Ancient Cedars

Description:

• This trail is located north of Whistler near D'Arcy. This combination ride follows a wide fire road for 5.5 km (3.3 miles) and then takes you around a short loop beneath the dark canopy of a western re-cedar forest, finally returning you to your vehicle at kilometre 15.3 (mile 9.2). You'll begin this loop with a technical uphill push; as the landscape becomes marshy, look for the palm-sized leaves of the skunk cabbage in wet areas. Their enormous fronds can be 1.4 m (4.5 feet) in size. A club-like seed case often stands beneath the leaves. It is one impressive plant, soon to be followed by several others. After crossing a bridge, you enter the cedars. You cannot help but feel reverence for their age and majesty. The cedars are more than a metre (3.28 feet) in diametre and rule the skyline, blocking out the sunlight. Beneath their protective shade, the maple-like fronds of the devil's club create an impenetrable undergrowth. The sharp thorns of the devil's club created such a barrier to exploration that entire stretches of the Canadian Pacific Railway were rerouted to avoid some of the worst patches. Beneath the devil's club, the tiny blooms of the foam flower with its lone maple-like leaf and spike of tiny five-petaled blossoms makes a delicate addition to the immense stature of the trees here. Remember, though, this is true rain forest, with rain forest-sized mosquitoes. You may find that you don't linger as long as you might like as these aerial parasites bombard your bare legs. © Copyright Ward Cameron Published by Ward Cameron Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.