Clayoquot River Valley Witness Trail - Week 3
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
For three weeks this August, the Wilderness Committee and 29 hearty volunteers laboured away repairing the marvelous hiking trail through the Clayoquot River Valley near Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The trail winds its way through the upper Kennedy River, climbs steeply into the headwater lake country of the Clayoquot River valley and then gently descends into the heart of this big tree valley, featuring gigantic cedar, spruce and fir, majestic waterfalls, and spectacular views.
The trail was initially built in the early 1990's, in partnership with the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, to call attention to the plight of the last few large un-logged river valleys in Clayoquot Sound. At the time, logging companies were poised to begin clearcutting the surrounding area and thousands of protesters were gathering just down the road in what became the largest environmental protest in Canadian history. Robert Kennedy even came out to help work on the trail!
The project to refurbish the northern portion of the trail, again in collaboration with the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, commenced in 2008, and will conclude in 2010. In 2009, trail builders snipped away overhanging blueberry bushes, sawed through fallen logs, removed rotten boardwalk, and refurbished the trail-bed along a 7km section of trail from Solstice Lakes to the falls below Norgar Lake.
All this work is in anticipation of the area becoming a Tla-o-qui-aht tribal park. Highlights of this years work included only 7 days of rain, camping in the "cave with a view" at Solstice Lakes, swimming in all of the fantastically beautiful and warm lakes, endless supplies of hot chocolate, and good cheer along the trail. If you are interested in seeing this majestic valley, one of the last un-logged valleys in Clayoquot Sound, give our volunteer coordinator Stephanie Gribble a shout.
We will be back working on the trail on 6-8 day work trips in August 2010, and may offer some additional weekend trail work in fall 2009. See our new educational report on the Hauukmin Tribal Park proposal on our website.
The trail was initially built in the early 1990's, in partnership with the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, to call attention to the plight of the last few large un-logged river valleys in Clayoquot Sound. At the time, logging companies were poised to begin clearcutting the surrounding area and thousands of protesters were gathering just down the road in what became the largest environmental protest in Canadian history. Robert Kennedy even came out to help work on the trail!
The project to refurbish the northern portion of the trail, again in collaboration with the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, commenced in 2008, and will conclude in 2010. In 2009, trail builders snipped away overhanging blueberry bushes, sawed through fallen logs, removed rotten boardwalk, and refurbished the trail-bed along a 7km section of trail from Solstice Lakes to the falls below Norgar Lake.
All this work is in anticipation of the area becoming a Tla-o-qui-aht tribal park. Highlights of this years work included only 7 days of rain, camping in the "cave with a view" at Solstice Lakes, swimming in all of the fantastically beautiful and warm lakes, endless supplies of hot chocolate, and good cheer along the trail. If you are interested in seeing this majestic valley, one of the last un-logged valleys in Clayoquot Sound, give our volunteer coordinator Stephanie Gribble a shout.
We will be back working on the trail on 6-8 day work trips in August 2010, and may offer some additional weekend trail work in fall 2009. See our new educational report on the Hauukmin Tribal Park proposal on our website.
More from this campaign
