John and I have pretty much been having a staycation this long weekend. We have friends over on the Island celebrating BC150, we took a day trip to Seattle, and yesterday we spent all of $2.50 in bus fare to experience the most amazing trails Metro Vancouver has to offer. As such, here is another installment of the Park Series featuring Lynn Headwaters.
Metrics: 4,685 hectares with many “easy” to “expert” trails.
How to get there: North of Lynn Canyon Park, the Headwaters open up into vast mountain hiking terrain. Take Lynn Valley Road to its terminus and you’ll hit the parking lot. You can also take the 210 Upper Lynn Valley bus from downtown or 228 from Lonsdale that both let you off in the vicinity.
There is a basic “loop” trail, and several kilometers of flat creek-side strolling. You will have to check in near the parking lot (and check out when you leave) and be sure to chose your route wisely as even on the easy trails there are several steep portions on the mountain (naturally).
You can choose a relatively gentle, half-day creekside walk along the Headwaters Trail (9.5 miles/15.5 km return) to Norvan Creek, or a full-day trip to either Lynn Lake (15 miles/24 km return) or the top of Grouse Mountain on the rigorous Hanes Valley Loop route (9 miles/15 km one way) via Crown Pass.
Although Lynn Headwaters Regional Park is characterized by a rugged landscape, there’s no need to feel that every hike has to be in the thigh-burning category. Far from it. Two gentle trails, Lynn Loop Trail (1 mile/1.7 km) and Cedar Mill Trail (1.3 miles/2.1 km) follow the creek for much of the way towards Norvan Falls. Pick the length and degree of difficulty that best suit you. [BCParks]
Features: Red cedars that are hundreds of years old and what we dubbed the “interesting boulders” the size of houses that are perched above the Lynn Loop trail. There are outhouses near the parking lot, some trails have muddy patches, there are loose roots and rocks so you definitely need to be careful. There is some great interactive information plus trail photos available on VancouverTrails.com.
History: This was the home of North Vancouver’s water supply from 1883 to 1981. “In 1981, when storms damaged the intakes, Lynn watershed was abandoned as the source of North Vancouver’s water supply; in 1985, Lynn Headwaters Regional Park came into being. This extensive wilderness area, logged in the 1800s, is now accessible to hikers.” [Trails.com] Considered “logged out” by the late 1900’s, this area was also mined for zinc and copper.
The next time I’m in the area I’m going to stop at the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre for a free lesson about the natural history of the park.
Notes: Remember to bring bug spray because when you stop at the top of that 1km incline for some rest, the flies and mosquitoes landing on your legs, feet, back and chest might drive you batty. Dogs are allows on leashes. Be bear aware.
Dozens of people have had to be rescued from the park over the last few years so make sure if you anticipate going up on the trails that you are fully prepared, give yourself lots of time before dusk, check the weather reports and always let someone know where you are going.
Although this is mountain hiking territory, trails like Lynn Loop, Cedars Mill and the lower Headwater route provide nice afternoon walks (40 mins – 2 hours).
Being born and raised in the Vancouver area if the sport I’m watching doesn’t involve a puck or stick I usually don’t get that too excited. However when I moved to Boston I couldn’t help but fall in love with the Red Sox. Years later, having married a Cubs fan, baseball has become a summer afternoon tradition in our family. Heading to the ballpark (to watch the C’s play over at the Nat) or catching a game on WGN, allows for a slow, simple enjoyment of this pass time – even moreso if hotdogs are involved.
I have to make a note about the food selections at Safeco as there are so many varieties that was fairly reasonably priced based on location and portion size. You could have garlic fries, fried clams, grilled chicken burger, a taco salad, Thai food, sushi (with the keenly branded “Ichiroll”), and hot dogs. Caramel and candy apples seemed to be a favourite in our section and I had to cave and get soft serve in a tiny helmet (to match my Boston collection). There was even a woman walking around with a skewer of marshmallows and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
Safeco still seems like a fairly new building (just about 10 years old) but the folks in the stands (young and old) are all seasoned Mariners fans. The organization knows how to get the them going and they don’t need much prompting even when their team is not victorious.
Despite the lack of replay footage on the big screen and the three hour border line up to get down there, it was a lovely night out with friends and my man – the guy who always says, “root, root, root for the Cubbies,” during the 7th inning stretch… no matter what park we’re in (which I don’t really mind at all).
Earlier this week I conducted an official interview with Michelle Kim regarding the premiere of Metamorphoses in Vancouver.
Written by Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses includes 10 stories, which are based on The Ovid. It is directed by Christine Willes, who is known for her TV roles on The CW’s Reaper and Showtime’s Dead Like Me. She is now the Artistic Director at The William Davis Centre at VanArts and makes legends appear on stage with Metamorphoses. She orchestrates an ensemble cast through scenes of raw emotion, sin, greed, and lust in what Michelle Kim refers to it as, “a classic assembly of myths infused with modernity.†[Rebecca Bollwitt – E! Online]
As mentioned in my E! post, this production embraced social media by encouraging me to invite bloggers to opening night. As a result, I had a great time (finally) meeting Karen, and hanging out with Raul. I also got to chat briefly with Erin Ashenhurst, with whom I attended high school and who happened to design the posters for the play.
Michelle’s performance tonight was gripping and engaging; her roles ranging from a playful toddler to an incestuously love-struck siren. The cast worked attentively around a pool of water in the middle of the set despite the fact that its edges were consistently soaked. Katherine Coupland was solid yet again (since I saw the student production last year) and new faces in the ensemble brought a modern light to the mythical stories.
Mindful tales of greed and lust were eclipsed by such timeless accounts as those of Eros and Psyche, and the torments of the underworld through the stories of Orpheus or Alcyone.
If you have the chance to take in some local entertainment this summer (especially on rainy nights like tonight) I highly recommend heading to the Pacific Theatre to check out Metamorphoses which runs from tonight until August 16th.
Just in time for the sun to return there will be many events heating up Metro Vancouver this weekend. If you’re not downtown for the Pride Parade on Sunday (kicking off at noon and running all along Robson, down Denman, and up Beach over to Sunset Beach) then there is another festival happening at Holland Park in Surrey that should be just as jubilant.
Celebrating 46 years old Jamaican independence, Surrey’s Jamaican Festival on Sunday August 3rd will feature volleyball, soccer, tug-o-war, and various other challenging events alongside reggae music, soca music, foods and games.
Jamaica Tent @ Fusion Festival – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
Sunday’s outdoor event is preceded by a banquet Saturday night at the Portugese Banquet Hall in Surrey (visit the JCCABC site for more details).
For the last few weeks I have been trying to organize a way for Vancouver bloggers to stay up late and raise money for the charity of their choice. Using the Blogathon model, with the lack of their technology, we pieced together this effort and I think that everyone involved has done an amazing job. Here’s a quick recap of the participants and their cause.
Duane’s website: DuaneStorey.com
Duane’s cause: Union Gospel Mission (please select “Miss604 Blogathon†so that we can track the donation at the end of the weekend)
Big thanks to John and Keira for guest posting on my site as well over the last 24 hours.
The next time I’m in the area I’m going to stop at the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre for a free lesson about the natural history of the park.
