Six of us headed out from the first parking lot for Morte Lake off of Walcan Road. We were fortunate to experience sunshine and no wind for this time of year. The loop took us up Dead Fish trail inclining through a beautifully forested area and onto some brilliant green mossy bluffs to a bit of a lookout with a peekaboo view of the lake below. From there, we descended down Seven Sins trail to Ridge trail and onto the Tripod connector where we saw a beautiful wetland area on the way to the Morte Lake trail that circles Morte Lake. The sandy beach swimming area was covered in lake water and we followed signs to a lookout area which is a rocky beach just past the swimming beach on the south side of the lake. We surprised a flock of ducks enjoying the sun on the water and stopped for a bite to eat on the rocks in the sunshine near the shore. Heading east on the south side of Mort Lake undulating trail we hiked back to our vehicles. This hike was very beautiful overall and took us through varied forested terrain where we heard the sounds of rushing water from the swollen creek and a cascading water fall. The trail is well maintained and the hike took approximately 3.5 hours including lunch and was approximately 12 km’s.

Vikki

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Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 4 Jan 2024

Eight of us combined two hikes from Deepwater Main on an overcast day which threatened rain.  We headed up an old logging road which is eroded and climbs a bit, to the old Benn mine.  The overturned Oldsmobile, the core samples and other mining artifacts are historically interesting, as are the pits with their collapsed roofs.  The rocks with quartz and copper are showy and the tunnel with water and light at the end is atmospheric. (2,8 km; 150m elevation; 1¼ hours)

We headed back down and then hiked down along the beautiful creek to Deepwater Bay.  This is a steep valley which has always been prone to tree fall and landslides.  When the Outdoor Club last hiked this in March 2020, every downed tree had been chainsawed for easy passage, but this time the deadfall was unprecedented.  We climbed over, under or through 56 trees and the resulting thicket obscured much of the creek.  The rain held off and we had lunch on the shore where the old salmon hatchery has been torn down and the owner is improving the property.  We are very grateful that “leave no trace” access is permitted here.  We then climbed back up the hill and through the deadfall to the vehicles.  Thankfully the wind and rain mostly held off until later in the day.  (4.5 km, 235 m elevation; 2 hours with lunch)

Debbie

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Hiking – Benn Mine and Deepwater Bay – 27 Dec 2023

Seven of us hiked up the Eagle Ridge trail to the viewpoint overlooking the ponds, Discovery Passage, and towards the Vancouver Island mountains.  It was a cloudy day, without rain, but hints of sunshine in the distance.  From that viewpoint we went back down a bit and then followed a route which descends under the northeast-facing cliff of Eagle Ridge.  We gradually ascended a series of open, mossy bluffs moving north and upwards.  The walking is on moss-covered rock, a series of gentle ledges.  From the highpoint we crossed over to the view looking north, with fresh snow on the mainland mountains.  We then descended this long, moss covered ridge toward the east.  We stopped for a quick lunch sheltering from the rising southeast wind before continuing down the hill.  The route is a bit more complicated near the bottom as the old logging road is now overgrown, but this is short and we quickly arrived at the Copperhead logging road, leading us back to the vehicles.  These are beautiful bluffs, not often visited.  (4.1 km, 2½ hours)

Norris

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Hiking – Eagle Ridge Loop – 20 Nov 2023