Category Archives: Hiking

Trip Report – Cruickshank Canyon – 29 July 2014

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After taking the 8:00 ferry and driving up to Mt. Washington, the group of seven hikers started out from the Strathcona Park visitor centre just after 9:30. It was sunny and hot, and the Paradise Meadows were beautiful even though most of the flowers were past their peak. We hiked passed Battleship Lake on some excellent new boardwalk and continued through lovely forest with views of the sub-alpine lakes of Kooso, Lady and Croteau and the mountains beyond them. We stopped on the peninsula at Kwai Lake for lunch. Our pace was quite leisurely with all the scenic distractions. We reached Cruickshank Canyon around 2:00, with great views and an impressive drop off. On the return trip, we stopped at Mariwood Lake for a swim and then climbed the hill up to the Park Rangers’ cabin and continued on the rough trail descending to Lake Helen Mackenzie. After more snacks and swimming, we returned to the parking lot. The wildlife for the day was a young bear on the road as we drove down the hill. 22 km.

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Hike Cruickshank Canyon 29 July 2014

Hike Beech’s Mtn. – 2 Sept 2014

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Activity Hiking
Destination Beech’s Mtn
Date 2 Sept 2014, Tuesday
Trip Coordinator Sheelagh Elmitt
Contact Info 250 285 2296
Description A beautiful hike with stunning views in all directions at the top. The trail goes up the west side of South Chinese mountain before it branches off to Beech. There are alternate routes for descent if the group chooses.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 9:00
Difficulty Moderate with some steep sections
Costs none except gas donations
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: About 6 kms round trip, approximately 4 hrs hiking time

Backpacking Baby Bedwell & day trips – 25-27 August 2014

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Activity Backpacking
Destination Baby Bedwell; Tom Taylor or Cream Lake day trip
Date 25-27 August 2014, Monday to Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Jill Sampson
Contact Info 285-3202; please contact the coordinator well in advance of the trip.
Description We will take the ferry and then drive to the south end of Buttle Lake.  The access road from Highway 28 to the trailhead may be quite rough. The trail to Baby Bedwell climbs 600 metres over 6 kilometers to reach this beautiful sub-alpine area with lakes and tarns.  On the second day, there are two options: an ascent of Mt. Tom Taylor (1,778 m) or a more gentle day exploring Bedwell and Cream Lakes.  On the third day, the group will hike out and return to Quadra.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River
Departure Time 10:55 ferry
Difficulty Moderate to difficult
Costs Ferry costs; fee for camping
Trip limits 8
Dogs? no
Notes: Carpooling and food arrangements will be made prior to the departure.

Trip Report – Mt. Seymour – 12 July 2014

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The seven hikers on the trip headed out early due to the early-July heat wave. We dropped vehicles off at the Nugedzi Lakes parking area, and headed up the trail to Mount Seymour from the Granite Bay Road departure point. The climb through the forest was not too hot yet, and we were pleased to find a breeze to help the over-heating issue once we moved onto the more open section of the trail to the summit. The views from the top were superb. A bit of summer heat haze, but still a lovely, clear panorama of peaks to the east, and the Vancouver Island coastline and more fine peaks to the west.

We descended to Nugedzi Lakes for lunch, and a refreshing dip in the lake for some of us. A couple of grouse flushed along the trail were our most exciting wildlife spotting for the day. We descended through the forest trail below Nugedzi, appreciative of at the work the Trails Committee did last year to reestablish this path after the damage from the previous winter. We were back at the cars around 2 pm and glad to be out of the most intense heat of the day.

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Hike Mt. Seymour – 12 July 2014

Hike Mt. Seymour – 12 July 2014

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Activity Hiking
Destination Mt. Seymour
Date 12 July 2014, Saturday
Trip Coordinator Mark Zimmerman / Kathryn Manry
Contact Info 285-2103 or kamanry@gmail.com
Description We will drop off some vehicles at the Nugedzi Lakes parking lot, then head on to the departure point on Granite Bay Road to hike up to Mount Seymour from that access point. The trail is a steady climb up for about 620 m to a 360 degree view point from the highest point on Quadra Island. We will then descend via Nugedzi Lakes, through some lovely forest and back to where the shuttle vehicles were parked. Then a bit of vehicle shuffling, and we will return to the HB Store by about 4 pm. Bring lots of water, a lunch and snacks. Hiking poles may be a good idea. We will be grateful to those who offer vehicles for the shuttle to accommodate the loop trip.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 9:00
Difficulty moderate to difficult (summit is 620 m)
Costs none
Trip limits 15 enthusiastic hikers
Dogs? ok on leash
Notes: We would like to make this a loop trip – leaving from the Granite Bay Road access point and returning via the Nugedzi Lakes trail. This will entail a bit of car shuffling, and a bit longer day to accommodate this, but should make for a more rewarding hike.

Trip Report – Heriot Ridge Route – 29 June 2014

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We had eight people on this short hike on short notice. Starting at the end of Hope Spring Road, we hiked up to the east and west viewpoints of Heriot Ridge on a warm, mostly sunny day. We continued north on the flagged route, which undulates through open forest and mossy bluffs. The most unusual naturalist event of the hike was a dragonfly with a bee in its mouth that landed on the trip coordinator’s shirt. The dragonfly did not leave until the bee was completely consumed, even during walking or close-up photography. The meal lasted at least 15 minutes. We returned by the Thompson Trail, with about half the group visiting the northern viewpoint over Hyacinthe Bay, and then following the road back to the cars.

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Hike Heriot Ridge Route – 29 June 2014

Hike Newton Lake – 13 August 2014

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(postponed from 19 July 2014)

Activity Hiking
Destination Newton Lake
Date 19 July 2014, Saturday 13 August 2014, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Syd Lapan
Contact Info Syd 285-2999 or comoxsyd@gmail.com
Description Lovely hike through the woods to a clear, sometimes cold, lake at the north end of the island
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 9:00
Difficulty easy to moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch and snacks.  Might want to bring a bathing suit.  Small, extra walk could eliminate the need for that.

Hike Heriot Ridge Route – 29 June 2014

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Activity Hiking
Destination Heriot Ridge Route
Date 29 June 2014, Sunday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710;  Please contact the coordinator prior to the trip
Description This hike is a loop following the Heriot Ridge. It first follows the Heriot Ridge trail up to the ridge where there are excellent views to the east and west. The hike then continues on the ridge on a well-used flagged route, not a maintained trail, for about a third of the distance. The route undulates through open forest and bluffs until it joins the Thompson Trail and descends to Thompson Rd. About 2 hours.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for possible car pooling
Departure Time 1:00
Difficulty easy
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs?
Notes:

Trip Report – Wood Duck Lake – 19 June 2014

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Despite the forecast for rain and gale force winds later in the day, the group of eight proceeded with this hike to an area not familiar to most of the participants. Taking the second logging road on the right after turning onto North Gowlland road, we parked about a half a kilometre down the road, just past a recently harvested area. The mountain bike trail known as Yellow Mud branched to the left and led to a series of meadows and to Wood Duck Lake. The beaver dam, which had failed a few years ago causing some down-stream damage, was in good repair. There were Mergansers with babies on the lake. We continued on and then up on Play Thing trail to an old copper mining site. Finding the Back Door trail we followed this through open forest until we reached a bluff with views of the Chinese Mountain – Beech’s Mountain ridge. We returned via Dick’s Ride trail, making a small loop. 7 kilometres.  The rain and wind held off until we got home.

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Hike Wood Duck Lake & Old Mine Trail 19 June 2014

Trip Report – Nugedzi – 14 June 2014

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The group explored all of the Nugedzi highpoints: the old cedar grove, the lakes, the viewpoint over Discovery Passage, the lily pond and the viewpoint over Georgia Basin. The weather was overcast and hazy, even murky, and there were a few drops of rain at lunch, but the temperature was fine for the climb up the logging road. The wildflowers were excellent, though the forest is unusually dry for this time of year. (If the flowers are not all identified correctly, let us know). The pace was leisurely, with stops at all the beauty points for food and talk. 11.4 kilometres.

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Hike Nugedzi 14 June 2014