The animals of the Burgess Shale are holy objects--in the unconventional sense that this word conveys in some cultures. We do not place them on pedestals and worship from afar. We climb mountains and dynamite hillsides to find them. We quarry them, split them, carve them, draw them, and dissect them, struggling to wrest their secrets. We vilify and curse them for their damnable intransigence. They are grubby little creatures of a sea floor 530 million years old, but we greet them with awe because they are the Old Ones, and they are trying to tell us something.
Steven Jay Gould
Wonderful Life
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When I finally had time and money to visit the Burgess Shales, I was too old and weak to do the trip. If you want to see the site do it when You are fit. It seems to be an 8 hour hike!