The Japanese have a mental-health practice called shinrin-yoku which directly translates to forest bathing. This involves walking in a forest setting, not at a particularly fast pace, and simply taking in the surroundings. I’d been wanting to do that for a couple weeks now, so when my friends and I explored Saanich’s Mount Douglas Park, I think I captured a bit of its spirit.
Mount Douglas Park is the largest parkland in the Saanich Peninsula, with 188 hectares of Garry Oak, Arbutus, coniferous trees, and rocky crags. Over 21 kilometers of trails (just over 13 miles for those who use imperial) stretch the park of varying difficulty. Hikers can move up a small incline to the mount’s summit, or dive deep into the depths of the surrounding forests.
We drove up to the summit’s parking lot first, and took the short route up the top of the mountain. Mount Douglas is right nearby local farmlands and from our position, I felt I could just hop down and land into one of their fields. To the right was north up the Peninsula, with further farmland, and views of surrounding islands. Looking left meant further into town, and greater urban development. The summit wasn’t packed by any means, but sprinkles of people and pooches were up there.
After surveying the top for a while, we came down, down down a steep path into a blaze of orange arbutus trees. This looks like something found in a Legend of Zelda game, I thought to myself. Following that train of thought, a conversation bubbled up on the decay of child-like imagination. We all agreed as we further stepped into adulthood, that imaginative capacity shrinks. Still, the unabashed enthusiasm I declared for the stunning scenery was nothing if not child-like. 😊
The park is 161 years old, and by the look of some of the trees, they had been there since the park’s dawn. Some of the areas were off-limits due to the restoration.
We ambled amidst mossy logs, scatterings of ferns, and towering trees. Swimming in the scenery and catching up with long-time friends made the weekend’s home stretch even more wonderful.
I think I’ll forest bathe again soon.
Cheers!
-Santarossa Soundbites
Santarossa Soundbites 
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