We will most likely stay at Gordon Bay Provincial Park on Cowichan Lake. It is still first-come-first-served. There are many amazing destinations in Cowichan Valley and here are a few we will consider: Kinsol Trestle, Mt. Tzouhalem, Maple Mtn coastal Trail, Stoney Hill trail loop, Bald Mtn Park, Old Baldy Mtn, Cobble Hill, Koksilah Ancient Forest.
Meeting Place
Gordon Bay Provincial Park (probably)
Arrival Time
TBD
Difficulty
Moderate, variableÂ
Cost
Ferries, fuel, camping
Trip limits
10
Dogs?
No
Notes:
Please let the coordinator know if you are interested in this trip. More information is available about camping and specific activities on request.
It was a lovely, mild day for our hike out to Plumper Point. Starting at the trailhead to Maud Island, it was interesting to see the magnitude of the recently trail work, cutting down danger trees near the trail. Some of that clearing continued after the left turn on the Maud Island trail. At the creek we cut off on a very old logging road which has been flagged and somewhat cleared. We descended to the beach on Plumper Bay where the camping shelter has been set up. Some of the construction is quite good. There was ample beach for us to walk along the shore out toward the point. It was the day after a full moon, so the tides were big and the currents active. We were surprised that there was a three hour difference in the low tide between Campbell River and Brown’s Bay.Â
The climb up from the beach back to the old, flagged logging road was quite steep. It was only a very short distance from there to the beautiful, mossy bluff with the great views of Plumper Bay and north in Discovery Passage.  We stopped for lunch and then made our way out to the bluffs on the Discovery Passage side with views toward the west and south. We returned through the forest with lots deadfall at first, then a better forest. We picked up the flagged road again and made our way back.  (8 km; 182m; 4 hours)
This snowshoe trip was rescheduled from the original date due to no snow in the mountains. It looked bad for the new date too, but then we had a huge snowstorm. We weren’t sure if chains were required on the Mt. Washington road or if their snowshoe trails would be broken for us, so we opted for Mt. Menzies first lookout instead. It was a good decision. Mt. Washington was a zoo, with the resort trying to deal with snow removal and grooming. There was a lack of parking space for the demand. On Menzies, we had fresh snow, no crowds and a beautiful spring day. We made it to the first lookout, enjoyed the view, then decided to do just a bit more before heading back down. 6.4 km, 340m, 3.75 hours.
We will follow some of the Mt. Washington snowshoe trails leaving from Raven Lodge. On Friday there are only two snowshoe trails open, but the area is expected to receive significant snowfall over the weekend, increasing the snow base and reducing wet areas. This may mean the trails are not packed down. We will adapt to conditions.
Meeting Place
Quathiaski Cove Ferry terminal
Departure Time
8:30 ferry
Difficulty
Moderate
Costs
Ferry, fuel and day pass (full, weekday, snowshoe pass is $14)
Trip limits
10
Dogs?
No
Notes:
Bring lunch, well-functioning snowshoes, and gear appropriate for the weather.
norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710. Â Please contact the coordinator in advance by phone or email.
Description
We will start out on the trail to Maud Island, but turn off onto an old logging road to Plumper Point. However, we divert from that in order to walk the beach at a low tide. When the beach runs out we will go up on mossy bluffs and continue to the Point. We will return through the forest on the old logging road. About 6.5 km, 3 to 4 hours.
Meeting Place
Community Centre parking lot; we will convoy in our cars from there.
Departure Time
10:00
Difficulty
Moderate, but varied: easy trail, beach walking, routes on old, unmaintained logging roads, a few steepish ascents on bluffs
Four of us had a leisurely ramble on the south Heriot Ridge bluffs on a gentle, partly sunny winter day. We started at the Hopespring trailhead and climbed to the two principal Heriot Ridge viewpoints, one facing east and one facing west. We turned off the main trail and made our way to the communication tower, through some salal, wet places and undulating rock. We used the handy platform as a place to stop for lunch. We descended the sometimes steep, mossy bluffs until we reached the forest and the trail to the High Bluff. After enjoying that view and returning to the trail, we found that the trail down to the North Gowlland trail was so wet that it was not appealing, so we climbed back up to the south-facing, open, mossy bluffs for more views. In places there are paths, but often the route was quite steep up and down. We rambled west back to the Hopespring trail and returned to the vehicles. (4.1 km, 3.5 hours)
This is partially an experiment in early season camping, hence the short stay and accessible destination. Not all of the participants need to camp, however. Final decisions about activities will be made closer to the time of travel. Activities will include park beach and trail walking, observing wildlife during the herring season, trips to Englishman River Falls, Little Qualicum River and Rosewell Creek Falls. These are not very challenging objectives, but more could be available in the greater Nanaimo area. if the group were interested.
Meeting Place
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Arrival Time
TBD
Difficulty
EasyÂ
Cost
Ferries, fuel, camping
Trip limits
10
Dogs?
Â
Notes:
Please let the coordinator know if you are interested in this trip. More information is available about camping and specific activities on request.
We got a lucky break in the weather for the long planned jaunt around the bike trails south of Walcan Road. Our final count was eleven hikers and one furry companion enjoying a dry, mostly overcast, and mild winter day.  Most carpooled from the Community Centre, met up at the yellow gate off Upper Gowlland Harbour Road, then drove the short gravel stretch up to Rob Ride’s trailhead. We checked out the beaver dam at the outlet of Nighthawk Lake but it isn’t currently maintained. There were no obvious signs of recent beaver activity. We backtracked to Dick’s Ride to start our excursion through the maze of trails interlacing the hilly terrain west of the Lake. We followed Dicks Ride to the intersection with Cash Only, turning right onto Cash Only. Cash Only came out onto a logging road, which we crossed to pick up Back Door on the other side. We had lunch on a grassy knoll facing north-west with some views. Quite quickly we intersected with Silk Stocking and followed it to Copperhead Road. We turned off the road onto Straight as a Dime which intersected with the north end of Rob’s Ride. It was heart-warming to see the daffodils coming up around the beautifully carved sign designating Rob’s Ride, honouring much missed Club members Rob, and his wife, Diana. With some relief, we followed the easy trail along the creek and were soon at the head of Nighthawk Lake. All of the trails had had some wet sections, there were two beautiful waterfalls coming down the slopes on the west side of Rob’s Ride. Some ducks were spotted on Nighthawk, but no Swans. About 4.5 hours and 9 km later we were back at our cars. Altogether a lovely hike on what was more like a day in spring than mid-winter.
NOTE All of the trails had been recently maintained and were in good condition. Other than Rob’s Ride, none of these trails are signposted. There are occasional yellow tapes around trees, but these are no longer legible. Any hikers who do not already know these trails well must have reliable GPS maps. There was cell reception throughout the hike. As this is a long hike consider taking battery backup for your cellphone, especially if you are also taking photos.
Many thanks to Debbie, Norris, Carrie and Stephen for providing GPS consultation and backup. We were pleased to meet Greg Ross at the start of the hike and John Barclay just as we finished, both equipped with various clippers and pruners. These two, and other members of the Trail Committee. are instrumental in keeping these trails in great condition so we can enjoy them year-round. As always, big thanks to Norris for photos .
Nine of us hiked to Eagle Ridge and Blindman’s Bluff on a lovely day with some low fog and sunshine up on the bluffs. The brush on both trails had been recently been cut back and the trail was relatively dry. However, there were still slippery sections.Â
We voted to go to Eagle Ridge first, so we passed by the long lake with the beaver lodge before hiking up to the open bluff with great views to the west toward Vancouver Island. There was a bit of low fog in Discovery Passage, but the distant views were very clear. The sun was warm and relaxing so we ate and lounged a bit before descending to the lake and then continuing through the forest to Blindman’s Bluff with views to the south and east. We stopped again for this second viewpoint before completing the scenic loop and then returning to the vehicles. (7.3 km, 280 m, 4 hours)
There were eight of us for this exploration of an area which is planned for logging on two sections of cut block 12-148. This was the first day we had hiked in sunshine for a very long time and we accessed a few locations we had never visited on Club hikes.  We began on the steep ascent up Back Seat Driver, a little used mountain bike trail. Some of the rocky, mossy bluffs were very steep before it levelled out a bit more through the forest. We more or less followed an unnamed creek up to an old, disused logging road which we followed to the north until we arrived at the trail to Nugedzi Lakes. There were some “historic” artifacts along the way. These first two legs of the hike took us around, but not terribly close to, the southern section of the proposed cut block 12-148.
We stopped for lunch at the bridge across the creek which runs beside the Nugedzi trail and then headed into the second section of the proposed cut block on paths that vary from well used to deer tracks. This is a lovely area which borders on the unnamed creek where we had stopped for lunch. The open forest, the moss, and the creek in the dabbled sunlight made an excellent ramble. The waterfall, with its big-log walk approach, was a highlight. We continued gradually descending through the forest and along the creek and then followed a very old, moss covered logging road back to the Nugedzi trail. We closed the loop by walking through the parking lot and along Hyachinthe Bay road back to the vehicles. (6.2 km, 3¼ hours, 165m elevation gain)
Quadra Island Outdoor Club 