Author Archives: qioutdoorclub

Kayaking – Granite/Kanish Bays – 1 August 2018

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Change of start time!  Possible further changes due to weather.  Stay in touch with the coordinator.

Activity Paddling with possible small hike
Destination Kanish Bay (launch from Granite Bay)
Date 1 August 2018, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Darcy Mitchell
Contact Info mitchelldarcy51@gmail.com
Description Depending on weather (wind) conditions, paddle to Chained Islets, or to Small Inlet with option to hike across to Waiatt Bay.
Meeting Place Boat launch, Granite Bay
Departure Time Assemble at 8:30 9:30 for 9:00 10 a.m. departure. Expected time of return is 4:00 p.m.
Difficulty
 easy to moderate; depending on wind conditions
Costs $ 5.00 launch fee at Granite Bay
Trip limits eight
Dogs? no
Notes: All participants must review and conform to QIOC paddling guidelines. Only ‘sea kayaks’ with skirts for this trip, as weather can change quickly with the potential for strong northwesterly winds. If you have not paddled with the coordinator previously, please contact her no later than July 27. All participants must contact the coordinator by email (preferably) or by phone to 778 716 7124 to confirm participation no later than July 29. The trip will be cancelled if forecast winds are higher than 15 knots, or steady rain is expected. Participants will be informed by 7 p.m. on July 31 if the trip will be cancelled.

Hiking – Crest Mountain – 25 July 2018

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Change of start time!  Stay in touch with the coordinator.

Activity Hiking
Destination Crest Mountain
Date 25 July 2018, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710.   Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description There is a good trail through the forest which climbs steadily at about a 22% grade.  Think Pilot Road.  It goes up 1,100 metres in 5.0 km.  It’s strenuous but not difficult other than that.  At the top of the climb there are fantastic views all around and a small alpine lake.  From there the trail to the summit is easier.  14 km, 7 hours, plus driving and ferry time.
Meeting Place We will take the 07:05 Quadra ferry.  Rides to be arranged in advance.
Departure Time 06:20 07:05 ferry
Difficulty
 lots of uphill!
Costs share gas and ferry costs
Trip limits must be fit and have good knees
Dogs? no
Notes: poles, lunch, water

Trip Report – Rousseau Ridge Loop – 4 July 2018

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Twelve hikers, two of whom were new to the Outdoor Club, met at the Hopespring trailhead for a four hour hike. The day was sunny and warm. We headed up Hopespring trail to the top of the ridge and down the west side, turning northwest onto the Gowlland Harbour trail. This trail was followed through shaded second growth forest and along a ten-year-old clearcut, nicely regenerating, to North Gowlland Harbour Road. Crossing the road and up Missing Links Road a short distance, we hiked northeast along Bite the Bullet which parallels the logging road, managing to avoid being dusted by logging trucks. Recrossing the logging road, we turned southeast at a large beaver dam and walked up John Marlow’s woodlot road. At a deep pool in an old quarry at the roadside, we stopped to admire the critters (salamanders?) swimming there. At that point, we turned south onto a faint bike route that led us to intersect with the Gowlland trail at Rousseau Ridge. Climbing to the top of the ridge, we enjoyed lunch with great views to the west over Copper Bluffs, Discovery Passage and the Vancouver Island mountains.

On the return trip, the group split into two at the Thompson Trail intersection. One group followed Thompson Trail to Thompson Road; the other group retraced their hike down Gowlland Trail and up and over Hopespring Trail to the vehicles at the trailhead. We managed to stay in the shade for most of the hike, and out on the open ridge we had some cloud cover and a nice breeze. However, an earlier start may have been in order – by the end of the hike, the temperature was climbing, with my home thermometer on Thompson Road reading 29C.  10.1 km; 4 hours.

Janis

Thanks to Norris and Les for the photos

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Hiking – Rousseau Ridge Loop – 4 July 2018

Hiking – Woss Lookout and Little Huson Caves – 27 July 2018

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Change of date, start time and contact information!

Activity Hiking
Destination Woss Lookout and Little Huson Caves, Vancouver Island
Date 26 27 July 2018, Thursday Friday
Trip Coordinator QIOC
Contact Info qioutdoorclub@gmail.com
Description The recently restored Woss Lookout, about 1.5 hrs north of Campbell River, is accessed by a short but steep, rope-assisted, hike, about 4 km round trip. Even at a moderate pace, allowing for the steepness, this hike will not take all day. So for a more relaxing afternoon, we will then drive north and west to the LIttle Huson Caves, on the Zeballos Road, to explore this little known regional park. These caves are perfect for those who prefer to admire caves from the outside only, as they are shallow caves with wide entrances.
www.vancouverislandnorth.ca (Things to do, Caving) for more information on the Caves.
Meeting Place QCove Ferry Terminal; we will organize carpooling before trip
Departure Time 6:20 8 am ferry
Difficulty
 Woss Lookout – Difficult; LIttle Huson Caves – Easy
Costs Ferry and gas contribution when carpooling
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: A long day is expected. Some may want to stay in Campbell River for dinner to avoid ferry lineups. Must bring lunch, snacks, water. Good hiking boots recommended for the Woss Lookout hike; suggest that poles, if used, be of the foldable type for the rope sections. Flashlights may be useful to look into the caves. Trip cancelled if steady rain. Must phone or email the trip coordinator by 9 pm Wednesday, July 25 to join this hike.

Kayaking – Bretons and Village Bay – 9 July 2018

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Activity Kayaking
Destination Bretons and Village Bay: time, not distance will determine destination
Date 9 July 2018, Monday
Trip Coordinator Valerie van Veen
Contact Info vvv@qisland.ca; 250 285 2329
Description We will paddle from Len Road Beach northwards towards the Bretons and Village Bay . Trip will be about 4-5 hours including a lunch break. Bring lunch, snacks, and water.
Meeting Place Len Road Beach
Departure Time Meet at launch site at 9:30 am; on water by 10 am
Difficulty
 Moderate: trip will be cancelled if steady rain and/or winds over 18 knots (approx). Paddlers should be prepared for some wind and possible rain.
Costs None
Trip limits Seven paddlers plus coordinator
Dogs? no
Notes: Paddlers must have all gear and equipment as outlined in the Paddling Guidelines on the QIOC website. Paddlers who are not Club members AND/OR who have not paddled with this coordinator before MUST talk to the coordinator no later than 24 hours before launch (ie by 10 am Sunday morning) in order to be signed-up. All other paddlers must email or phone coordinator no later than 7 pm Sunday night to sign-up. ONLY paddlers who are signed-up will be allowed to join this trip.

 

Trip Report – Shark Spit – 25-28 June 2018

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Day 1: Caught the 9:05 am ferry to Cortes Island. Launched from Whaletown Bay and kayaked over to Shark Spit. It was low tide on arrival and a bit of a haul with our camping and kayaking equipment. We had big tidal ranges during this trip. Set up camp and left for a kayak trip around Marina Island. A number of old growth trees on the shoreline, this island was logged about 20 years ago. Discovered an interesting house on the west side of Marina, it was balancing on the edge of a sand cliff. It took us 3 hours to paddle around. (approx 14 km.)  All enjoyed dinner and decided on an early retirement.

Day 2: Breakfast and set-off kayaking, hugging the shoreline, destination Manson’s Lagoon. Stopped to look at the petroglyphs on the entrance to Gorge Harbour. Paddled onto Manson’s Lagoon, arriving at low tide which gave us an interesting shell-filled lagoon. It was hot and we ate lunch under the trees. Walked through the avenue of arbutus trees and celebrated their beauty. Walked along the beach to the wonderful newly carved totem pole with bench. Off again hugging the shoreline, stopping to explore a pioneer’s hut with huge oyster beds just below the hut. The wind got up giving us a bit of a challenge. Stopped off at Gilean Douglas’s house at Channel Rock, to have a quick look. (approx 10 km)  After dinner, walked along the inside shoreline discovering wolf tracks. Dinner and welcomed the arrival of two more members on a windy evening.

Day 3: Breakfast and ready for another paddle. A bit windy at the start of this day. A member was leaving and we all paddled to Whaletown Bay, assisting with unpacking and putting the kayak on vehicle. Four of us then paddled through Plunger Passage, into the beautiful scenery of Sutil Channel and found a landing spot to eat lunch. Paddled onto Carrington Bay which is one of our favourite places. Explored the bay and lagoon. Back into our kayaks and paddled through Coulter Bay. A good workout for us and stopped at Sea Vista for a break before heading onto the spit. We made it. ( 26.6 km; 7½ hours) Ate delicious clams at night.

Day 4: Breakfast, packed up our tents, everything into our kayaks and began paddling. The two latecomers paddled around Marina and two paddlers went to Whaletown Bay to catch the ferry for Quadra and home.  Thank goodness we did not experience heavy rain on this trip, the weather was kind to us and the scenery magnificent. Shark Spit is such a beautiful camping area and a joy to be there.

Margot

Thanks to Norris and Vic for the photos

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Multi-day kayaking – Shark Spit – 25-28 June 2018

Hiking – Mt. Seymour – 11 July 2018

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Change of starting time due to hot weather

Activity Hiking
Destination Mt. Seymour
Date 11 July 2018, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Valerie van Veen
Contact Info vvv@qisland.ca; or 250 285 2329
Description We will do this long hike as a crossover, using two cars, going up the Nugedzi Trail from Hyacinthe Bay Road then down the Mt. Seymour Trail to Granite Bay Road. We will park at least one car at each trailhead to ferry drivers back to their cars. Swim time in Nugedzi if desired. Lunch at either Nugedzi or Mt. Seymour (or both?). Bring lunch, snacks, water. Cancelled if raining as trails can be slippery.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Parking Lot; north enders meet at Nugedzi Parking Lot no later than 8:15 10:15
Departure Time 8:00 10 a.m. at HB store parking lot
Difficulty
 This is a long, more challenging hike. Good hiking shoes highly recommended for the rubble on the Nugedzi Trail especially.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs no
Notes: Must confirm with coordinator by 8 pm the night before at the latest to be on my participant checklist; only confirmed participants will be notified if hike cancelled due to weather.

Hiking – Newton Lake and Beyond – 18 July 2018

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Change of start time! 

Activity Hiking with swiming
Destination Newton Lake and beyond
Date 18 July 2018, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Darcy Mitchell
Contact Info mitchelldarcy51@gmail.co
Description Hike into Newton Lake, down to the portage between Small Inlet and Waiatt Bay and back to the Newton Lake parking lot. Distance about 15 kilometres – will take approximately 6-7 hours (including lunch and short swim stops at Newton Lake)
Meeting Place Newton Lake parking lot. Drive to the end of Granite Bay Road, cross the small bridge and turn right. There is a sign. Or arrange carpools
Departure Time We will meet at the HB store parking lot at 8:00, to be at the Newton Lake trailhead at 8:30  (Not 10:00)
Difficulty
 Moderate, with a steepish grade between the portage trail and Newton Lake.  Fairly long day.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring plenty of water, lunch and snacks, and swimming stuff if you want to take a dip in the rather cold but very clear lake.

Trip Report – Hyacinthe Bay & Point – 20 June 2018

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Eight of us kayaked from Len Road across Hyacinthe Bay in the morning  (1 km; ¼ hour).  It was a very short paddle to Maple Bay where we explored a property that is proposed to become a wilderness conservation area.  From there we hiked up to a viewpoint with views over Hyacinthe Bay and Rebecca Spit.  It was steep and rugged in places, a path following cairns.  We returned to the Bay for lunch (hike – 4.4 km; 2½ hours), then kayaked on to Lady Ann Bay.   One interesting feature of Hyacinthe Point is the exposed pillow lava which flowed out under water causing the “pillow” formations. Three kayaks returned from this point and five continued on for an extended paddle since the weather was hot and calm.

On our paddle there were herring jumping out of the water near us, which attracted an eagle to swoop in to catch them a couple of times.  He put on a very nice show quite close to us.  We continued around Heriot Island in shallow water and returned to the vehicles. (kayak – 6.0 km; 1½ hours)

Many thanks to the two owners who invited us to visit their properties.

Norris

Photos by Norris and Les

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Kayaking/Hiking – Hyacinthe Bay & Point – 20 June 2018

Trip Report – Morte Lake Loop – 13 June 2018

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We decided at the last minute not to go to Surge Narrows to hike. The weather forecast was sketchy and the recent rains would have made it a wet walk. Ten of us had a lovely walk around Morte Lake without more than a few drops of rain. We hiked the loop counter-clockwise, stopping at some of the high bluff viewpoints. We had lunch at the northwest beach and admired the lovely green water. After the south beach, we took the side trip to the lake viewpoint on the south shore. We returned to the vehicles on Lower Dead Fish, enjoying views of the creek and some old growth fir. The forest seemed to have been refreshed by the recent rains. 10.1 km; 3¾ hours.

Julie

(click on photos to enlarge)