Heritage lives all around us: in the stories of our elders
or in the faded photographs of our family members. In this case, heritage
shelters you from the snow and rain and comfortably sleeps 15 people at 1500
metres above sea level.
Stepping into the
rustic cabin on Mount Steele in Tetrahedron Provincial Park, a sense of
tradition invites you to unlace your hiking boots, hang up your backpack and take
in the stunning mountain scenery.
It is also an invitation to explore the unique cultural
heritage that saw the grassroots construction of four wilderness cabins and a trail
system to connect them in the summer of 1987. That year, the Tetrahedron Ski
Club had accomplished a most challenging task: they had brought together a wide
array of stakeholders in the community to collaborate on the project that would
open up access to the rugged mountain wilderness beyond Dakota Ridge. Strong
community support rested on the amazing recreational potential of the project
which would also contribute to the local economy through job creation and
tourism. This momentum eventually led to over $200,000 being awarded via
federal and provincial grants and soon, the dream of a year-round recreation
area was turning into reality.
Once we are settled at
the cabin and the embers of a glorious sunset have faded behind the
mountaintops, a full moon begins to creep over Mount Steele until it baths the
remaining snow patches in soft, whale-bone white light. We watch spell-bound.
In June of 1987, construction was about to begin on the wilderness
cabins which were strategically located throughout the subalpine environment. That
spring, the cabins were pre-fabricated at the Sechelt airport where a packed open
house illustrated the community passion for the project. When summer broke, the cabins were
disassembled and all of the materials were transported by volunteers as far as
the logging roads would permit. At this
point, Airspan helicopters flew the materials to the remote cabin locations
where small work crews began reassembly. A testament to the overwhelming dedication
felt for the project, an army of over 240 volunteers worked on weekends to
assemble the cabins and brush-out 25 km of trails.
On our second night, I
ramble up the rocky slopes of Mount Steele and gaze out towards craggy summits
of the Tetrahedron and the glistening ocean beyond. As I take in the beautiful mountaintop
twilight, I think about the amazing things that can be accomplished when
communities comes together.
This September, join the Tetrahedron Outdoor Club as they
celebrate the cabins’ 25th anniversary with pancake brunches at
various cabin locations beginning September 22nd. Then tie up those hiking boots and get yourself up to
the Tetrahedron: there’s history out there waiting to be discovered.
