The Big picture Hiking guide surveys local rainforest giants Hiking Guide to the BIG TREES of Southwestern British Colum- bia. Randy Stoltmann. Western Canada Wilderness Committee. $12.95. HE LOGGING of B.C.’s ‘old growth’ forests has become a particularly hot political potato in recent years. lronically, most of us (the peo- ple) in whose name both sides of the preservation vs. exploitation, parks vs. jobs, argument is carried on have never seen a clear-cut or one of the controversial ancient “forest giants.’ We tend to think the big trees are “out there’ somewhere, in obscure valleys, inaccessible to all but intrepid hikers and relentless bulldozers. This second edition of Randy Stoltmann’s hiking guide to the big trees (originally published in '87), is a welcome reminder that many of the surviving rainforest giants are easily visited from the popu- lous centres of the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. Stanley Park alone contains numerous examples of huge Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir, not to mention record Big Leaf Maple and Alder trees, that can be viewed by even the most imprac- tically shod, ill-equipped tourist with a videocam stuck like an un- natural growth to his/her shoulder. More than half a dozen of some 30-odd sites recommended by Stoltmann are right in our own backyard in North and West Van- couver, Like the showpiece MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove) on the highway to Port Alberni, the Stanley Park and Capilano Canyon trees suffer from being almost too accessible. There is a giant yellow cedar clearly visible from the Cypress park road that was 200 years old in 1000 A.D., about the time Lief the Lucky crash-landed in New- foundland, but how many of us, ducking the radar-traps of the | FLORIDA PINK GRAPEFRUIT $1 00 John Moore BOOK REVIEW West Van Police with downhill or cross-country skis strapped to the roof-rack, have ever stopped to contemplate it? To really appreciate such a tree requires a transition, a good walk away from the asphalt artery, through the second-growth from whose shadows the tombstone stumps of giants stare with slitted springboard-cut eyes, their hollowed centres a refuge for wintering bears. To come upon a living red cedar, 14 feet too thick to hug and tall enough te seriously inccerive- nience your chiropractor is truly a transcendant experience. On a recent weekend of our well-deserved Indian summer, we explored Stoltmann’s recom- mended sites on the west bank of Lynn Creek. . Dedicated hikers like Stoltmann prefer ‘loop’ trails to going in and out over the same ground, so he suggests a long march up the Lynn Headwaters trail, an unnecessary ford of Lynn Creek and an exit via Mountain Highway and the Baden-Powell Trail to get back to the Headwaters parking lot. In fact, by parking at the top of Mountain Highway and reversing PRS EASEN ‘CALIFORNIA HEAD LETTUCE 49% ... his route, you can visit two massive cedars and a miraculous Douglas Fir without getting your feet wet. The only disadvantage is that you may have to share this trail with motorized trail-bikes, permit- ted here in the hope that they will refrain from destroying other trails. Similarly, Stoltmann’s recom- mended route to some large Douglas Firs in upper Mosquito Creek is unnecessarily dramatic: his approach from Skyline Drive, “for the sure-footed only,” is su- perfluously sado-masochistic: any bozo can park at the top of Pro- spect Road, stroll past the water- tanks to these trees without unduly sullying his Guicci loafers. The trail descriptions are good, but the thumbnail maps in this book can be deceptive: pack for a day-hike; extra food, sweater, etc. (it’s cool in the long shadows of ‘the giants) and cross reference with Roger and Ethel Freernan’s essential Exploring Vancouver's North Shore Mountains. Take the kids. !f they’re over six, you probably won't have to carry them out. Just remember to take lots of high-energy snacks; adults can go for two or three hours on the trail without food: kids average 20 minutes between apples, oranges, juice, trail-mix, granola bars, etc. Picnicing in the shelter of a tree 500 to 1,000 years old is a unique and addictive experience. A few family day hikes to the Lynn Valley and Hollyburn Moun- tain sites will whet your appetite for more. This book will find a permanent place in your glove-box library for road-trips, to be whipped out whenever you're in the Fraser Valley or on Vancouver Island. if you don’t have children, bor- row a couple; they are the future we're trying to save these trees for and you'll only have to look at their faces to understand why. FR EAON SALE ENDS DECEMBER 7/91 STORE H BUNBAR & DOLLARTON Mon-Fri, 9am-9pm Sat. Bam-7pm, Sun. 9am-Gpm DUNDARAVE WEST VAN. Sat~Sua. Jam-Gom LYNN VALLEY NORTH VANCOUVER *4on-Sat. Bam-Spm Sun. Sam: —— a EXPERIENCE IT! Bring in this ad for ONE FREE DINNER ENTREE When a second diner entree of equal or greater value is purchased (up to $10.00) Not valid with any other promotional discount. Not valid with buffet. Maximum 2 coupons per dinner party. Valid to Dec. 31, 1991 * *% Recommended “Where to Eat in Canada” ‘89, ‘90, "91 * « % 984-2775 1344 LONSDALE AVE. NORTH VANCOUVER i See Let us arrange an exotic buffet for your Christmas party. 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