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So Much Moss

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Vancouver, October 2015
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Vancouver, October 2015

When I visited my brother and his partner last Fall, I’d never been to a temperate rainforest before. They live in Vancouver, which is a city known for its proximity to wonderful hiking and skiing, but neither of them are hikers, nor skiers. In fact, they’re pretty indoorsy people.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, just north of the city, is a nice compromise when you’re looking for natural beauty accessible by public transit. We had skipped this particular attraction the previous year when our mother was with us because she has a fear of falling. The suspension bridge for which the park is named is 450 feet long and strong enough to hold 96 elephants… assuming you could fit that many on the bridge at one time.

We also enjoyed the series of smaller suspension bridges and platforms through the trees. I was amazed by the lushness of the environment, and how sweet the air smelled — damp earth and pine trees and Fall. The tree bark ranged from brown to orange to red and there was such an array of green — leaves, lichen, needles, ferns. It was just what this city dweller needed.

Emma Holliday is well-traveled. After 5 years in Boston, she and her husband upended their lives to move to Berlin where she is currently writing a (funny) book about travel and grief and attempting to learn German.

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