Tour of the Cumberland Forest
24 07 2007If arriving in a vehicle, park in the Cumberland Recreation Institute lot at the corner of Dunsmuir and Sutton. Wear sturdy shoes or runners as the trails are not groomed and there are a few steep hills. Allow at least 2.5 hours for the full walk, 1 hour for the alternate route.
Walk downhill (left) on Sutton and through the yellow gate at the foot. Turn right on the logging road then right again onto the trail marked "Mama Bear's Trail of Tears". As you descend Mamma Bear's Trail of Tears, note the hemlocks with dwarf mistletoe, like witches' brooms. Much of the regrowth after turn of the century logging is hemlock, prone to disease. There are very few spruce in the Cumberland Community forest as they were taken first for ships' spars. Watch for brain mushrooms at the side of the trail and the wooden boards across parts of the trail, from an old corduroy logging road. You will see bracket fungus, which indicates that a tree is dead (the fungus lives on decaying cell tissue). False Lily of the Valley, Vanilla Leaf and Yellow Wood Violets abound in this area.
Continuing up the trail, notice large fir trees on the left. Core samples indicate that they are over 100 years old. Look down on the swamp below and healthy stands of very tall hemlocks. Some very large cedars are further up. It may seem that we have a lot of forested land in this area but many stands of trees were cut about 100 years ago and the second growth is reaching maturity, so large tracts could disappear quickly with clear cut logging practices.
At the logging road, turn right and continue to Number 3 Mine. Its original name was the Union Colliery Mine and it was first opened in 1862 by Sam Cliffe, who put in a 100-foot tunnel. It never produced much as there was no railway to take the coal out. Robert Dunsmuir bought it in the early 1880s and reopened it in 1888. There are 2 parallel tunnels with a long wall at the back. Ventilation was achieved by lighting a fire in a brick furnace from below. The mine was also known as the Tunnels or the Chinese Tunnels since it was worked by Chinese miners under a white boss named James Whyte. It was operated for 15 years, until better and more accessible coal was found at Number 4. Since this mine is the highest in the area, it has no water in it. There are tentative plans to develop it for tourism. Hence the road was put in, some trees were cut down, and the mine entrance opened up. Feel the cool breeze blowing out of the shaft.
Note the tailings pile across the road. Coal was dumped into cars, which then traveled across a trestle to connect with the Number 4 rail line. (There is a picture of the mine and trestle at Jumbo's cabin which is located on the road to the lake). This track went from Scott's Slope opposite Whyte's Bay, past Number 4 mine, to Chinatown on to the port of Union Bay (established 1888) where it was loaded onto ships.
Continue down the logging road and go left up the trail marked "Buggered Pig". The trip up to Perseverance Creek and back takes about another hour. Alternately, you can go down the wide trail leading down the hill to the Chinatown site and back to the Village via Comox Lake Road. (See end of narrative). Note the reflectors on the trees, to guide mountain bikers at dusk. Watch and listen for oncoming cyclists. There are several elevated boardwalks and ramps built by the bikers that add interest to the walk, especially for children. They provide an alternative to the trails for a long section of the walk.
Look for culturally modified cedar trees (very long, narrow triangles of bark missing from the trees), indicating use by First Nations people many years ago. They used the cedar strips to weave clothes and baskets. There are also alders in this area, now considered valuable as flooring material. They are also valuable to the forest, fixing nitrogen from the air.
The trail opens onto a logging road, just past a trail to the right marked "Bronco's Perseverance". When you reach the road, turn right to reach the creek and a logging bridge. Also known as China Creek or Coal Creek, this beautiful stream runs from Allen's Lake to Comox Lake. A steep canyon further downstream is the site of the first coal ("the rock that burns") discovery by First Nat ions, who later showed the site to white prospectors.
It's recommended that you return along the same route (Buggered Pig), the right fork in the trail. The left fork, Bronco's Perseverance is a beautiful walk along the top of the canyon, but has several unmarked forks and also steep drop offs on the canyon (left) side. When you reach the lower logging road near #3 mine site, cross it and go down the wide trail below. This trail passes through a former gravel pit, then a dirt road into the Chinatown site. Turn right, past the high wooden gate and this road leads you to Comox Lake Road. You can turn right and return along the road, or go across the road and walk up "Camp Road" (the end of Dunsmuir Avenue) to the parking lot. Camp Road goes through the former site of Union, with many of its original houses.