Category Archives: Hiking

Hiking – Surge Narrows logging roads – 29 Jan 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Forested area east of Mine Lake
Date 29 Jan 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710.
Please contact the coordinator in advance.  With the winter weather, stay in touch with the coordinator.
Description We will leave from near the Mine Lake access and walk logging roads through a woodlot.  The roads are relatively flat.  There may be wet areas.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty Easy
Costs None
Trip limits None
Dogs? Okay, if they do not run through the group. This is wolf habitat.
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for the weather.

Trip Report – Morte Lake Loop – 8 Jan 2020

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Twelve hikers and two dogs came out for this classic Quadra hike around Morte Lake, and several had not done this hike before.  We hiked up the old logging road to the north beach on the lake, with lots of water in the lake, the creeks and on the trail in places.  After a short stop to enjoy the view we continued up the hill, following the newly constructed route, hiking counter-clockwise around the lake.  Between some very wet places on the trail, we enjoyed views from the high bluffs, before descending to the lake level, over some under-construction trail, and stopping for lunch at the southwest beach.  We carried on through the Conservancy Lands, past the southeast beach and over the undulating trail on the east side of the lake.  After re-joining the main approach trail, we crossed the creek and followed Lower Deadfish back to the parking lot.  Even on an overcast day, the forest, water features and forest were beautiful.   9.9 km, 3½ hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 8 Jan 2020

Trip Report – Open Bay Trails – 1 Jan 2020

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Instead of a New Year’s paddle (postponed due to weather forecast) seven hikers got together on the first day of 2020 to explore the trails and roads of Open Bay with a local guide – Val – followed by lunch and socializing at the Van Veen residence.

The day started out with outstanding weather – calm, dry and sunny breaks – and we took great advantage of it with nearly a three hour walk, some on the road and several legs through the beautifully sunlit forests that rim Open Bay. We stopped briefly at the beach access at the end of Valdez Rd where we enviously watched a lone kayaker crossing the mouth of Open Bay on the glassy calm water. We again accessed the water at the other end of the bay with a hike down the forested switchbacks to Big Bay and the We Wai Kai Reserve #8. None of us took a polar bear dip into the chuck and the tide was too high to walk the beach back to Valerie’s so we made our way back up to the road and to our indoor lunch spot complete with fabulous view and fresh hot coffee! We had a great vantage point to watch the weather deteriorate quickly into another winter storm. Thank you to our hosts.

And our day wasn’t over yet! We made a stop along Valdez Road and walked less than 100 m off the road into a spectacular grove of old growth Douglas Firs. Another hidden gem on Quadra Island.  8.5 km, 2¾ hours.

Vic

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Hiking – Open Bay Trails – 1 Jan 2020

Hiking – Open Bay Trails – 1 Jan 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Open Bay Trails
Date 1 Jan 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish and Valerie Van Veen
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com or 2111
Description A New Year’s day social walk in the Open Bay area, including Big Beach.  After walking we will go to Valerie’s house to socialize and eat our lunches out of the rain.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot to carpool. Parking is limited
Departure Time 10:00 am
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs none
Trip limits 12
Dogs? No
Notes:

 

Multi-day Hiking – Tofino-Ucluelet – 3-6 February 2020

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Activity Multi-day Hiking
Destination Tofino-Ucluelet
Date 3-6 February, Monday-Thursday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710.  Please let the coordinator know as soon as possible if you are interested.  The deadline for payment is 3 January 2020.
Description We will be staying in Ucluelet for three nights at a vacation rental and doing day hikes in the Tofino-Ucluelet area. We will have two half days and two full days, which should allow time to explore the Wild Pacific Trail, the Pacific Rim National Park, and the two villages.
Meeting Place TBD
Departure Time TBD
Difficulty Moderate
Costs Accommodation, ferry and transportation.  The details about the vacation rental have not been finalized, but we hope to keep the cost close to $160/person for the three nights.
Trip limits The vacation rental we are hoping to get sleeps 10, with at least two people in each room.
Dogs?  no
Notes: Be prepared for rain

Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 8 Jan 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Morte Lake Loop
Date 8 Jan 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description We will hike the official Morte Lake loop, which passes through a wonderful variety of forest and has great views along the lake.  About 10 km and 4 hours.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? okay
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for the weather.  This can be a wet trail in places.

 

Trip Report – Deepwater-Seymour Shoulder Loop – 18 Dec 2019

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The weather forecast was dismal, and it was mostly accurate.  However five bold adventurers set out anyway, in spite of wind and rain, on the theory that Mt. Seymour would block the wind for us.  We were just lucky with the rain because there was a hole in the system, a window of opportunity when we needed it.  So we set off, walking up the steep old logging road, which after the heavy rain was more like a shallow river,  It was a good day for waterproof boots.  Further up the hill we had green spongy moss covering the logging road.  Those are the best kind.  Then further up the hill we hit snow.  Fresh snowball-quality snow.  After a brief lunch stop at the viewpoint (in the cloud), we followed the old road as it descended back to the cars.  Of course there were some more water features, places where the trail resembled a cascade or lake.  We all made it safely home before the deluge resumed.  We were dry from the ankles up and remarkably cheerful.  7.1 km, 3¼ hours.

Norris

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Hiking – Deepwater-Seymour Shoulder Loop- 18 Dec 2019

Trip Report – Lighthouse Trails – 11 Dec 2019

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Plan B was substituted due to weather.  Eight of us spent a couple of hours hiking the trails from Cape Mudge lighthouse, first to the north along Discovery Passage and then along the Cape Mudge shoreline with a loop into the forest and back to Tsa-Kwa-Luten.  We had lunch back at Julie and Randy’s house.  We didn’t get wet, just a bit blown around on the Cape Mudge bluffs.  7.5 km, 2 hours.

Julie

Thanks to Norris and Cyndy for the photos

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Trip Report – Silent Carrington Bay & Grandmother’s Grove – 9 Dec 2019

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Such a lovely three ladies silent hike at Carrington Bay, Cortes Island. We began with a meditation under the ancient maple tree at the entrance to the trail and then we began our silent hike. Stopping and truly seeing the old giants, visualizing the homestead, the care, hardwork and attention given to homesteading. Listening to the waterfall, the woodpeckers drilling away and later hearing the sound of the lagoon. We walked onto Grandmother’s Grove and ate our lunch near the water, lots of ducks on the lagoon. Those ancient trees towering above us, a lovely place to sit and we felt welcomed. Returning eventually to the trail and slowly making our way back. We ended our hike with a beautiful meditation. There is such a powerful eloquence in silence. A wonderful day.

Margot

Thanks to Sandra for the photos

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Hiking in Silence – Carrington Bay & Grandmother’s Grove – 5 Dec 2019

Trip Report – Carrington Bay & Grandmothers’ Grove – 2 Dec 2019

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We tried, unsuccessfully, to change the date of this hike for better weather, but we ended up with a cold, grey, drizzly day.  Our group of 13 hiked along the old logging road stopping at the Borden homestead .  We continued on to Carrington Bay and the tidal lagoon, and crossed the narrow channel on the bridge as the very high tide was rushing in with a standing wave.  We wandered through the camping area and on to the peninsula with the swim rock.  The lagoon had ice on it and was incredibly silent.  We had a bone chilling lunch break on logs in the forest before we continued on to Grandmothers’ Grove, a beautiful old growth stand of spruce and cedar, in the James Creek drainage.  We followed the trail and logging roads back in a loop and made brisk time up the hill to the vehicles to catch the earlier ferry and stay warm. 8.5 km; 3 hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – Carrington Bay & Grandmothers’ Grove – 2 Dec 2019