Six of us set out for Manzanita Bluff on one of the hottest days of the year, so far – about 34° C.  The view at the top is worth it, and the hike up is in the shade of an open forest with some fine Douglas fir trees.  We hiked up the 250 metres in 1½ hours and had lunch enjoying the great view from the bluff.  We descended quickly and took the side trip to Darkwater Lake for a well deserved swim in this excellent lake.  5.3 km; 4¼ hours

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Hiking – Manzanita Bluff – 27 July 2022

Our small group parked off of Copperhead logging road, now that the culvert has been replaced.  We descended to the wetlands before meandering up through the forest and bluffs to Eagle Ridge.  The day was overcast and humid, after a few days of heavy rain.  Just before we reached the high point of the ridge a Night Hawk flew across the trail onto the bluff and then into a tree.  We assumed that this was to divert us away from a ground nest and moved on to the high viewpoint.  After a brief stop on the ridge we returned the same way and noticed that there was a single egg alarmingly close to the trail.  Our second destination was Blindman’s Bluff on the hill to the south of Eagle Ridge.  Both of these are excellent walks with lots of variety and views.  We stopped for lunch at the main viewpoint overlooking Gowlland Harbour and Discovery Passage before heading back.  5.7 km; 3½ hours

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Hiking – Eagle Ridge and blindman’s Bluff – 6 July 2022

Four of us parked at the official end of Leishmans Rd and continued along it as a forestry road.  After only a very short distance, we turned off onto a flagged path.  The first point of interest is a pair of huge rocks, or one gigantic rock split into two with a narrow walkway between them.  Continuing along the flagged path cleared through salal, we ended up at a splendid viewpoint of Discovery Passage facing south.  And it was a warm, sunny day.  From here we went north, sometimes following deer trails and sometimes walking on the rocky shore (tide dependent).  This whole section has good viewpoints and interesting cairns.  Finally as the grassy meadows that we had been walking through started to turn into forest, we had lunch and then headed up hill.  We climbed the grassy slopes and skirted the occasional rock band.  Once on top of the ridge, we could follow it back down to the south, keeping to open understory.  The east side of this ridge is quite a big cliff, bit it gradually diminishes and it’s easy to rejoin the original logging road.  We stopped to admire the big Douglas fir.   3.1 km; 3 hours

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Hiking – Discovery Passage Bluffs – 22 June 2022