A short history of the B.O.M.B Squad

In 1986-87, local outdoor enthusiast Tony Matthews carved out a trail along the edge of Powell Lake from Mowat Bay to Haywire Bay to be able to access two local fishing lakes without having to drive. in 1988, three friends, Roger Taylor, Jim Koleszar and Roy Hewitt joined Tony to build a bridge to complete the trail, and the B.O.M.B was born. 

During the following decade the BOMB Squad grew in size (at its peak the crew was 27 strong) and in the number of projects.

They established a number of trails in the Powell River area including:
The trail from Homestead on Southview Road to Gibralter Bluffs, and along the bluffs to Gentle David (1988).
Appleton Canyon Trail (1991) from Wilde road to Gibralter Bluffs through Appleton Canyon
Toquenatch Trail from Homestead to Okeover inlet (1994) These three trails are north of Powell River and later became sections of the much longer Sunshine Coast Trail.

The BOMB Squad also built many trails in and around the Duck Lake Protected area east of Powell River, including, Cable Trail (1994), Taylor Way (1999), Suicide Creek Trail (1992), Blackwater and Sweetwater Trails (1994), Granite Lake Trail (1996), Mud Lake Trail (1990).
Along with the creation of all these trails came bridge building, which is what the BOMB Squad is best known for. They built an astonishing number of bridges during a decade and a half, including but not limited to:
Squirrell Crossing (1990), Kelly Falls Bridge (1994), Rosabridgida (1994), Bent Iron and Donut Crossing (1995), Lost Mushroomer Bridge (1993), Mud Lake Bridge (1997), GOYA Bridge, and a series of boardwalks called the Everglades (1995), Washout Creek Bridge (1994), Phantom Crossing (2000), Tees Chuk (1999), Edges Way (2002).
In 2016 and 2017 The BOMB Squad worked with the City of Powell River to establish/renew several trails and bridges in Millennium Park.
Over the past decade, the focus of the BOMB Squad has shifted from new trail creation to trail maintenance and bridge replacement as needed.