Mount Tzouhalem (zoo-hay-lum) is a fascinating place, with a rich history and stunning views. The mountain is named after one of the fiercest of the Cowichan war chiefs. He was banished due to his frequent murders, and took up residence in a cave on the side of this mountain. This hike will lead you to a large Christian Cross near the summit, originally a wooden cross, placed by local Catholic churches in the 1970's. The trail leads through the forest with several stunning views of the Cowichan Valley.
All the Island Spirit Legacy Caches are within a 2 steps of the trail, unless otherwise noted. There is no need to bushwack or trample the vegetation.
Nurse Stumps
Maybe it was during a windstorm that a tree snapped near the base, maybe it was a logger cutting down a tree...however it happened, there was a stump of a tree left, collecting water, needles and leaves on the base left behind. Eventually moss slowly starts to grow which holds water and the wood starts to soften and decay giving seeds a place to germinate. The moss holds water, softening the wood which gives way to roots that grow deeper from the nutrients in the decaying wood. Sometimes you'll even see tree roots winding their way down the stump to the forest floor on slower decaying stumps such as cedar. As with nurse logs, the wood slowly rots leaving only the new tree that it helped to grow and it's only a matter of time before the process will begin all over again.