We had a beautiful fall day for eight of us and four dogs to hike along the eastern Quadra shoreline and through woodlot trails. We sat on the beach for a snack and were lucky to see two humpback whales passing by. 2 hours.
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | North Gowlland Loop |
| Date | 30 Oct 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca. Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip. |
| Description | We will use bike trails, logging roads and a bit of official hiking trail to make this loop on both sides of North Gowlland Road: Marlow’s Road Climb, North Gowlland Trail, Missing Link, Little Black Dress, Back Door, Cash Only and Lady Lumps. If the weather is good we will visit Rousseau Ridge. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Store for car pooling |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty |
Moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | Okay if they don’t run through the group |
| Notes: | Bring lunch and gear for the weather. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Rebecca Spit Loop |
| Date | 30 October 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710. Please contact the trip coordinator prior to the trip. |
| Description | We will visit the Sasquatch and then continue to Paddy’s Lagoon. We will follow some unofficial trails that loop out and then circle back to the campground. We will explore the recent improvements to Drew Creek. If we then continue to the end of the Spit, the hike is about 8km. |
| Meeting Place | Rebecca Spit parking lot just past the gate on the right by the water at the south end of the park. |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty |
easy |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | |
| Notes: | Expect some mud on the way to Paddy’s Lagoon. Bring a snack and gear for the weather. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | South Morte Lake Loop |
| Date | 6 Nov 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | Starting from the Morte Lake parking lot, we will hike up Morning Beer, joining Deadfish and on to other mountain bike trails. We will descend maybe by Tripod, carry on along Reed Lake, cross the Wal Can Road and return to the Morte Lake parking lot following McKercher Creek. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay store parking lot |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | okay, but must not run through the group |
| Notes: | Bring a snack or lunch, poles if you use them, and gear appropriate for the weather. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Kay Dubois Trail |
| Date | 9 Oct 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Julie Mellanby |
| Contact Info | 3978 |
| Description | We will hike this trail beginning at the south. This is a classic trail along the shore through a mixed forest with great views of Sutil Chanel. A short walk. |
| Meeting Place | Kay Dubois trailhead at the end of Sutil Road |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty |
Easy |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | Okay if they don’t run through the group. |
| Notes: | Bring a snack or lunch and poles if you use them. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Hope Spring-Thompson Trail loop |
| Date | 27 Feb 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Julie Mellanby |
| Contact Info | 3978 |
| Description | We will begin the loop at the Hope Spring trailhead and hike clockwise. This is a classic loop on official trails, with lots of variety: creeks, old growth Douglas fir, and some wetlands.. The hike will be about two hours. |
| Meeting Place | Hope Spring trailhead |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty |
Fairly short and undulating |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | Okay if they don’t run through the group. |
| Notes: | Bring a snack or lunch and poles if you use them. |
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Eagle Ridge and Blindman’s Bluff |
| Date | 28 Aug 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Les Hand |
| Contact Info | 285-2029 or leshand@gicable.com. |
| Description | Eagle Ridge trail has wetlands as well as rocky bluffs for views of Discovery Passage. We will then go to Blindman’s Bluff for more open views. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay store parking lot. |
| Departure Time | 9:00 |
| Difficulty |
Moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | Yes, but no back and forth through group |
| Notes: | Please contact the trip coordinator prior to the trip. |
There were eight hikers and two dogs for this highly varied walk to Newton Lake, Small Inlet and Waiatt Bay. It was a warm and sunny day for a hike and a swim. We hiked up the old, eroded logging road to the lake and enjoyed the view and the quiet for a while before continuing along the creek and down the switchbacks to Small Inlet. The Inlet was beautiful and serene, with no boats at anchor, but we decided to go to Waiatt Bay for lunch. It was a very low tide, with quite a lot of boats in the bay, and few people on the trail hiking up to the lake. We returned to Small Inlet by the portage trail and the bubbling spring before hiking back up the hill to Newton Lake. By this time, there were quite a few swimmers at the lake, but we had the rock bluff on the north side to ourselves for a wonderfully refreshing splash in the lake, before returning down the logging road to the vehicles. 14.4 km; 6 hours.
– Julie and Debbie
Click on the photos to enlarge
Twelve of us and two dogs headed out to the Stramberg north grove of big trees. It was one of those dog days of August, sunny and hot. The first section of the route, an old logging road which was deactivated when it became park land, was a pleasant stroll, a grassy, mossy path. When we reached Stramberg Creek, it was flowing deeper than usual at this time of year. So we waded across the clear, cool stream. Then some of us and the dogs were attacked by ground-nesting wasps. With the help of some ointment on the bites, we continued on. The trail was clear and well flagged so we made good time and had lunch at the north grove. After lunch the group split as some returned while others opted for continuing on the trail to the Stramberg big trees, which we normally reach by the trail from the south and east side of the Lake. The return trip was uneventful, but warm and quick since swimming in Stramberg Lake was the next objective. The cool, clear waters were very refreshing. 12.1 km; 5½ hours.
– Norris
Thanks to Norris and Les for the photos
(Click on the photos to enlarge)
| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Nugedzi Lakes and Views |
| Date | 4 Sept 2019, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Debbie Quigg |
| Contact Info | debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip. |
| Description | Hike up a steep, old logging road and meander through open forest to the lovely Nugedzi Lakes. We will also take two or three side trips to viewpoints looking northeast, southeast and west. Nugedzi Lake is a great place for lunch and a swim. |
| Meeting Place | Heriot Bay Store for car pooling |
| Departure Time | 9:00 |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Costs | none |
| Trip limits | none |
| Dogs? | okay |
| Notes: | Bring lunch and swim wear if you want. |
Quadra Island Outdoor Club 