Category Archives: Hiking

Hike – Alternate Morte Lake Loop – 26 Oct 2016

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 Change of meeting time to 9:30!

Activity Hiking
Destination Morte Lake loop via Dead Fish
Date 26 Oct 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 285-3710;  Please contact the coordinator several days prior to the trip
Description Access Morte Lake using George’s flagged route up to and along the southern ridge, mountain bike trails to Dead Fish, and then either back along the bike routes or clockwise around the lake.  What we do will depend on the group and the weather.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 9:30 10:00 A.M.
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? Okay on leash – we may encounter bikes or animals
Notes: Bring lunch.  Expect some steep sections, wet sections, flagged routes, mountain bike trails, sandy beaches and views.

 

 

Hike – Mt. Sweat – 19 Oct 2016

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Change of destination and meeting time

Activity Hiking
Destination Shellaligan Pass Mt. Sweat
Date 19 Oct 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator several days in advance of the trip.
Description Due to the rainy forecast, we will hike one of the Shellaligan Pass loops.  The original plan was to approach Mt. Sweat from flagged routes leaving from Kolker Main.  However, Heather Kellerhals generously offered to have the hike leave from her property.  This would be a longer and more interesting trip.  We will continue from Mt. Sweat to Kolker Main for those that want to know how to access it from there.  This is fairly weather dependent, as this is a view hike.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 9:30 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy Moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? okay no
Notes: Bring lunch and rain gear.

Hike – New Thompson Trail Loop – 5 Oct 2016

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 Change of meeting time to 1:00

Activity Hiking
Destination Thompson Trail and new logging road loop
Date 5 Oct 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710.  Please contact the coordinator several days before the trip.
Description We will start along the Thompson Trail, turning briefly onto the B&B trail and then on to the new logging road.  This passes by rocky, mossy bluffs with some views to the north.  After turning onto an old logging road, we will return following the trail to Rousseau Ridge and then re-join the Thompson Trail to make a loop.  About 3 hours.  If the weather is poor we will do the more standard Hope Spring-Thompson Trail Loop.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 1:00 10:00
Difficulty moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs?  okay
Notes: Bring lunch.

Hike – Eagle Ridge – 28 Sept 2016

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 Meeting time changed to 9:30. 

Activity Hiking
Destination Eagle Ridge
Date 28 Sept 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description This might be the least hiked trail in the official Trail Map.  It includes wetlands, rocky bluffs and great views of Discovery Passage
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 9:30 10:00
Difficulty easy to moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? okay
Notes: Bring lunch and poles, if you use them.

Naturalist – Mushroom Hike – 12 October 2016

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 This trip is full, but you can contact the coordinator to be added to the waitlist.

Activity Naturalist outing
Destination Mushroom Hike on Quadra
Date 12 October 2016, Wednesday, weather permitting and mushrooms around.
Trip Coordinator Darcy Mitchell, with Marian McMeekin
Contact Info darcm@telus.net or 286-6075; please contact the coordinator by Monday if you are interested
Description Walk to collect mushrooms and do some basic identification.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs none
Trip limits 12 people
Dogs? no
Notes: Trip length 4-5 hours. Bring lunch and collecting gear (bucket or basket, knife, brown paper bags and wax paper if you’re interested in collecting specimens, mushroom id books).

Trip Report – Mt. Albert Edward – 25-27 Aug 2016

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For the effort it takes to get to the top of Mt. Albert Edward, you want to get the reward, the great view. The weather forecast was for hot and sunny. Up until the last moment and then it changed to cloudy and rain, so we moved the trip a few days earlier so we would only have rain on the walk out, with luck. So four of us packed up our backpacks and headed in to Circlet Lake via Helen Mackenzie Lake. It was 34°C in Campbell River that day, but not so hot at the higher elevation we were at. But we went swimming in Circlet Lake when we got there. We got a couple of the tent pads near the lake since we beat the weekend crowds. The next day we got up to clear sky and headed up the mountain a bit after 8:00 to beat the heat. That was the theory anyway, we drank all the water we carried that day and wished we had more. It melted our chocolate. The hike starts with a steep gravel gully, but after that it’s a wonderful hike across sub-alpine meadows and up and along a steady ridge to the summit with great views to both sides. You can see the top of Albert Edward from just about anywhere and so from the top you can see just about everywhere. We had lunch on the summit. There are spectacular mountains all around. Luckily, it was a very clear day and neither we nor they were in clouds. More swimming once back at Circlet Lake. The next day dawned sunny and we put on our backpacks again and hiked out via the string of lakes, pausing to pick and eat blueberries along the way, to Battleship Lake, where we again paused to put our toes in the water. By this time clouds were building up, but the rain held off until the next day when we were home.

In to Circlet Lake 11.1 km, 5 hours, approx 100m elevation gain. Up to Mt. Albert Edward and back 14.7 km, 9¼ hours, approx 900m elevation gain to 2101m. Return via the Lakes 13.0 km, 5½ hours.

Norris

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Backpacking – Mt. Albert Edward – 25-27 Aug 2016

Trip Report – Stramberg Creek and North Grove – 24 Aug 2016

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Five of us set off to see some of the Stramberg big trees. It was going to be a very hot day, so we moved the start time of the trip an hour earlier and we were thankful that this was a trip in the shade of the forest. So we started down the deactivated logging road called Little Main Road, which is now part of Main Lakes Park. It’s a pleasant stroll apart from being prone to the occasional attempt by huckleberry bushes to retake the path. The road probably goes all the way to Shadowbrook Creek, but the last 50 metres are definitely overgrown. Instead, the path crosses Stramberg Creek, a very nice gravelly stream this season. After that, the flagged route turns back south and winds gently up hill through the old forest, passing one huge big fir tree and reaching a lovely grove of old fir trees where we had lunch before returning home. This grove is just a bit north of the Stramberg big trees we go to more often. These trees aren’t quite as big, but the grove itself is nicer. 11.7 km; 4½ hours.

Norris

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Hike – Stramberg Creek and North Grove – 24 Aug 2016

Trip Report – Forbidden Plateau Lakes Loop – 17 Aug 2016

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Eight of us and a dog hiked the lake loop at Forbidden Plateau. The spectacular scenery was made even more wonderful by the absolutely perfect weather. The day was cloudless. We were worried about the heat, but the breeze and optional swimming kept everyone comfortable.

We hiked the loop counter-clockwise beginning at the Visitor Center and moving through Paradise Meadows up to Helen Mackenzie Lake. We hiked up through the rooty, quite wet and somewhat steep forest to the sub-alpine plateau. We had lunch at Mariwood Lake, where it wasn’t even hot enough for anyone to swim. We visited Kwai, Croteau (stopped for swimming), Lady, Kooso and Battleship (more swimming) Lakes, before descending to Paradise Meadows and the car.

There were some mushroom in the forest and a surprising number of wildflowers still in bloom up on the plateau. It was nearly 30° C on the return to Campbell River, but up on the mountain it was perfect.  18.4 km; 7½ hours.

Debbie

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Hike – Forbidden Plateau Lakes Loop – 17 Aug 2016

Trip Report – Maud Island – 3 Aug 2016

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Nine of us walked the trail to Maud Island on a beautiful, warm, summer day.  We arrived at the Ripple Rock viewpoint on Seymour Narrows at the maximum on a flood current of 14.2 knots.  We met a hiking group from Comox on the trail and another group of seven on the trail that day too.  We went out over the Mt. Lolo bluffs and returned by the Salt Water Lagoon.  9.9 km, 4 hours.

Norris

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Hike – Maud Island – 3 Aug 2016

Backpacking – Mt. Albert Edward- 28-30 Aug 2016

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 Change of date

Activity Backpacking
Destination Mt. Albert Edward
Date 25-27 28-30 Aug 2016, Thursday to Saturday Sunday to Tuesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710.  Please contact the trip coordinator not later than Thursday, 25 Aug.
Description Three days/two nights hiking and camping in Strathcona Park. Backpack from the Paradise Meadow trailhead to Circlet Lake (10 km) and set up camp on Sunday. Hike up to the Mt. Albert Edward summit and back on Monday (12 km/900 metres elevation gain). This is a truly alpine experience with great views. Tuesday hike out.
Meeting Place Ferry terminal to Campbell River
Departure Time 07:05 ferry
Difficulty Strenuous
Costs Shared fuel and ferry costs, $10/person/night for back country camping
Trip limits Three or four tents
Dogs?  no
Notes: The Circlet Lake campground will be crowded – this is high season. Parts of the trail to Circlet Lake can be muddy. If the weather is not promising, the trip will be postponed or cancelled.