Category Archives: moderate

Hiking – Stramberg Creek and North Grove – 23 June 2021

Posted on by
Reply

Activity Hiking
Destination Stramberg Creek and North Grove
Date 23 June, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710.  Please contact the trip coordinator by Monday.
Description We will begin at the Main Lakes Park parking access on the west side of Stramberg Lake. The access road is quite rough.  We will hike Little Main Road north, paralleling Stramberg Lake and Creek.  We will cross Stramberg Creek near Shadowbrook Creek and follow a flagged route north of the lake to a grove of old growth trees.  Part of this route has recently been maintained, but not all of it.  We can stop for a swim in Stramberg Lake at the end of the hike.  About 12 km; 4.5 hours without the driving.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot
Departure Time 9:30
Difficulty
 Moderate for the length of the hike, the creek crossing and a partly unmaintained route.
Costs None
Trip limits 12
Dogs?
Notes: This involves driving on logging roads.  Come prepared to cross the creek.  Bring lunch and bathing gear if you want to swim.  The Public Health Office COVID-19 restrictions will be observed.

Hiking – Main Lake & Yeatman Bay from Surge Narrows Rd – 30 June 2021

Posted on by
Reply

Activity Hiking
Destination Main Lake and Yeatman Bay from Surge Narrows Rd
Date 30 June, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Diana McKerracher
Contact Info Diana@gicable.com / 250 285 3204.
Please inform coordinator if you are coming by Monday, June 28
Description This is a flagged route from Surge Narrows Road through mature forest to the east end of Main Lake. We will have lunch and a swimming option at Main Lake and continue on to Yeatman Bay.
Approximately 10 km 4-5 hours
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 9:30
Difficulty Moderate.
Costs none
Trip limits 10
Dogs? If under control at all times
Notes: Bring lunch and swim gear if that interests you.

Summer Planning Meeting – 20 June 2021

Posted on by
Reply

Activity Summer Planning Meeting
Date 20 June 2021, Sunday
Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info qioutdoorclub@gmail.com for inquiries
Description The planning meeting we normally have inside the Community Centre, will be held outside.  We will review the recent Club experiences, likely future scenarios for the summer, but primarily we will be working to construct a summer schedule.
Bring your own chair and gear for weather.
Meeting Place Community Centre Ball Park
Meeting Time 3:00

Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 9 June 2021

Posted on by
1

Activity Hiking
Destination Morte Lake Loop
Date 9 June 2021, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Diana McKerracher
Contact Info diana@gicable.com  285 3204.  Please contact coordinator by Monday June 7
Description An easy 9 km hike on established trail all the way around Morte Lake. 4-5 hours with breaks and a possible swim.
Meeting Place Morte Lake parking lot; (allow 15 minutes to drive from Heriot Bay store)
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate.
Costs None
Trip limits 10 participants
Dogs? Okay, if under control at all times
Notes: Bring lunch and swim gear.
Covid protocol in effect.

Hiking – Homewood and North Gowlland Trails – 2 June 2021

Posted on by
1

Change of meeting location!

Activity Hiking
Destination Homewood and North Gowlland Trails
Date 2 June 2021, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator by Monday.
Description We will hike to three bluffs off of Homewood trails before climbing up to the telecommunications tower on Heriot Ridge.  From there we will descend to North Gowlland trail to visit some old trees and open bluffs.
Meeting Place Community Centre parking lot
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Moderate.  Some steep sections, wet sections.  We will follow maintained trails, unmaintained trails and routes.  About 8 km; 4.5 hours with lunch.
Costs None
Trip limits 10 participants.  If you RSVP for this trip, please commit to coming as others may be excluded by the cap on trip participants.
Dogs?
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather. COVID protocol in effect.

Kayaking – Maud Island – 25 Nov 2020

Posted on by
1

This trip has been suspended due to additional COVID restrictions

Activity Kayaking
Destination Maud Island
Date 25 Nov, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info 250-285-2111; cell 250-287-0459
Description We will put in at 1000 at the Leishman Road shore access just north of Copper Cliffs. There is parking for a few cars and a rocky beach. Staying close to shore, the plan is to paddle north to Maude Island and/or the Saltwater Lagoon. The trip is about 8 km each way (16 km round trip). The lagoon entrance is passable at certain tide levels so will be an on the spot decision whether to explore or not.
Meeting Place Shore Access Copper Cliffs – Leishman Road
Departure Time 1000 on the water
Difficulty
 Moderate – distance, currents, weather
Costs None
Trip limits 6
Dogs? no
Notes: The tide will be against us but it is a time of neap tides so currents shouldn’t be so strong. Participants should be open to trip revision once the forecast for that week is more relevant – i.e. lets be open to a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday with better weather.
All participants must be equipped for ocean paddling in November – required equipment as per club guidelines (https://qioutdoorclub.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/paddling-guidelines-aug2018.pdf) and appropriate clothing.
Bring lunch, hot drinks, extra warm layers and something to sit on.

Trip Report – Kw’as Park, Cortes – 11 Nov 2020

Posted on by
Reply
We were a group of four on the Remembrance Day hike to Cortes Island.  The ferry was uncrowded and the crossing calm.  We began the hike at the trailhead near the Cortes Island Motel and walked through this beautiful rainforest.  We ascended up toward the Summit and then along the Millennium Trail undulating over rocky bluffs through some old growth trees.  We had views of Hague Lake before we reached the Swim Rock, where we stopped for lunch.  The water and the weather were calm, and we chatted with a local woman who was fishing from her kayak.
 
We continued on the trail high along the shore with great views and descended the ladder along the Rock Face.  We made a short side trip to visit the Survivor Fir, which we measured as 7.9m in circumference.  We crossed the bridge across the narrow waterway between Hague and Gunflint Lakes and walked the loop to the south, including Pierre de Trail and the Cedar Ridge.  We also enjoyed the large Douglas fir at the junction, which we measured as 8.35m in circumference.  We returned over the bridge and walked the trail along the west shore of Gunflint Lake, with great views along the way and the steam donkey remains.  We continued on through the Spruce Grove and returned to the vehicles.  
 
It was a great hike with lots of variety and highlights.  The trail was very quiet at this time of year.  After the hike we stopped at the Cortes Coop for delicious refreshments before taking the ferry home.  8.9 km, 4½ hours.
 
Debbie
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Kw’as Park, Cortes – 11 Nov 2020

Trip Report – South Morte Lake – 4 Nov 2020

Posted on by
Reply
This hike was a substitute for a trip to Cortes, which we put off because of the wind forecast.  Seven of us hiked a loop from the east end of Reed Lake up and over to the south shore of Morte Lake and back.  We only had a few drops of rain, but the trail was really wet, having had some heavy rains this fall and over 40 mm 24 hours earlier.  
 
We started along the north shore of Reed and Mud Lake to the South Bluff trail and the beach and viewpoint at Morte Lake, where we took a short break.  We then followed the official Morte Lake trail, turning on Nirvana and continuing up on Seven Sins to the viewpoint for lunch while it was nearly sunny.  We then turned down on Deadfish and Lost Rider and back to the vehicles.
 
The mushroom were still great and everything was very, very wet.  7.2 km, 3¼ hours.
 
Debbie
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – South Morte Lake – 4 Nov 2020

Hiking – South Morte Lake- 4 Nov 2020

Posted on by
1

Activity Hiking
Destination South Morte Lake
Date 4 Nov 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.
Description We will park at the east end of Reed Lake and hike a loop over to Morte Lake on bike trails.  The plan is Mud Lake trail, South Bluff, Morte Lake trail, Nirvana, Seven Sins, Upper Deadfish, Lost Rider and back.  If it rains hard the loop can be shorter.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store parking lot to convoy to the trailhead.
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Moderate: undulating on good trails, with wet sections
Costs None
Trip limits Eight
Dogs?
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather. COVID protocol in effect.

Trip Report – Big Tree – 28 Oct 2020

Posted on by
Reply
The destination for this hike was to the biggest tree on Quadra.  Five of us set out to visit it and other big trees in the area.  It’s in the Park, but there is no trail to it.  We parked the cars where the logging road gets steep and hiked from there.  Leaving the logging road, there is a short section of deadfall and brush.  Once in the Park the forest is more open and there is a path.  The big trees are in a deep valley with a little clear stream running through it. We measured around a few big Douglas fir trees, then had lunch and visited Clear Lake.
 
The biggest tree we measured was 7.4 meters around.  We think it is the same one as featured in this drone video.  The video says 9 metres around, but we suspect that was at the very base of the tree, which is not the standard way to do it.  It also says 800 years old and 90 metres high Watch that video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MARVLftC-YY     4.9 km; 3 hours.
 
Norris
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Big Tree – 28 Oct 2020