Saranagati/Vancouver
Interesting
Points About the Valley
The final
wrap-up to our weekend discussions came in the form of a walk through the
valley with those who had not left for their respective homes. A couple from Athabasca,
a mother and son from the village in Saranagati, devotees from major cities,
and Ramnath from the end of the valley were with me. Off we strolled.
“Ramnath,
can you tell us the types of trees we are seeing on both sides of the trail?
Some of us know models of cars, but we don’t know our trees.”
Ramnath was
happy to respond. “Well, here, it is mostly fir. The tall trees which are
practically dead are the ones devastated by the pine beetle. Over there are a
few juniper bushes.”
“Don’t you
have some poplar trees?” I asked.
“Yes, where
there’s more water, down lower in the valley.”
“Where do
you see rattlesnakes?”
“We are
walking in the area where they slither in the summer. This is the sunniest, most
dry area in the valley.”
Hearing
about snakes always raises eyebrows, and ‘rattlesnakes’ all the more.
Ramnath
further explained that Chinese railway workers once lived there. He then pointed
to an underground hole where some residents stay in the summer when it’s hot. There
is a clear opening with a log-framed entrance.
My walking
companions were also intrigued to hear about an abandoned gold mine in the
valley. “If you go in, you might not come out,” I warned. Eyebrows, again.
May the
Source be with you!
5 km
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