Tried and true will always come through.
On what was supposed to be a wet day, nine hikers started out at 9 am with a burst of sunshine angling through the tall trees of this old, favourite Quadra hike.
The trail was littered with the golden leaves of the Broadleaf Maple on this calm after the storm morning. We checked on the plantings of hazelnut trees in the homestead site and soon descended the switchbacks to the beach. Recent trail maintenance was evident, especially on this steep portion. We rested briefly at the beach and enjoyed the mid-fall sunshine. Driftwood on the flat calm seas, a plume of smoke on distant Cortes Is. and a few loons caught our attention. No whales to be seen or heard.
The group then climbed back up to the junction and headed north, along the ridge, on the Fir Crest trail, past the grove of large Douglas Firs and on through drifts of Maple leaves. This easy walk allowed for a lot of socializing as we made our way around the perimeter of the Golf Course on the well signed trail. Back at the bottom of the long straight fairway we went off trail for a few minutes to “bushwack” our way back to Fir Crest Trail. A few minutes later we were on Todd’s Trail heading back uphill to the trailhead.
We arrived back at the cars, debriefed, and then headed home for lunch and various afternoon activities. Having planned for a wet morning we ended up with a beautiful, dry fall day. About 2½ hours and 5 to 6 km.
Vic
Thanks to Louise and Jody for the photos
(click on photos to enlarge)
