In the early weeks of the school year, a couple of new friends and I were trying to decide how to spend our evening. We had just been to the Frat Village three times in the past week and made the unanimous decision not to venture back there. Seeing that we were near the expansive Pacific Spirit Park on a warm autumn night, we settled on going for an evening trek.
At the mention of this potential adventure, I remembered a passing comment about the Camosun Bog by one of my professors during orientation. I was fascinated by the existence of this mysterious acidic pool of decomposing trees, that is nestled somewhere within Pacific Spirit Park and immediately suggested we head there. After some brief debate, and questions about what exactly we would "do" there, I got my way and convinced the small group of people to make the journey.
We hopped on the 25 from the UBC bus loop to get to the bog and got off at Camosun Street (super fitting name). We turned right, headed down a dimly lit residential street, and arrived at an opening in a patch of trees. There was a sign marking the entrance to the bog that featured all sorts of fun little scientific facts. We took the plunge through the entrance and stumbled onto a boardwalk. Rounding a corner, we were met with a light breeze and the subtle smell of marsh and pine. With a collective sigh, we plopped our things on the ground and spent the rest of the night bogging it up.
Other than rounding the boardwalk a few times and listening to frogs croak, there isn’t actually too much, on paper, to do at the bog. What makes it so special, however, is the lack of all the usual "city" things you have grown accustomed to. There are no ambient car noises and very little artificial light gets through the thick brush of trees. On clear nights, the light of the moon cuts right through the trees and illuminates the water of the bog creating an experience that is almost entirely unmatched in the city.
It is really hard to express the blessing that an unbelievably refreshing and quiet outdoor space is compared to the city of Vancouver. While most of this may sound dramatic, you actually have to visit the bog to understand. I could easily ramble on about every minuscule detail that makes the place so astounding, but in reality, the bog is special to everyone for different reasons.
And, while visiting an acidic swamp in the forest at night may not be the idea of a perfect adventure for everyone, I’d encourage any and all curious minds to go take a stroll through the bog (at night) one day.
