Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Exploring Around Clayburn

In our two weeks out west I got a chance to explore on my own around the area where our daughter lives, in east Abbotsford.  The historic village is Clayburn, one of Canada's first 'company towns', for a brick-making operation.  I walked Clayburn Creek Trail, visited Devon Falls, and enjoyed a little bit of the western rainforest.

Clayburn Creek Trail follows the route of the old narrow-gauge railway that carried clay from the quarry down to the brick factory in Clayburn.  It's a really easy walk, especially going downhill!

The trail parallels the creek itself, and future plans call for more trails in the area.  I look forward to that.

Coming from southern Ontario, I still can't get over the rainforest moss coating all the branches down in the ravine.  It's a very green forest, all year round.

Ferns were just unfolding, a month ago now.  They're not this far along here even now.

I saw my first western Skunk Cabbage, also known as Swamp Lanterns.

And the leaves were well on their way to unfolding.  Ours are still struggling here!

That trail ends at these crazy but very well-built stairs, spaced exactly right for walking up (provided I stop for a rest several times - it's over 300 steps).  I provided a map of this trail in a post last December.

I also stopped in to visit Devon Falls, a beautiful narrow waterfalls a few blocks to the south.

I'm also slowly getting to know the ferns.  It's Licorice Fern that grows out of the moss on trees.

And the huge 3 or 4 feet high evergreen Sword Ferns that are most common in these areas.  Here come this year's fronds while last year's are still green.



15 comments:

  1. Beautiful waterfall and very impressive forest. Rain forests are really special places and you're lucky to have an excuse to visit it fairly frequently.

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  2. Wonderful pictures of my favorite kinds of places to hike. Our swamp lanterns are now huge! :-)

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  3. Those steps, what a plan to get them zig-zagged just right. and ferns, the greenery is beautiful.

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  4. Some real amazing scenery there and rainforest sure is different than anything around here.

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  5. You are not alone in having to stop on those steps as I would have done so too! The greens in these photos were beautiful and the waterfall is something I have never been able to take photos of.

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  6. Love the trail. What a great post, FG.

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  7. Nothing better than moss and ferns! And your snow is now officially gone...yay for you!

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  8. What beautiful pictures, love the moss, the new plants opening up and the stairs are wonderful!

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  9. A wonderful place to get to explore!

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  10. This looks like a beautiful spot to hike and enjoy nature. The water falls are pretty and I love the thick moss on the trees. The zig zag stairway is really interesting.

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  11. Those forests look very familiar!

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  12. My favorite picture today is the one of the stairs. Interesting!!

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  13. the ferns are just amazing!! i love how much you enjoy the outdoors, and everything you share here with us!!

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  14. So lush and green. Lovely waterfall. Those stairs are super cool looking but wow that's a lot of stair to climb.

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  15. This is a beautiful place/trail. I have never seen moss just cover everything like that! There was a cedar thicket that I played in as a kid that had a lot of moss on the ground...but not on the trees.

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