Nature Vancouver

Members and their friends took the opportunity to float down the Squamish River from Brackendale to the estuary this ‘summer’ (if you could call it that!) during the first week of June. Thanks to Cynthia, who forwarded an e-mail from a small, family-run rafting company in Brackendale, I organized two trips, one on a weekend and one during the week, so that anyone who wished might be able to come. At least two months before the chosen dates, I stuck a pin in the calendar, chose 2nd and 6th June, prayed to the weather gods, and put out an announcement about the upcoming floats.

 

The trips aimed to enjoy whatever was around at the time, and to see a familiar landscape from a different angle on the water. It’s a whole-day outing, with lunch provided on a sandbar mid-way, and I was looking forward to two lovely leisurely trips in good weather. Hope springs eternal!

 

As it turned out, summer in B.C. didn’t start till much later than the beginning of June, and despite imploring all registered participants to do their sundances, we were obviously on the wrong wavelength and our pleas went unheard, at least for the first of the two trips. It rained, it poured, it was cold, and this continued relentlessly all day - so much so that everyone was glad the trip ended an hour earlier than scheduled as we made our soggy way back to our cars.

 

However, outdoor enthusiasts are stoic, if nothing else. Knowing the forecast, everyone came clad in their warmest hiking gear, topped by their most waterproof outfits, including ‘wellies’, or in the case of the trip leader, bare feet - if you’re going to get wet, why bother with footwear!. The rafts set off under grey skies and rain. They continued sedately down the river, drifting on the current, till the lunch-spot sandbar was reached, where we all landed for an exploratory walk while Sebastian (the raft owner) and his son put out a spread of ingredients for all to help themselves and make their own sandwiches. Unfortunately the rain still poured down, and people milled around, unable to sit on wet sand or enjoy the ambience, and lunch was a rather rapid affair instead of being an enjoyable interlude. We then re-embarked, floated on down to the dyke where Sebastian’s wife, Deborah, met the car drivers in the group to take them back to Brackendate to retrieve their vehicles and return to the estuary to pick up their very wet passengers. But participants were still smiling and insisting that they were enjoying themselves - they all certainly brought the right attitude for the day, which made it a success despite adverse conditions.

 

Luckily the Sunday trip, on June 6th, was a great deal better, weather wise. Not a drop of rain in sight - and so the trip was able to include a walk through the wooded area of the sandbar at lunchtime, and a visit to a large natural cave near the river bank further down river, where old logging equipment still stood, and where red-legged frogs were found in the small lake at the cave mouth. These side-trips and short stops added greatly to the float, particularly as there was little happening around the river itself on either occasion. There is probably more to be seen in the winter in that respect, with eagles, for which the area is famous, and migrating waterfowl that can be found there. Let me quickly add here that the float, in itself, is worth the experience at any time of year, just for the pleasure of being on the water.

 

For anyone who was unable to join either of these trips, and I know there were several who were not free at the time, the Wades, who run the raft company, are happy to take anyone, anytime, no matter how small or large the group. If you’d like to go on the river, they’d be delighted to take you. Maybe, if you twist my arm enough, I might think of organizing another trip in a different season, so let me know if there’s any interest out there (rtaylor99ATshaw.ca). The trip was not limited to members and their families; friends and non-members are welcome - it’s a commercial company and I was just the means by which people could get together and enjoy a day with a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A soggy start to the first trip, when it rained all day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It really was WET, and cold!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second trip had better luck with the weather. Sebastian Wade, of Wade Holidays, with the bare feet.