The August walk was organized and led by Jon, who had selected the labyrinthine trails of the Campbell Valley Regional Park as our August destination. Two routes were on offer: an 11 km loop, and a 5.5 km loop, for those who preferred to loop in moderation. Since our traditional annual BBQ was to follow the walk, we’d first met up at the home of Ralph, Tina, and Maki in Walnut Grove, so that pot-luck contributions could be spared the blazing sun. From there we car-pooled to the Campbell Valley Regional Park, a 25 minute ride due south, which resulted in an actual start time of approximately 11:19.

We were numerous. “How numerous?”, I hear you ask. Well, there are several methods for calculating attendance on a Looper walk:

• Count the number of heads at the start (often using the starting selfie as reference), and divide by one
• Count the number of feet, and divide by two

The latter method gets complicated if a dog is present, so we’ve used the former method to arrive at our count of 21 souls for the August Looper expedition in Campbell Valley; plus Maisie. One soul, hobbled by an Achilles inflammation, remained at the start of the walk with a chair and a book. The rest of us set out, chit-chatting as we walked. Cleverly, Jon had arranged things so that all of the elevation gain was positioned at the start of the walk, when everyone was fresh.

One couldn’t help noticing that horses (and their droppings) were ubiquitous on these trails, and in obedience to some sort of unwritten protocol we Loopers automatically ceded right of way to them (the horses, not their droppings, which we simply side-stepped).

At about the midpoint of the walk — near the Old Orchard Group Picnic Area if I have my bearings right — we took our snack break in and around a small gazebo, the group picnic tables having been previously reserved by a Group who fiercely defended their turf. Post-snack, the Shorter Loop Group (SLG) headed back towards the parking lot along the shorter loop, while the Longer Loop Group (LLG) proceeded in a southerly direction, following (possibly) the Shaggy Mane Trail.

As the LLG neared the Historic Langley Speedway, one Looper experienced mild discomfort. Out of an abundance of caution, Jean summoned a Metro Vancouver Parks vehicle and park ranger from thin air, which appeared from the surrounding forest as if by magic, to carry the Looper back to the starting parking lot and her vehicle. This exciting event, combined with the splitting off of the SLG at the gazebo, and the Achilles Looper who’d remained at the start, meant that our numbers had been reduced from 21 souls to a mere 14 at the completion of the Longer Loop. Nonetheless, all Loopers were — more or less — eventually accounted for, so this diminishment in numbers should NOT be considered a black mark against this month’s leader.

The day concluded with our annual BBQ, hosted once again by Ralph, Tina, and Maki, with Jon and Sandy serving as our grill-meisters. Our numbers at the BBQ were supplemented by several bonus Loopers, who had been unable to take part in the walk itself. Loopers could be observed lounging in various groupings about the yard: the shade-loving Loopers sought shade, while the solar-powered Loopers bronzed themselves in the sun. A lavish table of salads and other fine food offerings was spread in the shade. People partook, beverages were quaffed, and conversations took place, as well as bocce.

As the afternoon was drawing to a close, Jean proposed a toast to Larrie, who had attended many of these walks and BBQs, and who had recently left us. Several Loopers shared their favourite Larrie memories from the past decade. We thanked our hosts, and those who had contributed and prepared food. All in all it was a delightful day.

Photos by: Jon, Liz, Jean, David S, Adrienne, Angela R, Michael.