Single tracks

By KEILI BARTLETT

TIMBER!

There’s never been a better excuse to wear your favourite flannel (not that you need one in Squamish, where they’re practically mandatory). On BC Day long weekend, Aug. 1 to 5, a long-loved Squamish custom steps back into the ring.

The Squamish Days Loggers Sports tradition is 62 years strong. It kicked off in 1957, originally as a one-day event. As the competitive spirit grew to five days, it celebrates the area’s long logging history, from the Sḵwxwú7mesh people through different inventions of machinery to help make a dangerous job safer and faster. Crowd favourites include bucking, chopping, tree climbing, falling and topping and, naturally, axe throwing. Once upon a time, the festival also featured a men’s pageant, mostly judged on their beards.

This festival truly has everything your inner lumberjack could desire. Even your miniloggers are welcome, as the festival includes kid events. Some events are open to newbies, so seriously, don’t forget your plaid.

It doesn’t get more Squamish than this. •

left and below: Loggers sports has a long tradition in Squamish as these photos from 1962 (insert) and 1970s show. Photos: Squamish Digital History Collection via the Squamish Public Library

above and below: Squamish Murals. Photos: David Buzzard

PAINT THE TOWN

As you take in the majestic natural vistas around Squamish, don’t miss the human-made artistic touches about town.

At the head of Cleveland Avenue, salmon swim along the sidewalk, the first to greet you on your jaunt downtown. Murals reflect the rolling mountains found along the Sea to Sky Corridor, splashed across buildings to your left and right. The newest to join our colourful canvas was unveiled by local artist Jessa Gilbert on the Sea to Sky Art House (which hosts even more art inside) in August 2018. Less than a month later, the Squanderer Mural Festival left its annual mark on three walls: the biggest flamingo you’ve ever seen graces Cleveland, a blue heron spreads its wings in an alley off Second Avenue, and roosters greet Mags 99 diners off the highway. A kaleidoscope of colours emulate the mountains and wildlife that draw many to Squamish in the first place.

Keep your eyes peeled as you explore beyond Cleveland — no matter where you turn, there’s guaranteed to be a sight to behold.

Bonus: Don’t miss the evereclectic Brackendale Art Gallery. Known as the BAG, it hosts a gallery, teahouse and musical performances ranging from the blues to open mic nights. You’ll know you’re nearby when you see the eagles — you’re there when you see the unicorn. •

OLD MINE SPARKS NEW SHOW

Although operations at the Britannia Mine came to a full stop in 1974, a new exhibit is breathing life back into the National Historic Site.

Kirstin Clausen, the executive director of the museum, said the 13-minute show, BOOM!, will feature a video with special effects — including explosions, sparks and smoke.

“You will watch and feel the show, and have a sense of what was happening in the building,” Clausen said. “There are surprises.”

“I want people to recognize communities have a rich history and they’re still relevant today.”

And there’s more to explore. The 20-storey building overlooking Howe Sound has a 200-kilometre underground tunnel system. Once the largest producer of copper in the British Empire (in the 1920s), Britannia Mine’s tunnels now offer tours — via an underground train. Don a miner’s helmet as history is illuminated around you.

“I want people to recognize communities have a rich history and they’re still relevant today. What happened in Britannia, what was mining in the past and what is mining today,” she said.

“People are a part of that.”

Become a part of mining history yourself as you get up close to the giant machines used on the mountains, then pan for gold. As they say, it’s finders keepers around here. •

EASY PIC’INGS

Instagram-worthy views aren’t hard to find in Squamish, but here are a few where you can get a lot of likes for little effort. [1] Take the SEA TO SKY GONDOLA for accessible mountaintop snaps, complete with viewpoints overlooking the iconic Stawamus Chief, Howe Sound and Squamish itself. The gondola also has its very own suspension bridge, perfect for a selfie (if you’re not afraid of heights). [2] Before the gondola, the one-kilometre hike to SHANNON FALLS is touted for its easy walk to the third highest waterfall in the province. [3] See another view of the Chief and Shannon Falls from where the fjord meets the river at the edge of town. The SQUAMISH ESTUARY has a network of flat trails the whole family can enjoy. Here, all kinds of wildlife are at home in salt marshes, wetlands and mudflats, all part of a Wildlife Management Area designated before the turn of the century. One loop, the 1.4km Woodpecker Trail, is clearly named for the creature you’ll likely spot on it. Find a different kind of wildlife riding kiteboards along the Spit. Watch them frolic in the strong winds as you sit among driftwood-strewn beaches. [4] Venture a little farther to ALICE LAKE, where the Alice Lake Loop is wheelchair accessible and suitable for strollers. Accessible parking, some picnic tables and washrooms are also at this picturesque location. Build a fire (wood available for sale in the park) and enjoy a laidback day at the lake, complete with a mountain backdrop to cap it all off. •

opposite page top: Britannia Mine, circa 1910. Photo: Submitted

opposite page bottom: Britannia Mine, present day. Photo: David Buzzard

right: The Squamish McDonald’s as seen from the Smoke Bluffs. Photo: David Buzzard

WELCOME TO SQUAMISH

For years, Squamish has been known for its McDonald’s. Since 1988, the fast food franchise’s glowing golden arches has stood alongside the highway, an unofficial sign marking the turnoff to Squamish.

Months after McDonald’s first touched down in town, the impact was described as “dramatic” in the Squamish Times newspaper. Elementary school students studied how the low-cost menu was affecting local business and how traffic could be an issue.

Many have joked that the drive-thru is all they’ve seen of Squamish en route to Whistler, but this McDonald’s location is historic. In 1998, it became the first McDonald’s in North America to unionize. Ten months later, the union disbanded. While the workers’ agreement was short-lived, the restaurant’s legacy lives on — it’s now old enough that if the local McDonald’s was a person, it would be a millennial. Fries with those facts? •

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