Category Archives: Hiking

Trip Report – Mt. Sweat – 22 April 2015

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This trip was postponed to the raincheck date, which turned out to be a lovely day. Rolf and Heather welcomed the dozen hikers at their property, and Rolf had lots of information about the history and natural history of the area.   He has the 1890 survey of the property and there are fruit trees from the same period. The group hiked past the Kellerhals’ garden and up through a series of mossy bluffs and intermittent forest to several great 270° viewpoints, extending from the Vancouver Island mountains across the Strait of Georgia (Salish Sea) to the mainland mountains. We had lunch at the Mt. Sweat summit and then descended by the same route until we turned off to the pond/reservoir. Along the way we saw the Sequoia trees in their experimental forest, their garden, beautiful spring deciduous trees, some old growth fir, a hummingbird, sapsucker, tree frog, a newt swimming in the pond, and an unusual worm case. Many thanks to Rolf and Heather for showing us this great area.

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Hiking Mt Sweat 21 April 2015

Hiking – Noel’s Pizza Peak – 13 May 2015

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Activity Hiking
Destination Noel’s Pizza Peak
Date 13 May 2015, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description Noel’s Pizza is the informal name for the west ridge of Beech’s Mountain.  It is a great viewpoint overlooking Morte Lake.  It is a flagged route, not an official trail.  There are several different approaches that we can use and a loop is possible.  About 4 hours.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.  If you use poles, bring them.

 

Trip Report – Carrington Bay, Cortes – 15 April 2015

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Imagine a forest in trust to the children of Cortes Island.

On Wednesday, April 15th, 13 walkers plus one black dog experienced a part of this forest. We took the 9:05 a.m. ferry to Cortes and were met by Andy and Andrew who hosted this walk on behalf of ‘Forest Trust’. Andy Ellingsen began by giving us an overview of the walk in the woods. These forest lands, at the heartland of Cortes Island, are ecologically significant and contain wetland, herbaceous plants, woodland and old growth. We followed the old logging road and onto well marked paths.  Andy took us to the site of an old settlement, the old fruit trees in full bloom. We continued onto Carrington Lagoon, a narrow channel through which the tides flows. We sat and had our lunch in this beautiful area with a number of lovely campsites. From here we continued onto ‘Grandmothers Grove’, a beautiful old growth stand of trees, along side James Creek watershed that supports cutthroat trout & spawning salmon. Andy fed us all so much information on identifying trees and what to look for in trees. His father was a logger in Van Donop region and gave Andy a wealth of knowledge.

We then continued onto the parking area filled with the memory of a small part of northern Cortes Island.

We thank our hosts Andy, Andrew & Christine Robinson for organizing this hike.

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Hike Carrington Bay – 15 April 2015

Trip Report – Stramberg Old Growth – 1 April 2015

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The weather cooperated this time and gave us a nice day for a lovely walk in the woods.  The first leg of this trip heads west along Vic’s Marsh, after that it turns north and heads into  Main Lake Provincial Park.  The trees are plastered with lichens and moss making it an enchanted forest.  There are very impressive trees scattered along the whole walk, including a gigantic white pine, and there are some huge stumps from before this area became a park.  The destination, the old growth grove, has some big trees!  We didn’t think of it, but we should have taken a tape measure so we could say how big they are. We would also like to know how tall they are and how old they are.

The trail and trail flagging is in good condition, other than all the fallen trees that you have to climb under or over or go around, and except for the little loop that goes through the grove.   13.4 km round trip, 5½ hours.  12 hikers.

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Stramberg Old Growth – 1 April 2015

Hiking Mt Sweat 21 April 2015

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 This trip will take place on April 22!

Activity Hiking
Destination Mt. Sweat
Date 21 April 2015, Tuesday or 22 April if visibility is poor on Tuesday
Trip Coordinator Rolf and Heather Kellerhals
Contact Info 285-3570. Please call to confirm and for driving directions.
Description The trip involves some steep sections and some scrambling over rock, but no actual rock climbing, with some good views over the island and mountains.  Three to four hours depending on the route.
Meeting Place the Kellerhals’ farm
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.

 

Hiking Maud Island 29 April 2015

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Activity Hiking
Destination Maud Island
Date 29 April 2015, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description Hike to Maud Island through varied forest over level and undulating trails.  We hope to have views from Mt. Lolo and from the Narrows.  We will also see the state of construction of the tidal turbines at the Canoe Pass causeway.  The current through the Narrows will not be very impressive on this day.  About four hours or more.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.

 

Trip Report – Karst Formations 21 Mar 2015

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Clouds in the early morning gave way to perfect sunny weather for the Karst Hike on Saturday March 21st, 2015. The previous day’s rain provided plenty of water in the streams, creating ideal conditions in which to really appreciate this distinctive topography.

Karst landscape is largely shaped by dissolving action of water on carbonate bedrock (usually limestone, dolomite, or marble). This geological process, occurring over many thousands of years, results in unusual surface and subsurface features ranging from sinkholes, vertical shafts, disappearing streams, and springs, to complex underground drainage systems and caves.

A narrow band of Quatsino Limestone on Quadra Island extends north from Open Bay and terminates near Luoma Creek. The most significant area north of Canyon Creek contains the most number of caves and karst features. Although the cave sizes are very small, the impressive size of some of the karst features makes this an interesting area for recreational exploration and interpretation.

The Quadra Island Trails Committee has applied to Recreation Sites & Trails BC for two Forest Interpretative Sites to help protect some of finest surface karst features on Quadra Island.

Richard Leicester.

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Karst Formations – 21 March 2015

Trip Report – Heriot System Loop 11 Mar 2015

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Due to the forecast storm, this was proposed as a last minute substitute for the hike to Maud Island. As it turned out there was only a bit of wind and some drizzle in the last half hour. The six of us hiked along the Hope Spring trail to the Gowlland Harbour trail. We admired the old growth fir trees and then took the side trip to the old growth grove. We continued along the Thompson trail and then returned to the cars via the Heriot Ridge route. We stopped for lunch on an open mossy bluff. These trails are in good condition for the end of winter, with noticeable volunteer maintenance. 2 ¾ hours; 6.1 km.

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Trip Report – Blindman’s Bluff & Eagle Ridge 4 Mar 2015

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It was cool in the morning when the five of us left for Eagle Ridge. It was a great sunny day for a hike though. We were surprised to find that the beaver pond was nearly dry on the way there. The ridge was covered in may shades of beautiful green moss and the views of the island mountains great. We returned on the same route and then hiked Blindman’s Bluff Trail. We saw one deer and the bald eagles entertained us why we ate lunch.

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Blindman’s Bluff & Eagle Ridge – 4 March 2015

Trip Report – Hiking Ucluelet 2-4 Feb 2015

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After arriving at the vacation rental in Ucluelet around noon, we had lots of time on Monday to walk to Florencia and Half Moon Bay at the south end of Pacific Rim National Park. The hike took us through beautiful old forest, along boardwalk, and down stairs to the long sandy beach at Florencia and then up and down again to the more intimate beach at Half Moon Bay. (9.7 km)

On Tuesday, we hiked the Lighthouse loop on the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet in the morning (3.0 km) and after lunch we hiked from Big Beach to the Cedar Grove and back. (8.5 km) This is a beautiful, rocky coast, which contrasts well with beaches in the Tofino area. The lighthouse, islets, surge channels and wonderful trees are incredibly scenic.

On the last day, we spent about an hour exploring Tofino and then walked the length of Chesterman’s Beach before heading home. In all three days we never had more than a brief bit of drizzle, and sometimes we had sunny breaks.

We also had fun in the evening at the house we rented on the Ucluelet Inlet. We had a wonderful seafood feast on Monday with mulled wine, Oysters Rockefeller, BBQed salmon, roast vegetables, salad and chocolate cake. On Tuesday, we had lasagna with homemade noodles, with all the trimmings. The house had an exceptional woodstove and book collection. The nearly full moon lighted the inlet each night.

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Hiking Ucluelet – 2-4 February 2015