Our Byrne Creek meeting was a lot of fun. The Beavers like to meet at Ron McLean park because there is a playground there. The hike itself took approximately 1 hr 15 minutes to complete, progressing down a set of gravel stairs, along the creek, across a bridge and then up a hillside to the ridge where we passed through several distinct forest zones, from moist deciduous to dry coniferous. We stopped to look at features in nature, such as different fungi on trees, how tree and plant roots hold the earth and protect it from erosion by swollen creek water in early spring, trees with moss on only one side, nurse logs and trees that feed woodpeckers, and tree roots that have pushed up into the trail. We also noticed a number of wildflowers and stopped to silently hear the different birdcalls in the woods. There were a couple highlights of the hike that the Beavers found extra exciting: we terrified a 30cm long garter snake at the top of the ridge, and we had to pass beside a very, very dead little mouse!
There were about four or five water breaks requested by the Beavers, and they did an amazing job of hiking this route. Well done!
Burnaby 1st Southwest Beaver Colony 