Thank you to Red Barrister and omham108 for sponsoring the cache
Stinging Nettle - An Island Spirit Legacy Cache.
This hike begins at the historic Kinsol Trestle, named after the nearby King Solomon Copper Mine. This former railway trestle was abandoned in 1979, having carried lumber out of the Cowichan Valley since 1920. Towering 615 feet (187.5 metres) tall, the Kinsol Trestle is the highest standing wooden railway trestle in Canada. You will be following a well-worn footpath through the forest, the trail used to bypass the trestle during its restoration. Walk along the banks of the Koksilah (coke-sy-la) River, named after one of seven key villages of the Cowichan Tribes. At the halfway point, you will come to another historic river crossing. The first bridge at this location, built in 1865, was erected to access a silver mine owned by W. A. Robertson. The first bridge was destroyed in a large forest fire. This river crossing has since been known simply as Burnt Bridge. You will return to the Kinsol Trestle along the opposite shore of the Koksilah River. This shady forest trail offers many views of the river as well as the opportunity to reflect on the diverse history of the area.
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.
Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle is a herbaceous perennial that can give nasty stings but is also a long used herb for rhumatism. Growing 3-7 feet tall, with soft leaves 1-6 inches long, both the stem and leaves are covered in tiny hairs which will easily come off when touched causing a painful stinging sensation. The leaves have a similiar flavour to spinach and are edible when picked before flowering and soaking them in water or cooking them will prevent the stinging sensation. Although you can always go to Dorset, England where you can attend The World Nettle Eating Championship where competitors strip the leaves off raw 2 foot long stalks of stinging nettles. The competition started in 1986 when one farmer promised to eat any nettle which was longer than the ones that grew in his field. The 2010 Sam Cunningham, ate 74 feet of raw nettles to win the competition!