Report by Naomi Ross

On Sunday, 27 November, 2022, five members of Nature Vancouver and a guest met at the Rabbit Lane trailhead for a 9:00am start. It was a crisp and clear day. The trail was unusually quiet in the beginning, and there was nobody at the first viewpoint. The clumps of mist gave a mysterious effect to the dramatic views from the platform, which looks almost vertically down the walls of the canyon. We continued on the winding trail over several cedar bridges, and then took the Shinglebolt trail towards the river to the view point at base of the dam. The water was at full force, and a double rainbow had formed. 

Next, we went along the Giant Fir Trail. There are several fallen trees along the trail, with massive roots. We headed to the dam, where we took a short break and admired the views of Capilano Reservoir, Grouse Mountain and the Lions. 

The hatchery was our next stop. It is fully open now, so we watched the Chinook salmon climbing the ladder. Some were very large and were splashing around. Then we checked out the actual hatcheries. At the Cable Pool, we were watching a couple of American Dippers dancing around, when one got caught in a fly-fisher’s line. We all held our breath as the large man held the very small bird in his left hand while trying to untangle the bird with his right hand. He was being ever so gentle and the bird did not seem distressed. He got the bird out, gave it a kiss, and back it went to its friend to flitter around. We saw a family of Common Mergansers in the pool, and Bald Eagles soaring overhead. 

We continued along the trails lined with Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar and lots of nurse logs of varying ages. Arrived back at the trailhead as planned, shortly after noon.