| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Dead Fish-South Morte Lake Loop |
| Date | 29 November 2017, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Janis McLean |
| Contact Info | phone 3614. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | A forested loop on established hiking and mountain biking trails from the Morte Lake parking lot. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay store parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | 10 |
| Dogs? | yes |
| Notes: |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Silk Stocking and Little Black Dress |
| Date | 22 November 2017, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Diana & Rob McKerracher |
| Contact Info | 250 285 3204. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | A forested loop on established trails and mountain bike trails, near Morte Lake. Basic route is about 7 km and takes almost 3 hours to walk. Poles are helpful on some of the wet bits and rocky slopes. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay store parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate, with some steep sections |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | on leash |
| Notes: | If the weather is great, we can extend this basic route. Bring lunch and dress for the weather. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Hopespring – Thompson Trail Loop |
| Date | 15 November 2017, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Julie Mellanby |
| Contact Info | phone 3978. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | This is a moderate loop through varied forest, including some old growth. The walk passes by wetlands, creeks, rocky bluffs. This is relatively protected in rainy weather, but if the day provides the opportunity, there are views along the way. |
| Meeting Place | Hopespring Trailhead |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | okay |
| Notes: | You might bring a snack, but lunch isn’t expected on the trail. |
Six of us hiked the flagged route from the Surge Narrows Rd to the east end of Main Lake. The day was mild and the brush was dry as we followed the old logging road making a side trip to an un-named lake. After briefly thrashing in the brush in the wrong direction, we continued through lovely, open forest with lots of white pine and some old growth cedar and fir. However, there are some sections with major blow-down, which is not just stepped over, but involves the full-body climb up and over. Near to Main Lake we admired some exceptional old growth Douglas fir and the water falls. We had lunch at the picnic tables at the campground, enjoying the view of the Lake. After lunch some remained and enjoyed a fire in the campground fire ring, while others hiked on to Yeatman Bay. We followed the flagged route back to the vehicles, which is rather more uphill. 9.7 km; 4½ hours.
Debbie
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Six of us took advantage of the fantastic fall weather to hike up to Mt. Seymour to enjoy the views. The cooler, crisp air was perfect for hiking. There were hardly any mushrooms on the way up in this drier environment. We enjoyed the views all along the open, rocky bluffs and visited the three outlooks at the summit for a nearly complete view. We had lunch on the east-facing bluff and stayed quite a while. We could have stayed there all day! 8.0 km; 4½ hours.
– Norris
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The cold front and rain passed in the night, so in the morning we had beautiful fall day. Nine of us hiked the path from Village Bay Lake, passing by Vic’s Marsh and the old cabin to the pond viewpoint. From there the trail heads north through the forest into Main Lake Park. Although neglected for some years, the trail is now quite well flagged and maintained. We passed through the junction of the old logging roads to the south and east of Stramberg Lake and we continued on the eastern road headed north. With the sun and recent rain, everything was vibrant green. The mushroom, mosses and liverwort were abundant. We crossed the little creek and climbed up to the old growth grove. After admiring the old trees and stopping for lunch, we followed the loop through the glade and retraced our path back to the vehicles. About 12 km, 5+ hours.
– Norris
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| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Mt. Seymour |
| Date | 30 October 2017, Monday |
| 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 hiking poles if you use them. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Main Lake from Surge Narrows Rd |
| Date | 8 November 2017, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | This is a flagged route from the Surge Narrows road, following old logging roads and paths through mature forest to the east end of Main Lake. The route is not far (about 7.0 km), but quite slow due to rough conditions. Expect wet sections and some climbing over deadfall. If the group wants more of a walk, we can continue on to Yeatman Bay. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | Moderate due to the rough trail conditions. |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Bring lunch. |
On Oct. 4 with cloudless skies, 7 of us explored around the Kellerhals farm and forest situated near Hyacinthe Creek. With the property map in hand we had a delightful time exploring. We hiked some of the trails through the forest, up to a lookout, relaxed at their pond and observed some rock cliffs and gravel pits of archeological interest.
We all laughed, lunched and lounged during a memorable hike. Thanks to Heather Kellerhals for sharing her property with us.
Meg Stewart
Note: Thanks to Meg for the photos
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Quadra Island Outdoor Club 