As the brightly painted Squamish Nation long canoe slipped into the cool green waters of Howe Sound and its crew began earnestly paddling in the afternoon heat, Gordon McKeever stood watching on the shore. He had a huge, satisfied grin on his face.
This was, after all, the moment he had been working towards for more than five years.
鈥淚t was a pretty neat sight,鈥� he said, joy still apparent in his voice. 鈥淚t was a powerful emotion I was feeling, after having been involved with this project from concept right to the opening ceremony.鈥�
McKeever was the driving force behind the new Sea to Sky Marine Trail, a part of the Trans Canada Trail network and 小蓝视频 Marine Trail Network. It officially opened on Sunday, June 14, at Nexen Beach amidst speeches from various dignitaries, including 小蓝视频 Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, MLA Jordan Sturdy and Mayor Patricia Heintzman.
The trail is unique in the entire country, in that The Sea to Sky Marine Trail is the only saltwater route on the Trans Canada Trail network. But McKeever was quick to point out he didn鈥檛 create the route on his own and that it took Herculean efforts by different groups, individuals and levels of government just to pull off.
鈥淲e got amazing cooperation from a number of sources,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is no way this could have happened without a large number of people working very diligently on this, so it was very much a team effort across the board.鈥�
The story of The Sea to Sky Marine Trail began with McKeever, project manager for the Sea to Sky Trail, looking for a way to connect Squamish and the Sea to Sky with the rest of the Trans Canada Trail.
鈥淚 knew a land route was going to be too hard,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom Squamish to Vancouver, you have these mountains that plunge into the ocean.鈥�
At the same time, Alistair McCrone, the district recreation officer, was seeking out new outdoor recreation opportunities for the corridor.
鈥淪o, he saw an opportunity, and you could argue a need, to create more public recreation opportunities in Howe Sound,鈥� said McKeever.
鈥淯p until now, there had only been three provincial marine parks in the area where you could camp,鈥� said McCrone. 鈥淏ut, now we have six more new sites in the Sound.鈥�
These new waterfront sites have been developed as 鈥渞ustic鈥� campsites for users of self-propelled watercraft such as sea kayaks and offer the opportunity for multi-day paddling and camping trips throughout Howe Sound.
鈥淎nd now was the perfect time to undertake something like this,鈥� McKeever said. 鈥淗owe Sound is going through an incredible renaissance鈥� a rebound. We no longer have Britannia Mines or Woodfibre, so with no more polluting going on, we鈥檝e started to see big mammals like dolphins and orcas. Before, there wasn鈥檛 a lot of recreation going on in Howe Sound, but now that it鈥檚 rebounding, there is a definite need for these sites.鈥�
Another piece of the puzzle came into place with the partnership of the 小蓝视频 Marine Trails Network, a not-for-profit organization with a vision to design and develop a marine network of access points and campsites along the entire 小蓝视频 coast.
鈥淭hey brought a lot of skill to the table,鈥� said McKeever. 鈥淣ick Heath and Mick Allen from the 小蓝视频 Marine Trails Network were invaluable. We spent days out on the water, picking painstakingly along the shore looking for the sites we would use.鈥�
Initially they had identified 15 potential campsites for the marine trail, however, not all the areas made the grade.
鈥淭hey had to be on Crown land, and six of the original sites didn鈥檛 pass that first test,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we sent nine sites to a referral process, but at the end of the day, three more didn鈥檛 pass muster and we ended up with six sites.鈥�
But they still needed some work before paddlers could start landing their crafts and pitching tents at the sites.
鈥淔our of the six sites had pretty rocky landings, so we had to go out there and take those big rocks and move them around to create a channel for paddlers,鈥� McKeever said. 鈥淲e also had to do some clearing and creating of additional campsites.鈥�
He said each of the six sites is completely unique now.
鈥淭hey are absolutely gorgeous sites,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ach is completely different from the other, and that鈥檚 what is fun鈥� they are so different.鈥�
At the opening ceremony of the marine trail on Sunday, Roxanne Rousseau, president of the Sea Kayaking Association of 小蓝视频 said she had already stayed at two of the sites.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe the amount of work that has gone into this legacy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are simply stunning campsites. It鈥檚 a real opportunity for people to see Howe Sound in a completely different light.鈥�
For MLA Sturdy, a longtime supporter and champion of the project, the Sea to Sky Marine Trail represented a look at the past as well.
鈥淲hat we are actually doing is reestablishing a marine trail,鈥� he said, thanking Squamish Nation members at the ceremony for allowing the trail on traditional Squamish Nation territory. 鈥淭he Howe Sound was used since time immemorial for transportation by First Nations. We are just reestablishing that route and tradition.鈥�
Squamish Nation Chief Bill Williams told the assembled crowd that the new trail would serve to recognize First Nations connections to both the land and water and help Squamish Nation youths to explore their heritage and culture like never before. The campsites will have signage in English and the language of the Squamish Nation.
Williams presented McKeever with a ceremonial drum for his efforts in creating the Sea to Sky Marine Trail.
As the Squamish Nation canoe pulled away from the shore, marking the fulfillment of five years of hard work, McKeever held the drum close to his chest and just kept smiling.
