Category Archives: Vancouver Island

Trip Report – Mt. Washington – 20 Mar 2019

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This was our last scheduled trip to Mt. Washington for the season.  On this first day of spring, the weather was very warm, up to 14°C on the hill.  Five of us snowshoed under absolutely clear skies and the snow was better than expected considering the heat.  Terry lead us up the Great Big View trail and on to Finger Glades, with wonderful views of the Vancouver Island mountains.  We stopped for lunch near the high point of the trail before making our way back down to the vehicles.  184m elevation gain;  5.6 km; about 3½ hours.  

Debbie

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Snow – Mt. Washington – 20 Mar 2019

Snow – Mt Washington – 20 March 2019

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Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 20 March 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710; please contact the coordinator by Monday night.
Description  We are expecting warm, spring conditions.  We will find a route that works for the group.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools need to be arranged in advance.
Departure Time We can take the 9:00 or 10:00 ferry depending on what the group wants.  Drivers should be in line early.
Difficulty
 Depends
Costs Ferry and shared fuel.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington.
Dogs? No
Notes:

 

Trip Report – Mt. Washington – 25 Feb 2019

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For our third trip to Mt. Washington area in less than two weeks, seven of us went x-country skiing at the nordic area.   We had yet another day of beautiful weather and snow.  We broke into three groups, with two people skiing the Lake Trail, three skiing out through Paradise Meadows to Far East, and two skiing through the Meadows to Jack Rabbit.  Linda was getting her ski legs back after many years and she was amazing. Five of us had lunch on the balcony at Raven Lodge.  After lunch, one of the five had a “Merry Monday” (mocha and Baileys), two skied out Jutland and back, and two skied out Jutland and up Legacy View before turning back.  The longest day was 20.7 km; about 5 hours.  

Debbie

Thanks to Norris and Stephen for the photos

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Snow – Mt. Washington – 25 Feb 2019

Hiking – Snowden Demonstration Forest – 10 April 2019

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Activity Hiking
Destination Snowden Forest, Campbell River
Date 10 April 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Valerie Van Veen
Contact Info 250 285 2329; vvv@qisland.ca
Description For those not going on the multi-day Cowichan Valley trip; a ramble/hike through Snowden Forest in Campbell River to explore the trails to the southwest of Riley Lake. We will take the 9 am ferry over and plan on returning on the 2:30 ferry at the latest. Bring lunch. We can arrange carpooling as needed. .
Meeting Place Q Cove ferry terminal
Departure Time 9:00 am ferry departure
Difficulty
 easy to moderate
Costs ferry
Trip limits none
Dogs? Must be under control at all times; this is a popular mountain biking area.
Notes:

 

Snow – Mt Washington – 25 Feb 2019

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Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 25 Feb 2019, Monday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710
Description  Because of the slippery and variable conditions on Quadra, we will take advantage of the snow and sunshine to return to the Mt. Washington area.  We will x-country ski and snowshoe from Raven Lodge.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools need to be arranged in advance.
Departure Time 10:00 ferry.  Drivers should be in line early, since the 9:00 ferry will be overloaded.
Difficulty
 The skiers plan on the Lake Trail, but other options are available.
Costs Ferry and shared fuel.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington.
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring equipment, warm clothing and lunch.

 

Trip Report – Mt. Washington – 20 Feb 2019

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Six of us had another spectacular snowshoe outing to Rampart Hill.  The snow and sunshine have persisted with the arctic high.  There was a cool breeze, but it was warm in the sun.  We had a few clues about the location of a hut from previous outings, and we thought we would go look for it.  We climbed steeply up the open bluffs above the parking area and enjoyed the great views.  We followed the broken trail, undulating and meandering through the knolls in the open.  We stopped for lunch in a sunny, sheltered spot where we were joined by at least six Canada Jays.  We noticed a number of people visiting the next knoll south of us and decided that must be where the hut was.  So we found it perhaps by luck.  After checking out the hut, we descended to a snow-covered logging road and made a loop back to the vehicles.   4.6 km; 2¼ hours.

Debbie

Thanks to Norris and Les for the photos

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Snow – Mt. Washington – 20 Feb 2019

Snow – Mt Washington – 20 Feb 2019

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This trip was substituted for the Morte Lake hike

Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 20 Feb 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca or 3710;  please contact the coordinator as soon as possible in order to arrange carpools
Description  Because of the slippery and variable conditions on Quadra, we will take advantage of the snow and sunshine to return to the Mt. Washington area.  The plan is to snowshoe at Rampart Hill.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools need to be arranged in advance.
Departure Time We will decide on Tuesday night whether we are taking the 9:00 or 10:00 ferry, depending on the expected road conditions Wednesday morning.
Difficulty
 Not too hard, not more than three hours
Costs Ferry and shared fuel.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington.
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring snowshoes, warm clothing and lunch.

 

Trip Report – Mt. Washington – 13 Feb 2019

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Four of us and a dog snowshoed at Ramparts Hill in deep powder.  For the coast, the quality of the snow was exceptional and the sun was glorious.  There were quite a lot of others out enjoying the day and we had our choice of broken or unbroken routes.  We wandered along the open bluffs facing east with views of Sutil Channel and the mainland mountains.  We tried out some steep descents, ascents and had lunch at the top of a knoll before heading back to the car.   6.1 km; 3 hours.

Debbie

Thanks to Norris for the photos

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Snow – Mt. Washington – 13 Feb 2019

Trip Report – Snowden Forest – 6 Feb 2019

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Four club members and two guests, one two-legged and one four-legged, enjoyed a beautiful hike through the Snowden Forest on Feb 6, taking some main trails and several mountain bike trails. Starting out the temperature was about -5 but warmed up to just above freezing later in the morning, full sunshine all day. There was a very light skiff of snow in patches and on exposed areas, frequent frost heaves along the trails, ponds were frozen and Riley Lake nearly so, as determined by our four-footed guest.

We were able to access Snowden Forest via the recently re-opened dam road, considerably reducing the driving time. We parked at the Lost Lake parking lot, headed north on Trimac, then around the east side of Lost Lake, cutting off onto Scotty’s which meandered over the bluffs to the north and west of Lost Lake. We then followed Oggie’s, passing by the west side of Riley Lake. Lunch break was on a small open bluff in the snow. We returned via Trimac again. 2.5 hrs walking, 6 km. We noted the trails to the south and west of Riley Lake for further exploration; with the dam road open, access to this extensive and well-maintained trail network is once again quick and easy.

Valerie van Veen

Thanks to  Les and Val for the photos

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Hiking – Snowden Forest – 6 Feb 2019

Trip Report – Mt. Washington – 16 Jan 2019

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For our first outing of the year to Mt. Washington, we had two for x-country skiing and nine for snowshoeing.  The snowshoers did a loop in the morning of Old Cabin, Tree Beard and Rossiter’s Rise, then returned to Raven Lodge for lunch.  In the afternoon, we made a loop of Old Cabin and Crooked Creek.  The skies were a bit overcast, the snow somewhat crunchy and the breeze was fairly bracing.  Two of us had binding issues and found it easier to walk; the trail was completely firm so no problem.  Everyone got enough exercise and we finished up around 2:30.  7.7 km; 3¾ hours.

Debbie

Photos by Norris

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Snow – Mt. Washington – 16 Jan 2019