While at the GSA conference in Vancouver, BC we took a field trip up Howe Sound, which is a beautiful glacial fjord. These kinds of valleys are filled with ocean water and have steep valley sides with many waterfalls (hanging valleys) entering from their slopes. We encountered Shannon Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls that many of us had ever seen. The valley is home to one of the premier rock climbing sites in the world, perhaps second to Yosemite National Park. We hiked/climbed up Stawamus Chief, a high peak that overlooks Howe Sound. The weather was cloudy, but it cleared for a few moments for us to get a spectacular view of the fjord. In the afternoon we toured the Britannia Mine Museum, which included an underground tour of the copper-gold mine and a tour of the large rock crushing mill. At its peak, the mine produced about 17% of the world’s copper! The tour included some gold panning. Several of our students were able to find small flakes of gold!
Posted in: Uncategorized