Seven hikers did a clockwise shorter loop walk on an overcast but dry day. Starting at the second parking lot, the short loop trailhead, we headed directly into the forest. Being late winter, most vegetation was beaten down and we had a better look into a beautiful mossy forest. We descended down to the junction above Village Bay, and elected to take the left trail down to the old oyster lease. The tree that fell on the trail last year had been cleared, making it a lot easier to get to the small beach. Not yet ready for lunch and it being a bit chilly, we headed back up to our junction, shortly after which we found another large tree down on the trail. We arrived at our lunch stop, the point at the entrance to Village Bay, where we sought out a bit of shelter from the wind for a quick lunch. Continuing along the coastal part of the loop, back to the parking lot, we arrived at the forest road trailhead, greeted by two friendly canine hikers, excitedly waiting to start their hike on the loop. We spent about 2½ hours in total, covering a distance of 4.7 kilometers.

Brent

Hiking -ShellaliganLoop – 15 Feb 2023

Once again we had big participation with 13 hikers.  The weather was not as nice as forecast, but adequate for the event.  It was soft and gentle even if grey.  We crossed the Walcan Rd and started out on Jackrabbit, crossing McKercher Creek and wandering up along the creek through the lush, green forest to Reed Lake.  There were a few wet crossings of minor creeks, but nothing unexpected in winter.  After re-crossing the Walcan Road, we followed along Reed and Mud Lakes until we took the Tripod trail over to the southwest corner of Morte Lake.  With the high water levels, the sandy beach was not inviting for lunch so we continued out to the point where we could perch with views of the lake.

After lunch, we followed the trail along the south shore at a brisk pace rejoining the main trail from the parking lot to Morte Lake at the east end of the lake.  We diverged at the Lower Deadfish junction and followed the creek down through this lovely, open forest back to the parking lot. It was a beautiful day for a forest walk.   (8.5 km; 3 hours)

Debbie

Hiking -Morte Lake Loop – 25 Jan 2023

The good news was that Les’s scheduled Eagle Ridge hike was quickly filled, so two of the six Club members on the (unprecedented?) wait list decided to hike together, opting for the lovely forest trails south of Walcan Road. We set off on Jack Rabbit to Yellow Mud down to NightHawk Lake.  The recent heavy rains ensured that the trail was suitably “muddy” and, in places, virtually a small creek. We were delighted to see a small flock of six Trumpeter Swans gliding peacefully on Nighthawk Lake. After turning around at the logging road, we took Dicks Ride up the ridge, keeping right onto Cash Only, then right onto Plaything to wind our way back downhill to join up with Yellow Mud. At the junction leading to Plaything we were shocked to see clear cuts and new, wide gravel roads where there had been forest just a year ago. GPS, a map app, and mountain biking knowledge helped us reconnect with the forest trail “Plaything”. We returned to our cars just as the rain began again. Altogether a beautiful hike, and wonderful to know that 10 more members of our Club were also out enjoying our amazing trails.   2.5 hours

Valerie van Veen

Thanks to Valerie  for the photos.

Falls by the trail

Swans on Nighthawk Lake

It was a cloudy cool day as 10 of us set out for a hike. We parked on the Copperhead logging road near the repaired culvert as there is more parking there. We first went up the Blindman’s Bluff trail. There were a few trees down and wet salal on the trail. All in all though it is in good condition and a fine hike. The many open bluffs give excellent views to the east and south. Visibility was good, but you could see the rain coming from the southeast. We paused for a brief snack, and to enjoy the views at the largest open area. We then circled back to the main trail.

The old road had quite a bit of water, running down it to the beaver pond. The water level was quite high in the pond and it was starting to rain now so we pushed on to Eagle Ridge. We stopped at the top to have a quick lunch. The rain started coming heavy so we headed back to the vehicles. We were all soaked by the time we got back to the vehicles but we’re quite happy that the first two hours were dry. 7 km, 3 1/2 hours.

Les

Thanks to Les and Norris for the photos.

Hiking – Eagle Ridge and blindman’s Bluff – 9 Jan 2023