Words by Dolores, images by Glen and Dolores

We had 11 people signed up for this hike, but due to a variety of reasons, (some transportation and weather forecast related) our numbers dwindled to two, plus two leaders.  We woke up to heavy rain and seriously considered cancelling altogether.  In the end we four heavily goretexed and optimistic souls had our faith rewarded.  There was a break in the weather as we set off from the Quarry trailhead and we had no rain as we hiked through the marsh pathways, by beaver lodges and ducks.  The trail went up through the forest to the rocky outcroppings and viewpoints.  We had views over the Pitt River to the Fraser and learned a new word for the area: “polder”.  From the Addington lookout we dropped down to the dike and walked a short way along the canal to a bird watching platform before making our way back to the Lower Marsh.  There were washrooms and picnic tables overlooking the water which made a lovely lunch spot.  It started to rain lightly as we finished eating, so we had a look around the historic Minnekhada lodge and then had only 1 km left back to the parking lot.  It was a way better morning than any of us expected.