Falling… dropping, ever deeper through utter inky blackness, faster and faster, nothing to see or touch, even gravity seems missing. Drifting through the aqueous void you are truly in an aquatic alien world never meant for humans. Pressure and the sound of compressed air blowing into your drysuit are the main feelings you have as you plummet into the depths… in search of the giant bioherms of Howe Sound. 

The intense cold is held at bay by the barrier of a Quadflex nylon suit and a layer of snuggy warm liners. This is the far technical end of air diving; the deepest you can safely go with out trimix gases and in the most exposed location of the Sound.  Beyond these depths it is the realm of exotic mixed gas diving or mini subs for humans.

Carefully watching the luminescent faces of our dive computers we see 100 feet go by and still no bottom.  There is no references anywhere you look; the darkness is ubiquitous and absolute, and only the power of the high intensity dive lights guide our every downwards path. You feel like Alice, falling towards Wonderland. High descent speed is needed as the currents can push you off the narrow underwater peaks into the deadly abyss, and it’s straight down off the back of dive vessel into wide open water.  Plunging deeper past 100 feet vague images start to appear in the form of light snow white patches, focusing now my vision stops shimmering, and as far as the eye can see the valleys and rises are outlined in grayish green white.

I’ve just  finished a unique and very lengthy book entitled “Arctic Journal” by Bern Will Brown, who spent over 50 years in Canada’s north country. It is difficult to write about this book simply because this fellow did so much.

He was born into a Catholic family in 1920 in the United States and became a priest while quite young. He immediately explained to his senior officers that he wanted to be sent to the Canadian North.

Many decades later he wrote this book. It would be I think impossible to try to summarize this 600 hundred page publication simply because he was involved (and I mean involved) in so many things over and above his church work to which he truly devoted his life.

Some of you may have seen the beautiful aluminum footbridge that now spans Alberta Creek adjacent to the highway and wondered why it isn’t being used yet and where it leads to. This bridge is part of the Brunswick Centennial Trail which when finished will lead from the Lions Bay Store to Crystal Falls Road.
The main reasons for the delay are the installation of the sound mitigation walls and waiting for permits. It was hoped that the walls would be installed prior to the Olympics but unfortunately this didn’t happen and will probably not be in place until late spring or early summer.

It is very gratifying that so many people have started turning out for our trail construction parties and I am constantly amazed at the skills and creativity our volunteers bring to the site. As construction continues people seem to get fussier and fussier and bits that seemed O.K. earlier on now have to be upgraded!

Although the winter has not been a good one for skiers it has been great for trail construction and people who would normally be out on the slopes are wielding pick axes and tell me they are having lots of fun!!

By the way when the trail is complete there will be an option to carry on around in a loop so that you don’t have to retrace your footprints.

Once a decision has been reached on names there will be a village map plus signage on the trail and even a couple of picnic areas.

If you feel you would like a bit of exercise and a chance to work with your neighbours send me an email and I will add you to the contact list.  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it