" Great photos in the book and it's very current information. "
Mark Forsythe CBC Almanac
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Salal
Though not a popular trail-side snack in modern times, salal berries are not only edible, they are quite tasty. Perhaps the "hairiness" of the berries or the grainy texture imparted by their many, tiny seeds is a turnoff to jaded modern palettes. Being plentiful throughout the coast, salal berries were an important component of pre-European diets hereabouts. Aboriginal groups generally consumed salal berries directly from the bush or processed them into a kind of fruit leather for storage. These cakes were then reconstituted with water and served mixed with the omnipresent oolichan grease. An acquired taste, no doubt. The deep purple colouring of the berries found use in dying bakets. Salal berries are presently used primarily in jams and pies. The bright, leathery foliage is commercially harvested for use in floral displays world-wide.
Illustration by Manami Kimura
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07
Feb
2007
Norvan Falls
(2 - user rating)
Written by Brian Grover
Access: Getting to Lynn Headwaters Level: Moderate
Distance: 14 km r/t
Time: 6 h
Elevation Change: 230 m
Map: 92 G/6
Season: April to Nov
From the information board take the left fork, following a wide, flat path paralleling the creek. On the left you'll soon notice a stack of old, creosote covered wooden pipes, vestiges of North Vancouver's water supply from the 1920s to 1983. After 1.7 km the trail forks. The easiest and most interesting route lies to the left on the Cedars Mill Trail. In the underbrush to the right of the trail you'll note a miscellany of rusted artifacts dating to the early days of B.C. logging. These scraps of history are protected so refrain from pocketing a souvenir of your visit.
A Far Sketchier Route: To reach the top of Coliseum Mountain continue climbing above Norvan Falls. The trail, an additional 6 km each way, is far steeper from this point forward. Pictured here, Coliseum Mountain from the backside as seen from the Seymour River Salmon Hatchery.
Except during periods of high water it is possible to catch a glimpse of a giant western red cedar, nearby. A rough trail, adjacent to the old mill site but across Lynn Creek leads steeply up the bank to the foot of a 600 years old conifer measuring 50 metres tall and 4 metres around at the base. Be sure to exercise caution when rock hopping across the waterway. Follow the rough trail back downstream to see other cedar and Douglas fir giants that the loggers overlooked.
At the end of this 2.1 km section the trail opens up on a boulder field, evidence of periodic flooding. Enjoy the sunshine at creek side here as the trail next plunges into the forest darkness following a succession of old logging roads for 2.9 km to the bridge at Norvan Creek. On the way you'll pass by another heap of historic relics. Broken bits of porcelain, a dented tea kettle and old, broken handsaws attest to the forestry operations which began here in the mid-1880s. Check out the massive stumps hereabouts and imagine the backbreaking work that must have been required to saw through one of these giants balanced on a springboard two or more metres above the forest floor.
Picturesque Norvan Falls will be found 300 metres upstream from the Norvan Creek Bridge. Whether turning back or continuing on to Grouse Mountain plan to stop here for lunch.
