A lucky thirteen Loopers met up at the north parking lot of Campbell Valley Regional Park, for an 11 km (or so) walk along the Shaggy Mane Trail (a PDF version of the park’s trails is here). This month’s walk was planned and led by Joette, Fred, and Diane. We had walked a version of this route before in a counter-clockwise direction, in August of 2024 (full account here), but this time the leaders had chosen a clockwise direction, which made everything feel fresh and new. Funny how that works. A number of Looper regulars were missing from this expedition, offering various excuses entirely legitimate reasons for their absence.
After the standard starting selfie (above) the group set out, with Joette setting a brisk pace, the rest of us following dutifully behind. A comparison with ducks and ducklings would not be inappropriate.
The Campbell Valley Regional Park has some sort of arrangement with the Campbell Valley Equestrian Society (CVES), and with Back in the Saddle Again, a “family owned trail riding company based in Langley” which offers group horseback rides through the park, primarily along the Shaggy Mane Trail. $40 will buy you a one-hour ride; $70 buys you a two-hour ride (the preceding was a public-service announcement only, NOT a paid ad). Walkers along the Shaggy Mane Trail are advised to watch where they put their feet, lest they inadvertently step into some freshly-laid equine-generated fertilizer whilst deep in conversation.
A highlight of the walk was the “Water Splash” feature, which AI describes as “a famous feature on the Shaggy Mane Trail, […] a shallow crossing where the trail passes directly over the Little Campbell River.” Perhaps this is true during wetter seasons; during the summer heat waves, however, the “Water Splash” is decidedly underwhelming. A video supposedly exists, showing Jon demonstrating the “Splash” aspect of this famous feature; unfortunately, the author of this blog has not yet been able to obtain this footage.
Near noon, we turned right at the Lochiel School, built in 1924 to replace the original school which had been established in 1889. This route took us through the grounds of the Rowlatt Farmstead, whose field can apparently be booked for events and group gatherings at the cost of a mere $300 per day plus GST. Len Rowlatt, for whom the farmstead is now named, was apparently renowned for his water divining ability; he lived in the farmhouse until his death in 1972. Our snack break was taken on the grounds, in the shade of a weatherbeaten tree, and several Loopers would happily have followed their snack with a short nap in the shade; the walk’s leaders, however, had other plans, so we soldiered on.
The Shaggy Mane Trail is advertised as a loop of roughly 11 km in length (though Jon’s route map, below, suggests that we covered just over 12 km). Much of the trail is in shade, which made for pleasant walking on a hot day.
Afters were taken at one or the other of the Trendz Coffee House, or the Artful Dodger Pub, where Looper emeritus Ralph reportedly made an appearance (though no photographic evidence supports this claim). Evidently everyone enjoyed themselves, and we look forward to next month’s walk, to be led by Jon.
Photos courtesy of Jon and Michael.
Loopers 