2021 July 4: Cypress Falls

Meeting up

On July 4, 23 Loopers met at 9:30 am at the parking lot for Cypress Falls in West Vancouver. This was a momentous day, because we had not hiked together as one group for over a year. There was a lot of catching up to do; fortunately, we all remembered how to converse.

It was a warm day but not as warm as the previous, record-setting week. We met earlier than usual to take advantage of the relative cool of the morning.

Along the creek

The planned trail was up the west side of Cypress Creek. There were several sets of falls to view along the route. The trail was above the creek with dramatic drop-offs at times. Loopers being Loopers, some occasionally found themselves on the wrong side of the fence. [Ed: this practice is strongly condemned.]

There was very little in the way of bird sighting. However, some eagle-eyed members spotted a mysterious orange pod high in a tree. There was much speculation about its nature and provenance, but nobody offered to climb the tree to investigate further.

Leaving the creek

Leaving the creek, we hiked up to the Northwood Connector, where three Loopers left because of previous engagements. After a completely democratic discussion and agreement, the rest proceeded north up another trail that led to the Eagle Lake access road. We then looped back downhill, crossing a road bridge to the east side of Cypress Creek, in search of a missing piece of trail that would get us back to a marked route.

A well-groomed poodle, accompanied by two humans, emerged from a connecting trail. We were warned that the trail they had come from was slippery and steep, so we separated into two groups (let’s call them the Wise and the Reckless). The Wise headed along the road a little further to a slightly less steep route. The Reckless all made it without incident and the two groups recombined just before a bridge that brought us back to the west side.

Afters

We had intended to head to Millennium Park for afters, but some members spotted a grassy clearing close to the car park, so we set out a circle of chairs and continued our conversations while consuming our beverages of choice for a blissful hour or so.