Powwow Country: Tikwalus Trail and Geocaching on BC trails

Tikwalus Trail
Geocaching on BC trails

Geocaching is a high-tech version of an old-fashioned treasure hunt, and it’s an exciting family-style activity that’s perfect for summer adventures. Armed with a GPS unit or other mobile device, geocachers seek out hidden caches or containers by using geographical co-ordinates. The waterproof caches contain a logbook, where the geocacher signs in and may trade one small memento for another.

Chasing the Golden Butterfly is a guide for geocachers and other visitors to the heart of British Columbia. It celebrates 10,000 years of living history along five historic routes from Hope to Barkerville and well beyond. One of these is a new trail that opened in April. The Pathway to Gold route stretches from Hope to Barkerville, meandering from the Fraser Canyon to the rolling Thompson benchlands and into the Caribou. For thousands of years, First Nations, and the fur traders and gold seekers who came later, left their mark on the landscape here. The Spirit Trail follows the rugged route from the top of Lake Harrison to the Pemberton Valley and beyond. Over many centuries, First Nations people respected this as a special place, inhabited by powerful and playful spirits. It is as rewarding as it is challenging. Blue Sky Country is the semi-arid landscape that’s been home to thousands of years of Aboriginal people. It is easily travelled by car, but may tempt you to saddle up and hit one of the many off-road trails. The Heritage Trails take you from Stanley Park at the mouth of the Burrard Inlet, to the Cascade Mountains above Hope, and through the heart of B.C. to the Caribou. Tikwalus Trail is in the traditional territory of the Spuzzum First Nation. It is a 12-kilometre route on Lake Mountain, with the trailhead one kilometre north of Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park. The program is sponsored by the New Pathways to Gold Society and other tourism associations.

For more information, check out www.newpathwaystogold.ca

Poto caption: Chief James Hobart (left) of the Spuzzum First Nation looks on as Senator Lillian Quan Dyck (center) and Senator Vivienne Poy throw the switch to “activate” the geocaches on the Tikwalus Trail during the Grand Opening ceremony on April 20, 2012.