It has been three years since the Club undertook this wonderful hike and four years since a swim was part of the fun! So, seven hikers set a good pace to get things started up the cobbly slope to the Small Inlet Park boundary. It was a soggy go through the thick patches of salal, thanks to our overdue rainy spell, but the sun was out and the day was perfect. The absence of birdsong was quickly noted and seen as a harbinger of the passing of summer.

We rested briefly at Newton Lake and then resumed our uphill hike to the switchbacks that descend quickly to Small Inlet. Here we started to cross paths with numerous boater/hikers on their way to Newton Lake’s inviting waters. We walked the tide flats from the first beach access to the trail head for Waiatt Bay. A brief stop was made to marvel at the bubbling water feature for which we still have no interpretive information. We must conscript a geologist for the next visit to the area!

A short hop through beautifully lit forest brought us to very busy Waiatt Bay. We ate lunch and watched the coming and going of a dozen people, dogs and skiffs between the many moored boats and our beach. As the day heated up our group was motivated to pack up and head to the lake for our long awaited swim. The uphill climb from Small Inlet definitely built up the desire for some of us to jump in on our arrival lakeside, and enjoy the mid-summer “warm” water of Newton Lake. A refreshing dip enabled us to maintain a good pace through the long, rocky downhill trail to the parking lot.

Everyone agreed that it was a fantastic outing on a perfect summer day!  (12.7 km; 5 hours)

Vic

Click on the photos to enlarge

Hiking – Newton Lake-Small Inlet-Waiatt Bay – 26 July 2023