| Activity | Hiking |
| Destination | Drew Creek and Harbour |
| Date | 26 Feb 2020, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Norris Weimer |
| Contact Info | norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710. Please contact the coordinator in advance. |
| Description | A short easy walk. |
| 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. |
| Notes: |
Changeable weather at its best. Leave home in winter wind and rain, and arrive at the trailhead in sunny spring. We did delay the hike by a few minutes, to allow the weather to get over it, by visiting the old Union Steamship dock at Bold Point. The steamships stopped running in 1953. The dock was built sometime after 1901. The dock itself is gone except for the concrete part. The bridge is still there.
Six of us hiked an old logging road from the Bold Point Rd over to the Surge Narrows Rd. The route rolls gently through some fine forest. Then we had lunch at Mine Lake (very high water level!). We walked the Surge Narrows Rd south to join another logging road back to the Bold Point Rd and make a loop. This last section took us by a sunny knoll and a wetland meadow with a pond and a bufflehead duck. 7.1 km, 2½ hours.
– Norris
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| Activity | Hiking in silence |
| Destination | Hopespring-Thompson Trail Loop |
| Date | 5 Feb 2020, Wednesday |
| Trip Coordinator | Sandra Burns |
| Contact Info | sandraburns.ca@gmail.com or 3977. Please, no phone calls after 8 pm. |
| Description | We will start at the Hopespring trailhead, slowly following the very typical Heriot Ridge trail, dropping down and around, possibly doing the old growth section, if the trail permits and ending at the Thompson road exit. About 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Please bring a warm drink and possibly a snack. Dress for the weather as some sections might be wet and slippery. Also, poles (1 or 2) are helpful where it is slippery or steep. This will be a silent walk, with a very short piece read at the beginning, middle and end. |
| Meeting Place | Hopespring trailhead |
| Departure Time | 10:00 |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Costs | |
| Trip limits | 6 |
| Dogs? | No |
| Notes: |
Although the forecast threatened considerable snowfall and high winds, five hikers and Luna-dog braved the snowy trails of Heriot Ridge. Trail conditions were slightly tricky as old snow and icy patches were covered with an inch of fresh snow. We expended a little more energy than usual being careful not to slip, and the hiking poles came in handy. Beginning at the Hopespring Trailhead we hiked Hopespring Trail up and over the ridge, turning right on the Gowlland Trail and right again onto Thompson Trail to the trailhead at Thompson Road. Snow fell lightly throughout the hike offering us lovely Christmas card surroundings in the forest. 4.9 km, 2 hours.
Janis
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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. |
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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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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| 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: |
| 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 |
| 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. |
Quadra Island Outdoor Club 