White Cross Returns To Perch Atop Mt. Tzouhalem

After several weeks of debate and some controversy the iconic white cross that was toppled off its perch atop Mt. Tzouhalem by a November windstorm, the cross is now securely and visibly back in place overlooking the Cowichan Valley. Just last week, volunteers and members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada who own the land used sledgehammers to remove the old crumbling cement base before installing a new base and securing the large, iron, white cross in place.

The white cross, high atop the steep bluffs of Mt. Tzouhalem has been a popular destination for hikers and bikers of all ages not only from the Cowichan Valley but all of Vancouver Island and for tourists as well. Paulette and I usually hike to the summit at least 2 or 3 times each year. I’ve always looked at the white cross simply as a symbol that we’ve reached the top and not particularly as any kind of religious symbol – that is what caused the controversy in the first place.

When the cross got blown away in November’s windstorm the Nature Conservancy was faced with a bit of a dilemma.  They are not a religious organization so they began to wonder whether the white cross was an appropriate icon to return to its spot over 1,200 ft. up on the high bluffs of the mountain. The conservancy consulted with the community through surveys and the result was overwhelmingly in favour of the white cross based on its history and simple tradition.

The site high atop Mt. Tzouhalem has a rich history. The mountain was originally called Shkewetsen, meaning “basking in the sun,” after a huge rock that resembles a frog warming itself in the sun.  It was renamed Tzouhalem after a warrior who lived in a cave on the mountain and died in 1859. 

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