Dario Perizzolo - The Brunette River

In the fall of 2021 as I was taking my usual route home from work, I became acutely aware of the incredible fall colours above my head. I took note of where I was, and once home, looked into where this place I had stumbled upon was. Along the North Road corridor that is the boundary between New West Minister and Burnaby, there are two parks: Hume Park in New West and Brunette River Conservation Area in Burnaby. Despite having been born and raised in Burnaby, I was astounded to realize not only had I never been to either of these parks, I wasn't even aware they existed. Within these parks runs the Brunette River, starting from Burnaby Lake, and meandering to it's confluence with the mighty Fraser River. I returned the next day and made one of my favourite fall images to date.

Discovery- 2021

While this image made an instant mark on me, it wouldn't be until the following spring that I would begin to explore the park with deeper curiosity. As the cold and dark of winter gave way to warm, early Spring mornings, I started making near daily trips with my camera to the river before work. Parking at the Hume Park lot, I would eagerly begin my day at 4:45am walking the trail and prodding all the little access points I could find hoping to uncover new scenes of this once secret (to me) waterway.

Herons would voice their displeasure as I unintentionally disturbed their breakfast fishing routine. While I tried my best, I never could manage to make an image with one present. Day after day for four weeks I would walk alone in the park, but for the odd fellow early morning riser, the herons, and song birds (and on one occasion a coyote), happy to enjoy a tranquil walk along the river.

The relief these walks brought me with the knowledge another day at work awaited cannot be understated. Being able to immerse my mind in nature (even if still within a large city) and working to capture the beauty that caught my eye is something my mind and soul need to cope with the rigors of my life in construction. If not for the ability to get out for a few weeks each year before work, I would truly be lost.

The Brunette River will always hold a special place in my heart for the four weeks of uplifting relief it gave me in Spring 2022. This gallery contains the images I made on those morning walks, when for a short time each day the problems of every day life didn't matter, and I was free to enjoy the morning sun rising through the trees.