Kinsol in the Fall

As autumn envelops Vancouver Island, many students look back on their summers with a nostalgic eye. The sky above campus slowly clouds over and cools, and we long once more to radiate in the sun. But as the Cross Country running team experienced last Thursday, the fall brings its own treasures. After a full day of classes and a ride up past Shawnigan Lake, the stiff students and our coaches, Mr. Rose and Ms. Wilson, stretched out their limbs and began a run to the newly rebuilt Kinsol Trestle. 144 feet above the Koksilah River, we ran the 617 feet across the recently refurnished 90 year old wooden trestle bridge, from which could be seen the rolling wooded hills to the south.  Once across, we wound down the narrow path to the river below. After the strenuous sprint from the bus, several boys felt brave enough to dive right in and responded with a yelp as the water froze them from head to toe. Two girls also defied the cold and quickly jumped in as well. The fading of summer was completely absent from our minds. This was autumn beach weather, and nothing was going to stop us.   The wind gusted down the hill and blew yellow leaves across the water but this only added to the beautiful atmosphere of the day. Through our combined effort, a crayfish was caught and this little creature was the pride of all the swimmers who had braved the elements that day. As our feet beat against the wooden planks of this magnificent section of the Trans Canada Trail, we could see the sun peeking out between the blanket of clouds, warming the dripping hair and shorts. The trip was certainly a beautiful beginning for the program, and the runners are sure to see much more of the island, and autumn, as the term progresses.