Trip Report – Little Black Dress & Silk Stocking Loop – 22 Nov 2017

Six of us met on a blustery grey morning to walk the mountain bike trails from North Gowlland Harbour Road. We parked at the Missing Links trail parking lot. We made a loop up Little Black Dress and returned via Back Door and Silk Stockings.   It was a beautiful meandering path through mixed forests and rocky outcrops. Along the way we passed the remnants of an old copper mine. We were quite protected in the forest and it was more  foggy and misty than rainy.  There is no signage on the trail and several T-junctions.  We were reminded of the importance of waiting for the group at each intersection, so that the group stays together. There was some timely conversation about basic safety equipment for day hikes. We hiked 6.8 km in 3 hours 20 minutes, including a stop for lunch.

Diana

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Hiking – Little Black Dress & Silk Stocking Loop – 22 Nov 2017

Trip Report – Hopespring-Thompson Trail Loop – 15 Nov 2017

The morning was quite dry, but since it had rained over 100 mm in the last four days, everything was very wet.  And we were still expecting more.  The eight of us hiked this lovely loop on maintained trail, which is quite protected in bad weather.  The fall colours were still strong, and everything was green and lush from the rain.  The maples, cliffs and overhanging rocks, the old growth fir, creeks and moss make this a beautiful walk.  5.3 km; 2 hours.

Debbie and Julie

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Hiking – Hopespring-Thompson Trail Loop – 15 Nov 2017

Trip Report – Main Lake from Surge Narrows Rd – 8 Nov 2017

Six of us hiked the flagged route from the Surge Narrows Rd to the east end of Main Lake.   The day was mild and the brush was dry as we followed the old logging road making a side trip to an un-named lake.  After briefly thrashing in the brush in the wrong direction, we continued through lovely, open forest with lots of white pine and some old growth cedar and fir.  However, there are some sections with major blow-down, which is not just stepped over, but involves the full-body climb up and over.  Near to Main Lake we admired some exceptional old growth Douglas fir and the water falls.  We had lunch at the picnic tables at the campground, enjoying the view of the Lake.  After lunch some remained and enjoyed a fire in the campground fire ring, while others hiked on to Yeatman Bay.  We followed the flagged route back to the vehicles, which is rather more uphill.  9.7 km; 4½ hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – Main Lake from Surge Narrows Rd – 8 Novt 2017

Trip Report – Alternate Morte Lake Loop – 1 Nov 2017

 We were fortunate to have yet another beautiful fall day for this hike around Morte Lake.  The forecast called for showers, but it was clear and cool.  We left the Morte Lake parking lot and hiked up the Morning Beer mountain bike trail, stopping for views of Chinese Mountains and glimpses of the outer islands.  We continued on to Lost Rider, Ridge Trail, the tripod and Connector.  None of that was the original plan, but it was a lovely walk.  At the south end of Morte Lake there was a cold wind with white caps on the lake, but when we carried on to the picnic table, it was sunny and sheltered.  The hike along the north bluffs over Morte Lake was sunny and there were great views. 10.5 km; 4½ hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – Alternate Morte Lake Loop – 1 Nov 2017

Trip Report – Mt. Seymour – 30 Oct 2017

Six of us took advantage of the fantastic fall weather to hike up to Mt. Seymour to enjoy the views.  The cooler, crisp air was perfect for hiking.  There were hardly any mushrooms on the way up in this drier environment.   We enjoyed the views all along the open, rocky bluffs and visited the three outlooks at the summit for a nearly complete view. We had lunch on the east-facing bluff and stayed quite a while.  We could have stayed there all day!  8.0 km; 4½ hours.

– Norris

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Hiking – Mt. Seymour – 30 Oct 2017

Trip Report – Stramberg Old Growth Grove – 25 Oct 2017

The cold front and rain passed in the night, so in the morning we had beautiful fall day.  Nine of us hiked the path from Village Bay Lake, passing by Vic’s Marsh and the old cabin to the pond viewpoint.  From there the trail heads north through the forest into Main Lake Park.  Although neglected for some years, the trail is now quite well flagged and maintained.  We passed through the junction of the old logging roads to the south and east of Stramberg Lake and we continued on the eastern road headed north.  With the sun and recent rain, everything was vibrant green.  The mushroom, mosses and liverwort were abundant.  We crossed the little creek and climbed up to the old growth grove.  After admiring the old trees and stopping for lunch, we followed the loop through the glade and retraced our path back to the vehicles.  About 12 km, 5+ hours.

– Norris

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Hiking – Stramberg Old Growth Grove – 25 October 2017

Trip Report – Kellerhals Farm – 4 Oct 2017

On Oct. 4 with cloudless skies, 7 of us explored around the Kellerhals farm and forest situated near Hyacinthe Creek. With the property map in hand we had a delightful time exploring. We hiked some of the trails through the forest, up to a lookout, relaxed at their pond and observed some rock cliffs and gravel pits of archeological interest.

We all laughed, lunched and lounged during a memorable hike. Thanks to Heather Kellerhals for sharing her property with us.

Meg Stewart

Note: Thanks to Meg for the photos

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Hiking – Kellerhals Farm – 4 Oct 2017

Trip Report – Eagle Crag – 20 Sept 2017

We had a beautiful fall day for this short hike to Eagle Crag. It was clear and cooler, with maple leaves on the ground and fresh snow on the Vancouver Island mountains. We started up the trail on the south side of South Chinese Mountain, but kept going straight at the right-hand turn along the creek. The flagged path winds up, sometimes steeply, under the ridge. After passing along the base of some climbing routes, the path skirts the west end of the rock face and emerges at the top of the bluff. We wandered along the rock ledges, through manzanita, until we arrived at the east end. We took a break and admired the view before returning to the vehicles. 3.8 km; 2¾.

Debbie

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Hiking – Eagle Crag – 20 Sept 2017

Trip Report – Around Mt. Seymour – 13 Sept 2017

On a cool, clear, crisp fall day, six of us set out to do the hike around Mt. Seymour.  The first leg was up the trail to Nugedzi Lake and it was a relief not to have the climb up in the scorching temperatures of the previous weeks.  We stopped at the viewpoint near the top of the steep part and appreciated the smoke-free air again and the views of the mountains which had been hidden by smoke most of the summer.  Not much snow left on them anymore.

We had lunch at Nugedzi Lake and a couple pairs of feet were cooled off in the lake.  Then there was a short bushwhack through a little salal and we joined a flagged route.  No idea who flagged this route, but it is very pretty, going along the ridge and valleys through old open forest, then it makes a descent and joins an old logging road.  The old logging road is easy walking, going past a couple of lakes, then it contours around the north side of Mt. Seymour.  We stopped at several more viewpoints.  Finally the logging road descends and meets the Granite Bay road and the cars we had placed there in the morning.  12.6 km; 6¾ hours.

Norris

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Hiking – Around Mt. Seymour – 13 Sept 2017

Trip Report – Arnica Lake and Phillips Ridge – 21-23 August 2017

We had not done this hike before, so it was all new to us. We hiked up the trail to Arnica Lake from the trailhead at the Nystar Mine. The trail is probably the best constructed trail in Strathcona Park, with an excellent grade (100 m per km) up a very steep slope through a beautiful open understory forest, and many, many switchbacks. We barely noticed the solar eclipse in the forest. There are some lovely old growth trees and some waterfalls along the way. It was a hot day and the total elevation gain to the campsite is 850 metres, so it is a bit of work. (9 km; 5 hours) The Lake and the surrounding meadows are fabulous, although most of the wildflowers were past their prime. The parking lot had about 25 cars in it and there were lots of people on the trail, but we were the only ones in the campground the first night. Just after 7:00 pm, as it got very quiet, a helicopter landed on the lake shore and a SAR guy emerged to ask us if we had seen a lone hiker, reported overdue. We said that he had hiked through about an hour before, so hopefully that turned out well. The stars overnight were fabulous.

The next day dawned sunny, but summer clouds came in by noon. We had planned to hike to Mt. Phillips and expected to find a faint path leading to a cairned route. Even with a GPS track, it was obviously going to be a bushwhack and there was a black bear sitting where we wanted to go. So we opted for Plan B, which was to go up the other Phillips Ridge route which heads toward the Golden Hinde. This is an incredibly popular destination this summer and has lots of hikers. The route winds up through forest and meadow until it emerges on the rocky alpine ridge with great views in all directions. There are many lovely lakes along the way. Progress is a bit slow with some steep, loose gravel sections. Further on there are significant descents to multiple lakes as one nears the Golden Hinde. We went up along Phillips Ridge to 1600 metres before turning around and returning to camp at Arnica Lake. (14.8 km; 8 hours).

It rained quite hard at 8:00 the next morning, and we had breakfast and broke camp in light rain. We hiked back down the hill in increasingly sunny conditions. (8.9 km; 3 ¾)  This is a beautiful area and would be worth an extended trip.

Debbie

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Backpacking – Arnica Lake and Phillips Ridge – 21-4 Aug 2017