Post-storm look at Spanish Banks and Wreck Beach

[Mariken Van Nimwegen]

We did another ‘theme hike’ on Jan. 18th: I checked out the damage done to the coastal paths right after the storm with its unusual, extreme flooding and was in awe of the ways in which nature plays with human-made infrastructure. The western-most Spanish Banks walking and biking trails were wiped out completely, rocks and tree trunks strewn all over as if they were weightless rubber duckies. I wanted to share this sight with the club and it was a hit: there were 13 of us, all curious to see this Force of Nature with their own eyes! We were surprised to see that the City had already been hard at work removing most debris off the trail’s surface and putting barriers around the gaps knocked out of the coastal edge by the ocean. We proceeded via UBC to the coastal trail at Wreck Beach and it was the same there: restoration had already begun on the numerous mudslides and blow-downs. We had fun doing a real scramble here, an urban wilderness adventure with, thank goodness, a French bakery afterwards (‘Doughgirls’ in Westbrook Village, yum, amazing!) before we returned via the Endowmnent Lands, doing close to 20 km in all.

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