Squamish pioneer Rose Tatlow remembered Joan as the driving force behind the Diamond Head project, the one who negotiated the land rights with the provincial government and who worked shoulder to shoulder with the two soft-spoken brothers while displaying the constant cheerfulness that was her hallmark.
> OPAL CONE
Access: A 6.5-km (4-mi) trail leads north from Elfin Lakes to the Opal Cone. Allow two hours one way Ability Level: Intermediate
The scale on which formations present themselves in the Pacific Ranges that transect Garibaldi Park is truly astonishing. The Opal Cone is an interesting remnant of an old volcano. At first, much of the trail is downhill. Views of The Gargoyles, the gnarled black rock formations hulking on Diamond Head’s south flank, soon appear high above. Mount Garibaldi and The Sharkfin show their profiles north of Atwell Peak. Across the valley to the east, an enormous sheet of glacial ice hangs on the slopes of Mamquam Mountain. Watch for wildlife. Marmots and pikas sunbathe on rocky outcroppings, and if you stop to pick blueberries, you’ll probably scare up the occasional grouse.
Past the halfway point, where, in summer months, a bridge crosses boulder-strewn, silt-gray, glacier-fed Ring Creek, you enter a barren landscape. Walking here is difficult because of rock debris recently deposited by the retreating glacier. Perhaps in another century plants will take root, giving fall frosts a chance to color these slopes, too.
The trail climbs towards a ridge beside the Opal Cone. If you want only a view of this ancient volcano, bear left where the trail divides. After 30 minutes on this steep section you will reach a viewpoint of the Opal Cone and the icefields below Mount Garibaldi. If your destination is Mamquam Lake, bear right at the point where the trail divides. The lake, east of the Opal Cone, is a walk of several hours.
Lava is a small, solid-sounding word, one that appears infrequently on British Columbia maps—except for National Topographic Survey map 92 G/15 (Mamquam Mountain) of the region east of Squamish in Garibaldi Park, where it appears three times. These lava fields lie below the south flank of the Opal Cone, an intriguingly shaped granite plug formed when a spew of molten lava hardened.
Despite its name, the cone is neither conical nor opalescent in appearance. Rather, it squats like a green-gray molar at the foot of Mount Garibaldi’s south tower, dagger-nosed Atwell Peak, surrounded by a battleship-gray landscape scoured clean by the retreating Garibaldi and Lava glaciers. As topsoil is scarce, vegetation has yet to take root here. The few traces of flora that do cling to the sides of the cone flourish somewhat mysteriously. At this elevation, above 1400 m (4593 ft), growth is as slow as smoke. But if the lava is rather bland in appearance, it only serves to heighten the intensity of hues in the broader panorama.
> MAMQUAM LAKE TRAIL
For those pushing on beyond Opal Cone, the trail leads 4.5 km (2.8 mi) east across a rough and mostly barren landscape, crossing active Zig Zag Creek (fed by the Lava Glacier) and passing the Rampart Ponds on its way to Mamquam Lake. The lake lies hidden until the trail begins its descent to the three narrow but level campsites cleared beside its shore. There are no facilities here, and you can usually count on having the rugged surroundings to yourself. The lake makes a wonderful bowl from which to engage in some intensive stargazing.
> INSIDE TRACK
For more information on Diamond Head, go to www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks and follow the links to Garibaldi Provincial Park. Note: A parking fee of $3 per day is charged year-round. Those planning to stay at the Elfin Lakes cabin ($10 each per night, $25 per family) or the campground ($5 each per night) must register and prepay at the parking lot kiosk.
> 3 SQUAMISH AND PARADISE VALLEYS
> LOCATION : 76 km (47 mi) north of Vancouver, 16 km (10 mi) north of downtown Squamish, 50 km (31 mi) south of Whistler, 87 km (54 mi) south of Pemberton
> ACTIVITIES : Camping, climbing, cycling, fishing, hiking, picnicking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, swimming, viewpoints, walking
> HIGHLIGHTS : Eagles, cataracts, swift water
THE SQUAMISH and Paradise valleys are dominated by four glacial rivers—the Cheakamus, Cheekye, Squamish, and Mamquam, which converge here before they meet the ocean.
The Cheakamus River, having almost completed its flow south from Whistler, picks up water from the Cheekye just before it joins the Squamish near Brackendale. The Mamquam River comes in from the east to add volume to the Squamish, downstream from Brackendale. As you head along the back roads leading from downtown Squamish north to the Brackendale neighborhood, then beyond into the Squamish and Paradise valleys, you’ll quickly discover easy routes on which to walk, pedal, or drive. You can choose to follow a gentle country road or a river-dike trail, none of which will prove too lengthy or vertically challenging.
The farms you pass will be small compared to the wide expanse of the Pemberton prairie to the north. Although the rich agricultural lands here were a powerful lure for the region’s first European settlers, today urbanization is putting the future of Squamish’s family farms in jeopardy. Still, a pastoral ambience prevails, making these back roads a good place to stretch your legs while enjoying seasonal colors, counting eagles, or tracing pioneer byways. The finest hops in the British Empire were once grown here and exported to England for use in brewing beer. Although the market for hops ended abruptly with the outbreak of war in 1914, a reminder of the aromatic crop’s glory days in the valley is preserved in the name Hop Ranch Creek, which drains Alice Lake.
As you journey north on Buckley Street from downtown Squamish towards Brackendale, Buckley crosses the BC Rail tracks and turns into Government Road. At the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (39645 Government Road; 604-898 -9336; www.wcra.bc.ca), vintage train cars and steam engines such as the Royal Hudson are displayed on the grounds and in a large roundhouse. The history of Squamish is interwoven with that of the railway, once the largest employer in town, and the museum has found a receptive home. One of the oldest pieces of equipment on display—and my personal favorite—is the stout-hearted 2-Spot locomotive, which went into service in Squamish with the Howe Sound and Pemberton Valley Northern Railway in 1910. Climb aboard and ring its resonant bell.
> BRACKENDALE AND CHEEKYE
Access: Follow Government Road to 7 km (4.3 mi) north of downtown Squamish, or just west of Highway 99 on Depot Road, where a large sign of an eagle is posted.
Once an important relay station on the Pemberton Trail, Brackendale was eclipsed by Squamish when that port began to grow in importance with the construction of a government wharf in 1902. Although Brackendale was located only 7.5 km (4.6 mi) north of the Squamish waterfront, it sometimes took the early travelers who arrived aboard the steamer Saturna half a day to make the journey between the two. Today Brackendale is part of the municipality of Squamish.
A large population of bald eagles has called Brackendale home since long before the arrival of Europeans. From November to March, when the tall black cottonwoods stand bare, you can see massive nests high in their branches. The eagles return each year to reclaim their penthouses, repair them, and add new nest material, and every January there is a tally of the birds’ numbers. In 1994, a world-record 3,769 bald eagles were counted along the Squamish River, making this one of the largest nesting colonies of these magnificent birds in North America. Thanks to the efforts of community leaders, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park was created on the site in 1999.