Six people and a dog hiked the bigger Shellaligan Loop, beginning at the parking closest to the water, counter-clockwise. It was a beautiful, cold, clear day with a bit of north wind. This hike took us over rocky bluffs with great views and then undulated through forest with some old growth and lovely creeks. 7 km, about three hours.
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| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Back Door – Silk Stocking Loop |
| Date | 3 December 2014, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Norris Weimer |
| Contact Info | 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca |
| Description | A pleasant walk in trees and along ridges.
We will explore some of the mountain bike trails south of the WalCan Road, Starting from the North Gowlland Road, the route follows Cash Only to Back Door, Silk Stocking, the logging road leading to Blindman’s Bluff, Bite the Bullet (which has been affected by logging), and Sam’s Shorty, There is the possibility that we will have to walk a short distance on the North Gowlland Road. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Bring lunch and warm clothing. It’s supposed to be cold and some parts of the trails may be wet. Hiking poles may be useful. About 3 hours. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Shellalligan Trail |
| Date | 29 November 2014, Saturday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca |
| Description | We will start along the rocky bluffs overlooking Hoskyn Channel and Village Bay. After that, there is a choice of return paths, to be decided by the group and the weather. 3 to 6 km, 2 to 4 hours. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Bring lunch and warm clothing. It’s supposed to be sunny and 3° C. Hiking poles may be useful but not needed. |
To celebrate the end of a month with 320 mm of rain, nine people and one dog made the trek to the top of Mt. Seymour in crisp sunshine and cold temperatures. The trail was in good condition. We stopped at the bluff above Nugedzi Lake for snacks and at the top (620 m) for lunch. There was a light, but cool breeze and great views all around. 8 km, about 420 m elevation gain, 4 hours.
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| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Mt. Seymour |
| Date | 12 November 2014, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Norris Weimer |
| Contact Info | 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca |
| Description | This is a great hike and we’re hoping for wonderful views on a clear day. It’s a steady climb up old logging roads, until the trail branches off and follows open bluffs and forest to the summit at 620 m, the highest point on Quadra Island. We will then descend by the same route. Four to five hours. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate to difficult |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Bring lunch and warm clothing. It’s supposed to be cold. Hiking poles may be a good idea. |
This trip was scheduled for Rousseau Ridge, but at a last-minute request it was re-routed to the bluff on the north shore of Mine Lake. The weather was perfect: clear, warm and still. We followed the trail from the Surge Narrows Road to the Camp Homewood campsite, which was closed for the season. After finding the sign to the bluff we climbed through the forest and then steeply on rocks up to great views of Mine Lake and the Mt. Seymour Ridge. We explored the top of the bluff for views and found a trail that descended the north side and then along the base of an impressive cliff. This trail circled back to re-join the trail we had taken up the south side of the bluff. We descended to the lake, stopping for lunch and a swim at the rocky peninsula near the campsite, before heading back.
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The forecast was for rain, one of the few rainy days in the entire summer. A small group decided to go anyway. The threat of rain was exaggerated, but there was mist and low clouds – not perfect for hike with such great views. We hiked up to the viewpoint and on to the summit. We then decided to make a loop back to the parking lot by taking the route down the west side of Beech’s mountain, continuing on the old logging road for a while, and then following another flagged route along bluffs, finally joining the North Chinese Mountain trail. There are several routes from the logging road to the Chinese Mountain parking lot, but this is the most scenic.
A few people went the following day which was sunny and beautiful.
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Five members showed up for the trip and we were rewarded with an awesome paddle. The wind was blowing NW 15 and forecast was for 20 knots in the afternoon so we were hesitant to leave Granite Bay. After some discussion we decided to brave forward as this trip had already been canceled once due to winds. We stayed close together so if anyone felt the wind was too much we would just turn around and come back. It was challenging paddling into the wind, but not that bad and gave us a chance to practice some skills. As we turned the first point the water got a bit better as we had some protection from the Chain Islets. Some harbour porpoises were out playing and the sockeye were jumping to make things exciting.
The group stopped at a protected bay on the south side of Kanish Bay near the entrance. From here we could walk to the outside and see what the wind was doing on Johnstone Strait. The white caps were many so we decided to have lunch and hope that it calmed down. After lunch we rounded the west most island and out into the wind. It was a bit much so ducked back behind the next island and paddled on the lee side to the eastern most island. At this point the wind calmed some and it was decided to make a dash for Orchard Bay. The crossing was uneventful and not bad as we had a following wind.
Orchard Bay is a very interesting place. The midden is enormous with a huge level meadow on top. There are many places to camp here. It is well worth the time to explore this old native site. After this we paddled across the entrance of Small Inlet and back to Granite Bay.
– Les Hand
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The trip is now going to The Bluff Above Camp Homewood on Mine Lake.
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | |
| Date | 10 Sept 2014, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Norris Weimer |
| Contact Info | 285-3710; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip |
| Description | There is a trail from Camp Homewood on Mine Lake to the top of the hill behind the camp. It has a great view. We will start from the Mine Lake boat launch. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot to carpool |
| Departure Time | |
| Difficulty | Mostly easy |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Bring lunch. Three to four hours. |
The group was undaunted by a few drops of rain at the beginning of the hike into Newton Lake and was rewarded with clearing skies. We had this beautiful and serene lake all to ourselves, but no one went swimming. It was a bit cool and some leeches kept cruising by. After a leisurely lunch and a bit of exploring beyond the second swimming rock, we returned as many others headed up to the lake. 8.9 km; 3 3/4 hours.
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Quadra Island Outdoor Club 