A new coffee-table book featuring the Sunshine Coast Trail by local author and photographer Emma Levez Larocque will be launched on December 8, just in time for Christmas.
A Dream of Giants: The Story of the Sunshine Coast Trail promises to take the reader on a journey through the beautiful backcountry that surrounds Powell River, and tells the story of this impressive 180-kilometre trail, and the people who have worked so hard to build it.
An avid hiker, Levez Larocque was inspired to write the book after working with Eagle Walz, president of PRPAWS (Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society) on the editing and layout of a reprint of his guidebook The Sunshine Coast Trail.
“I had already known Eagle for a number of years when I started working with him,” said Levez Larocque. “And being an avid hiker, I had already done a lot of the Sunshine Coast Trail. But being part of that process made me appreciate just how much time and energy has gone into the creation of the trail.” Working on the book also helped Levez Larocque understand why Walz, Scott Glaspey, and other members of PRPAWS have been so dedicated to not only building the trail, but also to protecting it.
“It’s a vision for the future, an amazing legacy that PRPAWS is leaving to the people of this community, and to the children of the future,” she said. “The idea was to link patches of existing old-growth forest, and protect the trees in between so that one day the trail will be surrounded by a ribbon of old growth, and there will be this amazing natural place for people to enjoy and visit.”
There are three key ingredients that made this an easy book to write, Levez Larocque added. “First, it’s a wonderful story— how the trail developed, the history of the land it passes through, and the challenges that have been faced, and are still being faced, in protecting the trail. The second thing is the people who have been instrumental in building and lobbying to protect the trail. They are a gentle, colourful, genuine group of people who quietly but persistently go about the business of making this thing happen. It has taken 20 years, but they are getting there, and the enormity of what they have done is inspiring. And the third thing is the trail itself. It is spectacular and varied in its features. It is difficult and full of adventure. And it’s very photogenic.”
In the last couple of years the trail has climbed to new heights in terms of public attention, particularly outside Powell River. The building of seven huts along the trail, including cabins at the top of Tin Hat and Troubridge mountains (thanks to a generous grant from Island Economic Coastal Trust and innumerable volunteer hours by PRPAWS and other members of the community) has garnered attention in more than 20 national publications. People arrive from all over the country, and around the world, to hike the trail. At the opening of the hut on Manzanita Bluffs in June 2011 more than 160 people made the hike to the cabin to celebrate the event.
It’s great to see people really appreciating all the work that has been done, said Levez Larocque. “It felt like the right time to come out with this book. Along with the addition of the huts, the last of a new set of markers, that will make the trail easy to follow in both directions, are now being put up. The trail is reaching ever-closer to that goal of becoming world-class, which is what PRPAWS has been aiming for all these years.”
Still, there are more challenges to overcome, she said, adding that the story is not over yet. “This book is a way to try to bring more public attention to this incredible resource we have, and the fact that it’s going to take the whole community to take ownership of it, and use it to its full advantage—which will, ingeniously, also protect it.”
A Dream of Giants will be launched from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, December 8 at River City Coffee. After that, the book will be available for purchase at Breakwater Books and Coffee, Paperworks Gift Gallery and Tourism Powell River.
