Walking? Sixty-five feet up in the air?
That was my first thought when we were invited to tour the Greenheart Canopy Walkway at the UBC Botanical Garden. I have a fear of heights, and the thought of being that high up, walking on very bouncy, see-through metal bridges attached to large Douglas Firs didn't thrill me, at first.
But I am an adventurous mom and so, enthusiastic family in tow, we proceeded to introduce ourselves to our guide for the 45 minute, 308-metre Canopy Walkway tour in the Garden.
It started out fairly low to the ground, with a gentle incline as we rose above the ferns and small trees. The view of the forest as we walked higher was beautiful and illuminating.
Our guide pointed out many special forest features that you don't notice or see from the ground, such as the special licorice ferns (so-called because they taste like it) that only grow midway up mature Fir trees. Or the bright, chartreuse green seed pods of maple trees that can be boiled to make a tea for drinking.
The bouncy nature of the metal walkway took some getting used to, and for my youngest child, it was a little too bumpy for his taste. He could only cross when everyone else had finished, to minimize the bounciness, and our guide was kind and encouraging at all times. I'm sure he wasn't the first to experience such fears!
The highest point of the tour is the 65-foot watchtower, where you can just peek through the canopy to catch a glimpse of the mouth of the Fraser River and Georgia Straight. On the green forest floor, the fast growing alders jockey for sunlight amongst hundreds-of-years old hemlocks, unlogged due to their brittle wood quality. Evidence of bird activity is audible, and signs of woodpeckers can be found at every dead tree trunk.
The Botanical Garden is beautiful at any time of year, but springtime is especially busy for nature, as it brings out all manner of creatures of interest to children and adults alike, such as field mice, many species of birds and insects, and pollinating bees.
The Garden has many pathways that meander through the Asian and Alpine gardens, as well as the second-growth forest, and they are all wheelchair and stroller-friendly.
Note: The Canopy Walkway has a specially-designed, narrow wheelchair that allows the physically-challenged to rise above the forest floor and experience the joy and sensation of being in the trees as well. (48 hours advanced notice is required.)
The travelling mom thanks the UBC Botanical Garden and the Greenheart Canopy Walkway for their generosity in making our visit possible.