Social media has made natural spaces more popular. It could also destroy them
At 8:30 a.m. on a summer week-end, the parking lot for Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, a few hours’ drive north of Vancouver, is already full. A couple dozen visitors — a cross-section of local residents and international tourists, some in hiking gear and some in street clothing — have lined up by the outhouses and portapotties. A park ranger stands by the trailhead, asking visitors to leave behind any food containers (usually, it seems, Tim Hortons takeout). And a woman grips two golf irons, using them as makeshift hiking poles for her journey up the five-kilometer trail that leads visitors past three picturesque, glacier-fed lakes.
At the last lake, a group is spread out on a channel of boulders — a popular spot from which to view the mountains and glacial debris that wrap around the water. The sun is shining, and nearly everyone is taking photos. A woman wearing a pink top wades into the water and climbs onto a partially submerged boulder, inviting her friend to take a photo. But her foot slips on the wet surface, and she tumbles into the lake. Everyone pauses. A moment later, she emerges from the water, smiles, and raises her hands in victory. Relieved, the crowd erupts in applause.
This story is from the June 2019 edition of The Walrus.
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This story is from the June 2019 edition of The Walrus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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