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Author: Denis Laplante

In Memoriam – Catherine Joan Aitchison

In Memoriam – Catherine Joan Aitchison

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Catherine (Cathy) Aitchison on February 17th 2022. Cathy was the only child of Matthew and Marjorie Aitchison of Winchester, Ontario. At the age of eighteen, Cathy left Winchester and studied Fashion Design in Chicago. Later she moved to London, England where she worked in Graphic Design. She also worked for Thomas Cook, and travelled for five years. Cathy then moved to Vancouver and worked for the Australian Consulate. She…

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Sugar Mountain Ridge hike

Sugar Mountain Ridge hike

On August 16 2021, six members hiked from Buntzen Lake to Sugar Mountain (South of Diez Vistas trail). It’s a beautiful forest, with most of the trip on easy to follow pleasant trails. After 2 months of hot dry weather, we were delighted to get some much needed rain.

Brohm Lake – July 5, 2021

Brohm Lake – July 5, 2021

Trip Report & Photos by Denis Laplante and Teresa Gagné Five members (including two Board members) joined Teresa and Denis for 7 hours of walking (9.5km), botanizing and birdwatching. Our route included a mix of steep climbs (Tantalus Viewpoint, and Cheakamus Loop trails) and gentler strolls through beautiful mixed conifer-deciduous forest around the lake (Bridge Trail, Brohm Lake Trail) –  see Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest. We met at 8:30 to reduce our exposure to the predicted 27 C afternoon temperature, and…

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Sugar Mtn Ridge hike 2021-01-08

Sugar Mtn Ridge hike 2021-01-08

Friday Jan 8 Teresa and I hiked from White Pine Beach to the junction with Diez Vistas trail, half along the logging road, and half along the parallel Ted’s Trail, then back along the ridge of Sugar Mountain (sometimes known as Buntzen Ridge). We enjoyed a lovely 4 hour walk under drizzle, 7.4km with 360m elevation gain, and met 6 people and 4 nice dogs. It’s a nice trail, a good workout, not much mud, and lovely trees and greenery….

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Elk Mountain 2020-June-22 trip report

Elk Mountain 2020-June-22 trip report

The two of us drove out Monday to Elk Mountain, South of Chilliwack. The easy to follow trail starts out in a beautiful conifer woods and after 800 metres of climb over 4.5km arrives at beautiful sub-alpine meadows with views of nearby Mt Baker and other mountains. The trail was somewhat muddy in patches but we didn’t sink in. And the bugs kept away. What a wonderful day! We identified 58 species of plants, and one toad. Get species list…

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Admiralty Point 2020-04-11 – informal trip report

Admiralty Point 2020-04-11 – informal trip report

Five of us old friends drove early to Belcarra Picnic Area parking (9am is early, isn’t it?) to beat the rush on this sunny Saturday; we met 4 people on the trail, making distancing easy. When we got back at 1:30 the parking lot was pretty full, and we skipped out plan to go up the peninsula because of crowding. Along the water to Admiralty and Burns point is an easy walk on a pleasant trail, beautiful views of water,…

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Nature Walk, Byrne Creek Ravine, 2020-03-29 – Informal Trip Report

Nature Walk, Byrne Creek Ravine, 2020-03-29 – Informal Trip Report

For housebound folks seeking a hit of nature, this sliver of Burnaby wilderness surrounded by city is definitely worth a visit.  Byrne Creek Ravine Park offers a beautiful stream, generally good trails, tall trees, lush green ferns, birdsong, spring flowers and more.  The basic loop is just over 3km with about 70m of elevation gain and can be started from the bottom (near Southridge & Marine Dr.) or from the top (near Ron McLean Park). There is one short steep…

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Nature Walk, Burnaby Lake, 2020-03-23 – Informal Trip Report

Nature Walk, Burnaby Lake, 2020-03-23 – Informal Trip Report

The following was not a Nature Vancouver field trip. Four of us went today to the trail North of Burnaby Lake and a bit down the Brunette River and back. From 9:30 to 2pm we walked along easy trails and saw many birds and flowers. We met about 60 people, all small groups and well spaced out. Within our group we were generally successful at maintaining 2m social distancing, with occasional brief lapses to 1m, usually when reading info. signs….

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Hike, Hayward Lake, 2020-03-21 – Informal Trip Report

Hike, Hayward Lake, 2020-03-21 – Informal Trip Report

On Saturday March 21 2020, five of us met for a lovely hike along Reservoir Trail on the East side of Hayward lake – note that this was not done under the Nature Vancouver organization but a group of friends. We drove up two per car and hiked South, from the parking lot 1200m east of the dam along Dewdney Trunk Rd, as described in Events calendar. The statistics are 15km in 6h30m, with cumulative ascent 290m. Maintaining “social distancing”…

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NFB “the Whale and the Raven” at Vancity Theatre

NFB “the Whale and the Raven” at Vancity Theatre

Following three sold-out shows at the Vancouver International Film Festival last fall, the NFB film “the Whale and the Raven” will be at Vancity Theatre from Friday Jan 10 to Thursday Jan 16. Journeying into BC’s Great Bear Rainforest, German documentarian and cultural anthropologist Mirjam Leuze investigates the potential impact of a liquefied natural gas exporting plant and increased tanker traffic on this stunning ecosystem. Not only are we introduced to the remarkable people who call this place home and oppose…

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