Pillsbury Press: Vancouver Day 2: Capilano Suspension Bridge

The Capilano Suspension Bridge kept popping up as a must-do activity while in Vancouver. I have a mild fear of (discomfort with) suspension bridges. When I've crossed others there is often a child who insists on jumping on it and making it otherwise sway much more than it seems it was designed to do. This is a picture of the one in Princeton's Institute Woods. Even looking at the picture of Don crossing it, it does not look safe. I have crossed it a number of times, always holding my breath and crossing with my eyes glued on the prize of being on the other side of the water.

And this one is very low to the ground. The Capilano Suspension Bridge is 140 meters long (460 feet) and 70 meters (230 feet) above the roaring waters.

I crossed, and even paused to take pictures along the way. It felt sturdy. It is sturdy.

Valentine's Decorations

It was also the in-between season. Something we learned to embrace during our trip.

Still signs of Christmas

The park decorates for Christmas with millions of lights that take them three months to put up. It then spends three months taking them down. Someone suggested they shift the focus from Christmas to Valentine's Day and extend the seasons people visit. On January 22 we saw some of the decorations that would be unveiled starting January 31.

The off-season meant we practically had the park to ourselves. It felt as if we were walking around Institute Woods, or any other park closer to home. No one was jumping on the much-longer bridge, plus there was a guide on either end keeping an eye on the visitors.

Before stepping onto the bridge I paused to take a picture of Don. This both serves to show what the bridge is like, but in the moment its biggest purpose is to give me a pause, a chance to gather my courage. The only way to the other side is on this suspension bridge. Later I would read about its history. It was originally built in 1899 with wood planks and hemp, and since upgraded to steel cables making it strong enough to carry 75 elephants. They describe it as being "reassuringly wobbly."

I felt safe crossing it. I even paused to take this picture of where the Netflix series "Virgin River" could be filmed (it is filmed in Vancouver, but likely someplace even less crowded).

The looked like hula hoops to me

The park also features the Tree Top Path, which reminded us of visiting Canopy Walk in Columbus, Ohio's Blacklick Metro Park last summer with Cousin Laura. We made the loop twice, the second time really trying hard to look for birds. I was unsuccessful.

Cliffwalk

The gravity-defying Cliffwalk is another highlight. Built in 2011, it feels like a leap of faith to even think about walking on it. Once on the trail, it was so solid I forgot my concerns.

While walking on this trail I saw what I believe were two eagles. They are prevalent in the area.

Tiny educational facts throughout the park

As we were ready to leave we realized the Totem Pole talk was about to start. One was about to start when we arrived, but we were too excited to walk across the suspension bridge home to most of the other trails.

Though our guide encouraged questions, I felt she only knew her script. A favorite question I have of Native American (First Person, Indigenous) guides is to inquire if they were a matrilineal or patrilineal society. After being met with a blank look, I ask if they follow the mother's line or the father's line. The Lenape are matrilineal. I received a song and dance about historically there were male leaders, but now women are allowed to be leaders.

Back to the totem poles. There are two main kinds: Story and Welcome. The Welcome totem poles have their arms wide open. These arms can be removed when there is danger present alerting the traveler before they get too far. During the pandemic, the arms were removed (when were they put back? They were removed because of the health concerns). The Vancouver International Airport has a giant Welcome totem we barely noticed as we landed too tired to feel the welcome.

She told us the story of one of the easier to understand totems. These totems are still being made by hand. In 1884 the British government enacted the Potlatch Law making it illegal for First Nation people to practice their heathen ways and to assimilate. The ban was lifted in 1951. Two generations had to learn these skills in secret on smaller pieces of wood so the tradition would not completely die out.

We just missed the 1:30 bus back to Vancouver, so we lingered around the historical images. I was in awe of the quality of the pictures. Unlike us, who took a couple of thousand pictures over five days, people a century ago only took a few pictures. But their quality makes them able to be blown up hundreds of times their original size. They are treasured. Even though I only share a few pictures, they are not treasured.

As we waited for the 2 pm bus we saw the international students who sat around us at the hockey game. I wanted to ask them where they'd be later in the trip, but that was deemed as creepy. We did not cross paths again.

Capilano is easily reached by a free bus that picks up visitors from the Hyatt on Burrard Street every half an hour on the half hour. No ticket is needed. Tickets to the park can be purchased in advance via Viator and other sites, or at the gate. In the slow season, it doesn't matter. During the busy season, buying ahead of time gets you on your way faster. I purchased through Viator because so many blogs said it gets crowded -- indeed we saw places where switchbacks are inserted making people wait to cross the suspension bridge, or the cliffwalk, or even take the bus back to downtown, but they were not in place during our visit. We had a bit of a mix-up because I thought my trip included a special Viator bus, but they just meant take the free bus from downtown.

A few more pictures: