I found something almost absent from North America anymore

Rockhopper here. I'm going to show you something that's almost non-existent in North America anymore. Today we'll be walking with the ancients as we go through an old-growth forest full of cedar trees that are 800 years old. To get to the trailhead go like you're going to Mount Fernie Provincial Park. You actually go through it. The trailhead starts here and the trail goes uphill toward the lodge. Just across from the signs is the parking lot. But they told me I've got to be back out by six o'clock because they locked the gate. Beware the angry moose. I'm on the old-growth trail outside of Fernie British Columbia and this trail eventually ends up at the Lake Island Lodge. It's a fairly simple trail with about 300 meters of elevation gain and there's some steps here to assist you in your hike. The old-growth trail is about four kilometers long or about two and a half miles and it winds through an impressive array of old-growth trees. Some of these cedars in this region are 800 years old or more. Just so you know there are bears here and the sign warns of that. Wildlife in the area. I did see a moose earlier which was pretty cool. Yeah there's a symbol of Canada right there. A moose. Hey there. Are you the angry moose? You don't seem angry. In fact you seem pretty mellow. Why are you so chill? Ah, I would explain why. This is what's happened to most of the ancient trees in British Columbia. Just big stumps. An old-growth forest isn't just about trees. It's about an entire ecosystem. A network of living organisms all interconnected. All in a symbiotic relationship with each other. All the way from the giant tall trees down to the ferns down to the myceliae from the fungus and mushrooms. It's an interconnected web of life and once the trees are logged the integrity of the forest is compromised. It affects not only the trees but also all the living creatures and plants in the forest. Second and third growth forests look rather sickly by comparison to the old growths. alive. It looks like they started chopping out some plank platform ledges here. But lucky for it and for you it still stands tall. The trail opens up to this view here where the tall mountains are behind the forest. There's a real giant to the right. Not all the trees in this grove escaped the saw. Many are just shells of the living organisms they once were. And here's a look at the rest of the tree. It's a mighty giant tree. The trail starts to have a bit of an ascent and even a little switchback action going on here. But it's nothing terrible. It's a fairly smooth trail. That little switchback area was probably the steepest part of the entire trail. The trail continues past this small pond and a little open meadow full of wildflowers. Getting toward the end of the trail there are some facilities. A bench and the facilities. Almost to the end of the old growth trail you have a choice here. You can go up to the lodge. The trail goes uphill toward the lodge. Or turn back or head down to the beach. Maybe you should go down to the beach and have a look. Well that's a nice way to end the old growth trail hike. Right at the shores of Island Lake. Wow this is certainly a beautiful backdrop of mountains to complement the lake. I'm looking forward to more scenes like this in my travels and I hope you are too. And I have reason to believe there are plenty more coming. I hope you enjoyed hiking up the old growth trail with me here outside of Fernie, British Columbia and ending up at Island Lake. Don't forget to give me a like on the video, share and subscribe. Until next time this is Rockhopper, I'll see ya!