  At the beginning of this crossing, when we stood at the top of Signal Hill in St John’s, Newfoundland, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, we felt like we were standing on the edge of the world.

 

 

 

 

We paused for a moment at the marker signifying the end of the Trans Canada Trail.  Against such as a vast and huge landscape it somehow seemed small and insubstantial.  Then again, I can’t really imagine a marker that wouldn’t seem insubstantial against the vastness that is Canada.  We knew from the beginning there wouldn’t be a cathedral or a certificate at the end of this walk.  It was, in many ways, simply a walk from one coast to the other, from one ocean to another, and we had made it.  What a journey!

 

 

 

After a few minutes for reflection, for a few laughs, and even a few tears we turned around and walked back towards downtown Victoria.  True to form, the direct route back through Beaconhill Park was several kilometres shorter than the route along the coast.  As we approached the downtown core we passed the residence of Canadian artist Emily Carr.

 

As we stood at the gate, looking across the garden to the small cozy home of the familiar Canadian artist and poet, one of her observations came back to me.  Without doubt, this cross Canada journey, and they way we chose to do it, on foot and striving to record and share our experiences, has been incredible.  It has given us a new perspective on our country, from its landscapes, to its birds and wildlife, to its histories and cultures, to the people who call it home.  I can’t yet explain fully or precisely what we’ve learned along the way, but for now, the words of Emily Carr come to mind:

 

“It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada, but because she is something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are part of.”

 

 

Come Walk With Us, 2019 St. John's Newfoundland

 

Beyond these thoughts all I can say is : We did it!  In 556 days we have successfully trekked, documented, photographed and shared 14,000 km of the Trans Canada Trail from the Atlantic to the Pacific!