Lynn Headwaters and Canyon

A short walk from where the bus dropped us off on Vancouver's North Shore, we arrived at the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park entrance, crossed an impossibly inviting lawn of cropped grass and stopped at a low bridge over Lynn Creek: an iconic, rushing river. As we crossed the bridge a little brown animal darted out beside the river - weasel-like, and we decided that it was a marten. It was a young one with a face like a small bear's, more pointy, and it seemed very anxious, as though unable to make up its mind about where to go. We thought it may have been separated from its mother and was nervous about the couple of people standing nearby looking at the creek. It took cover under some rocks nearby and we walked on - but a good start to an afternoon in the woods.

We had brought a little picnic with us and found some rocks beside the water where we cooled our already cold Granville Island beers in the water while far upstream a half naked lady swam in a turquoise pool. A small black bird dipped its feet in the current - hunting for insects, I think, it had a funny bobbing motion and was perfectly happy in the rushing current.


Once back on the trail we headed downstream to Twin Falls, which I had not seen before. The feeling of the woods was quite different from the previous times I'd been in them. It has been dry for much of the late summer and while everything was still very green the air was no longer saturated with the sweet mossy smell I associate with this city, nor were there constant drips of water from the trees or little streamlets underfoot.

I did find the plants very interesting, as always - finding Tiarella trifoliata (foamflower), or the vestiges of them, scattered in the deep shade. A few weeks ago they must have been spectacular. This is a plant I use sometimes in semi-shade gardens both for its foamy white flowers and its pretty leaves. It was lovely to see it where it belongs, at the foot of old redwoods. It was hard to get a good picture because so few were still in bloom and often in poor light, but below is the best one so far.

Another fuzzy flower: this time Gaultheria shallon - known as salal here, looking a lot like bearberry (Arctostaphylos), with these typical blueberry/cranberry (Vaccinium)-like flowers, because they all belong to the family of Ericaceae. Ha!

I nibbled a few of the depleted blue berries on these gaultheria bushes and they were vaguely sweet,and yes, they are edible.

On the bridge over the Twin Falls. Vince's pictures, when he processes them, will be much better. And we have decided to go back today, heading straight for the pools below the falls, to picnic and swim, so maybe I'll get some more, too.

Clean, stunningly clear water.

As we left the park, near the suspension bridge, which gives me the heebie jeebies, two fire trucks and an ambulance parked suggested that the boys we'd seen jumping into the water of Thirty Foot Pool from the stone walls of the canyon higher up had come to grief. Soon they walked sheepishly out, escorted by firemen, one of their number nursing a broken arm.

We will not leap, but we will eat duck prosciutto on baguette sandwiches and maybe Vincent will find the silver earring he lost in a deep green pool last summer.

I described Vancouver rather sadly to my mother on Skype yesterday: Vancouver, I said, is terribly beautiful.