Category Archives: Vancouver Island

Trip Report – Tyee Spit – 29 Nov 2023

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On a cool and thankfully dry day, six members enjoyed a pleasant and informative walk along the north stretch of Campbell River’s waterfront, heading from the ferry to Tyee Spit.  At the boatyard we briefly watched the remote-controlled marine Travelift easily move around large boats (“bigger than ours”, observed some of our group). Beyond the commercial centre we admired the unique memorial poles marking some of the graves in the We Wai Kum cemetery, each a work of art speaking to the love and esteem held for the deceased.  All along the Spit are informative signboards which describe and illustrate, with historical photos, the long and varied history of the Spit. At the end of the Spit, the mouth of the Campbell River, we noted its physical and past industrial relationship to our recent outing to Baikie Estuary. On our return we followed the short trail to estuary and the pier and bird-watching blind where a few mallards were identified. From there we took a new path that led us past cottages, part of the Thunderbird RVPark, which overlook the estuary. Apparently these cottages provide very pleasant accommodation, according to one club member whose relatives had stayed there. Back at the beginning of the Spit, we opted to head straight back for our social stop at Freyja’s Croissant Shop, where we all enjoyed some delicious treats before going our separate ways. (6.6 km; 2.5 hours including socializing and eating)

Valerie van Veen
 
Thanks to Valerie and Norris for the photos
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Walk and Social – Tyee Spit – 29 Nov 2023

Walk and Social – Tyee Spit – 29 Nov 2023

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Activity Hot Chocolate Walk and Social
Destination Waterfront ramble to Tyee Spit and return
Date 29 Nov, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Valerie van Veen
Contact Info vvv@qisland.ca;  250 285 2329
Description A pleasant easy fall ramble. We will walk from CR ferry terminal to Tyee Spit, return via Freyja’s Croissants Coffee Shop on Shoppers Row. Those desiring a longer walk can walk on from Freyja’s to the Marina or…Scheduled walk is to return on 1:05 ferry.
Meeting Place Q Cove ferry terminal
Departure Time 10:00 ferry
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs Ferry, Freyja’s treats are pricey (but worth the $ and calories)
Trip limits None
Dogs? If under control; must stay outside at coffee shop.
Notes: Must contact coordinator by 8 pm Tuesday, 28 Nov. Walk will go ahead in rain; only cancelled if ferry cancelled.

Community Engagement – Spirit Square, Campbell River – 10 Nov 2023

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Activity Experiential / Inspirational Walk
Destination Spirit Square, Campbell River Museum
Date 10 Nov. 2023, Friday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com; 250-285-2111; (cell 250-287-0459)
Description WALK WITH ME – a guided walk to uncover the human dimensions of the toxic drug poisoning crisis as it has unfolded in small communities in BC.
Location: Spirit Square2 hours
Mobile eTicket – see website below
INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ARTS BASED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

This arts-based community action project seeks to uncover the human dimensions of the toxic drug poisoning crisis as it has unfolded locally in Campbell River. Within and through it, a group of artist-researchers, front-line workers and people with lived and living experience have banded together in a sprit of solidarity, attempting to come to terms with the impact of the crisis on individuals and community groups through a practice of story sharing. Through stories, we aim to cultivate awareness leading to change.

Where? Participants meet at the white tent in Spirt Square
Meeting Place Quathiaski Cove ferry terminal
Departure Time 9:00 ferry
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs Ferry
Trip limits
Dogs? No
Notes: Visit
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/walk-with-me-campbell-river-tickets-728470403587?aff=oddtdtcreator
to register and reserve a space. Be sure to select the correct day and time when requesting your ticket (Nov 10 at 10 AM)

Trip Report – Haig-Brown House and Baikie Estuary – 16 Oct 2023

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The forecast was fairly grim, with big wind and rain predicted, but five of us went ahead with the planned outing.  We started at the Haig-Brown Heritage House, situated on the Campbell River, and enjoyed the tour and Marjorie’s informative talk.  Centred in the family’s library and Roderick Haig-Brown’s office, we learned about the family’s history.  We also enjoyed seeing the rest of the main floor of the house and a walk in the beautiful garden.  More information about Roderick Haig-Brown, the family and the house are available here:  https://www.haig-brown.bc.ca/haig-brown-family-history/

The second part of our outing took us to two pocket parks on the Campbell River: the Spruce St. viewpoint and the River Nook, both just a block apart.  The river is beautiful, but Alex Witcombe’s driftwood sculptures of bear and fish, and his fish mural add a whole new dimension to these tiny, urban parks.  Here is more information about Alex Witcombe and his work:  https://driftedcreationsart.ca/

We walked across the bridge over the Campbell River and down into the paths on the north side of the River and its side channels.  The fall colours were great and there were still a few salmon in the channels, but most were dead after spawning.  We followed the quiet trail through this area, which has been restored from log dumping and milling.  There is lots of Campbell River history here and there are interpretive signboards to document it. The rehabilitation effort has taken place over 25 years, with lots of money and volunteer work to make it happen. The transformation is quite wonderful.  Here is more information about the rehabilitation of the Baikie Estuary:  https://www.greenwaystrust.ca/projects/baikie-island-and-campbell-river-estuary/  (4.5 km; 1½ hours for the walk)

We retraced our steps back to the vehicles and then went for lunch at More Eatery.  We had a lovely, social meal there before heading our separate ways.  Amazingly, the rain held off while we walked, but deluged during lunch.  We counted ourselves lucky.

Debbie

(click on photos to enlarge)

Tour and Hike – Haig-Brown House and Baikie Estuary – 16 Oct 2023

Tour and Hike – Haig-Brown House and Baikie Estuary – 16 Oct 2023

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Activity Tour and Hike
Destination Haig-Brown House and Baikie Estuary
Date 16 Oct. 2023, Monday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info dmquigg@gmail.com or 3710.  We need to RSVP for the tour, so please contact the coordinator by Friday, Oct. 13th.
Description We will have a tour of the Haig-Brown house at 10:30, lasting about half an hour.  Roderick Haig-Brown was a fly-fisher, a conservationist and an author.  https://www.haig-brown.bc.ca/haig-brown-family-history/
From there, we will walk the short trail through the Baikie Estuary.  This is a flat, out-and-back walk of about 6.2 km.  The following link will help you understand the extent of the restoration which has occurred in the estuary:  https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/british-columbia/featured-projects/salish-sea/campbell-river-estuary.html
Major work on the estuary has continued up to and through the summer of 2023.
https://www.greenwaystrust.ca/projects/baikie-island-and-campbell-river-estuary/
We will check out the River Nook, with its Alex Witcombe mural and sculptures (https://driftedcreationsart.ca/public-art/) before heading to More Eatery for lunch.
Meeting Place QCove ferry terminal or by arrangement
Departure Time 10:00 ferry to Campbell River, by car or bicycle
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs We will give a donation to the Haig-Brown House for the tour.  Other costs are ferry and lunch.
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No
Notes: This outing is a window on conservation in Campbell River.  There are three separate parts: the tour, the walk and the lunch.  The lunch is entirely optional.

Trip Report – Amor and Nearby Lakes – 29-30 Sept 2023

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This trip used the road-accessible Rec Site on Amor Lake for greatest flexibility.  Of the six people who participated, some stayed three nights, two nights, one night or just one day.  It certainly isn’t the best campsite on Amor Lake, but it has some conveniences. We were incredibly lucky with the beautiful autumn weather, since the trip was planned long in advance.

Friday:  Two came out on Thursday and set up camp.  Three others arrived on Friday morning and all launched as soon as possible.  We headed out to the south end of Amor and hauled out at the Mr. Canoehead campsite.  We navigated the short portage to Surprise Lake with the assistance of borrowed wheels for the kayaks and paddled across Surprise Lake as if we were doing the canoe circuit.  We left the boats at the south end of Surprise Lake and walked the 2.2 km portage to Brewster Lake through a lovely forest.  We had lunch at the launch site into Brewster Lake before retracing our steps and paddled back to the campsite by mid-afternoon.  We walked down the Blackwater Main logging road to visit the Rec Site on Blackwater Lake, which was sunny and scenic.  After relaxing on the shore, we headed back for dinner and enjoyed a great campfire, as the ban had just been lifted during the week and the evenings were cool.  The full moon was a bonus. (paddling 5.2 km, 1¼ hr; walking 8.3 km, 2½ hr)

(click to enlarge photos)

Saturday: We were joined by one more person on Saturday morning and were quickly away, heading north and across Amor Lake to the portage to Twin Lakes.  The launch site was quite muddy, but we managed awkwardly to get to the trail and walk up the undulating path to Twin Lake.  The campsite there, which is accessible by road, was very busy on this long weekend with great weather.  We briefly followed a trail up the north side of Twin Lake to a swim rock before heading back.  After returning to Amor Lake, we stopped for lunch at the first campsite we passed, which was on the north shore and had a beautiful sandy beach and lots of sunshine.  Continuing on, we came out of the east arm of the Lake and headed to the campsite at the north end, which has significant infrastructure.  We admired the dock with the picnic table as well as the covered shelter, but especially the sandy beach, sun-facing direction and great view.  We headed south along the western shore exploring the many campsites and sandy beaches along the way.  On our return to the campsite, two of the group packed up and left, leaving four others to enjoy another relaxed evening around the campfire.  (paddling 13.1 km, 3¼ hr; walking 2.5 km, ¾ hr)

We saw four of the Sayward canoe circuit lakes on this brief two-day paddle.  It was an easy and relaxed exploration.  We only encountered four other boats on Amor.  This was a fitting end to the season, having begun in May with an outing to Morton Lake Provincial Park and paddling on two other Sayward canoe circuit lakes – Mohun and Goose.  We had beautiful weather for both trips and enjoyed the relative quiet of the shoulder season.

Debbie

Multi-day kayaking and camping – Amor Lake – 29-30 Sept. 2023

Day or Multi-day Paddling – Amor Lake – 29-30 Sept 2023

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Activity Day or Multi-day Paddling
Destination Amor Lake
Date 29-30 Sept 2023, Friday – Saturday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info dmquigg@gmail.com or 3710; please contact the coordinator well in advance of the trip
Description We will try to make this a very flexible outing.  Kayaks or canoes are welcome with good gear and experience.  Participants may come for one day or for both.  The base for our activities will be the small Rec Site on the west side of the lake with five campsites.  This is a free Rec Site accessible by logging road.  The boat launch is modest.  Amor Lake has lovely beaches and islets with much to explore.  It is on the Sayward Canoe Circuit and we can walk the portages.
Meeting Place QCove ferry terminal or Amor Lake
Departure Time 9:00 ferry to Campbell River or by individual arrangement
Difficulty Easy to moderate.
Cost Ferry
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No
Notes: Here is information about the Rec Site and Amor Lake:  http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-result.aspx?type=Site&site=REC0174
There is currently an advisory for an aggressive cougar, but I believe that is quite old.

Reconnaissance Report – Woss Lake Provincial Park – 12-14 July 2023

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We had talked about this trip for over a year, but it came together at the very last minute. There is little information available about Woss Lake Provincial Park and much of it is unhelpful or actually incorrect. Historically this was an important trade route for the Namgis and Mowachaht, but today it is not much visited. There are some reasons why this beautiful place is quite inaccessible and little known.

Six of us in two kayaks and two canoes set out on a beautiful summer day to explore this area hoping to find the campsite and the Grease Trail. We launched at 11:30 in calm water from the Woss Community Cabin, which is about 8 kilometres down Woss Rd. The views on this in-land fjord are wonderful with Rugged Mountain and the glacier at the southwest end of the Lake. By 13:00 the diurnal wind from the south began to build and continued to increase to about 20 knots until after sunset, but the wind didn’t die completely until midnight. We spent several hours pulled out on the shore waiting for the wind to abate. Magically, a large Namgis cedar dugout canoe came quickly down-wind while we were on shore.

The campsite was not where we expected because the trail location on Backroads map is incorrect. The campsite is in much better condition than we expected since the BC parks says there are no facilities, and other sites simply repeat that there are a “few tent pads.” The campsite was built and the trail re-established as an initiative by the Namgis between 2001 and 2005. Lindsay Elms’ information in Beyond Nootka is the most complete. While some of the tent platforms have rotten wood, the general facilities and location are excellent for rustic camping.

The following day we planned to hike up to the pass on the Grease trail, which would descend to Tahsis on the far, south side. The trail was in better condition than we expected, since BC Parks are certainly not maintaining this. It seems likely that the Namgis are working on it. It was well flagged and most of the creeks were bridged for the first 3 kilometres. Then there was lots of flagging in different colours, but no convincing trail and no logical continuity. Because Backroads maps shows the trail on the wrong side of the creek and Lindsay Elms says that the grant was to develop 3 kilometres of trail, our expectations were that this would be a short steep hike. That was not the case and we had not allowed sufficient time to continue to the pass. We returned to the campsite through this excellent forest with many streams. The diurnal wind started earlier and persisted longer than the previous day.

The last day we paddled out following the west-side shore with interesting geology and small bays. Starting earlier in the day, we arrived at our launch site by noon and encountered virtually no wind at all. We learned a lot about this area on the trip, but definitely not everything and hope to return.

Debbie

(click on photos to enlarge)

Trip Report – Caves near Sayward – 28 June 2023

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Five of us visited two caves in the Memekay area with the help of Bill West-Sells. Our caving trips had been interrupted by COVID and it was good to get back. We started with Chicken II, which is a large cave that used to have a river running through it. We drove further south and stopped for lunch in the shade, followed by a walk up along a series of caves so that Bill could try to reconnect a water pipe after the winter. From there we walked to the entrance of the Scallop Falls cave which is very beautiful and more challenging. This is like walking up a subterranean creek in a narrow slot canyon of marble and limestone. There were some tricky moves to try to stay out of the water and climb up the ascending creek. At the end, there were a few options to slither through narrow passages to emerge above ground, upstream from the cave entrance. All the options were narrow and muddy, but some more so than others. It was fascinating and rewarding and everyone had a good time. We’re so very grateful for Bill’s help and generosity in taking us to these amazing nearby places.

Debbie and Cyndy

Thanks to Norris, Cyndy and Bill for their photos

(click on photos to view larger)

Caving – Sayward Area – 28 June 2023

Caving – Sayward Area – 28 June 2023

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Activity Caving
Destination Sayward area caves
Date 28 June 2023, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Cyndy Chidley
Contact Info Cyndy Chidley: 250-285-3575.  Please let the coordinator know as soon as possible if you are interested.
Description We will meet Bill north of Campbell River around 10:00 and drive to the cave area from there.  We will try to car pool.  Challenges may include bridging, climbing, stretching, wriggling, not to mention small, dark, wet places.  Make sure you read the notes below on what to bring.
Meeting Place Q Cove ferry terminal
Departure Time 9:00 ferry to Campbell River.
Difficulty Moderate
Costs Ferry and shared gas
Trip limits 10
Dogs? No
Notes:
Bring;
Wear rubber boots, neoprene socks or booties, or wool socks with runners that you don’t mind getting wet.   The water will be cold.
Gloves and coveralls for protection of hands, arms and legs.
A helmet that you are able to fit with head light, and a head light, if you have one.
Lunch and water.
A towel and change of shoes if you get wet.
Walkie-talkie or family radio (FSR), with charged batteries.