Trip Report – Mine Lake Bluff – 15 June 2016

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In spite of the downpour between 7:00 and 8:00, six of us decided to go on this hike and were rewarded by clearing skies. We hiked the trail from the Surge Narrows road into Homewood’s Woodsman camp, stopping along the way at viewpoints of Mine Lake and to sample the salmonberries and huckleberries. We followed the steep trail to the bluff and then out on to the somewhat exposed rock before arriving at great views at the top of the bluff. I highly recommend that this trip only be undertaken when the rock is dry, but I don’t always follow my own advice. We browsed around the bluff enjoying the views in different directions, sighting two fawns, a red-tailed hawk and a nighthawk, before stopping for lunch.

After lunch we descended by a less travelled route, down a gully to the north, which then traverses under the cliffs and circles back to the trail up to the bluff. We stopped by Mine Lake to enjoy the sun and the view of the quiet lake. 5.9 km; 3 1/2 hours.

Debbie

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Hike – Mine Lake Bluff – 15 June 2016

Hike – Nugedzi – 27 July 2016

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 Change of Meeting Time!

Activity Hiking
Destination Nugedzi Lakes and Lookouts
Date 27 July 2016
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285 3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description Hike up an old logging road and meander through open forest to the lovely Nugedzi Lakes.  We will also visit two or three viewpoints to the east and west.  If the weather is good, there will be time for swimming.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 9:00 9:30 A.M.
Difficulty moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs?  yes
Notes: Bring lunch and maybe a bathing suit.  The first 2.8 kilometres on the old logging road is sustained uphill and often eroded.  Bring poles if you use them and good knees.  If the weather is hot, we may start this trip earlier.

 

Hiking – Noel’s Pizza Peak – 20 July 2016

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 POSTPONED TO 21 JULY, THURSDAY

Activity Hiking
Destination Noel’s Pizza Peak
Date 21 20 July 2016, Thursday Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description Noel’s Pizza is the informal name for the west ridge of Beech’s Mountain.  It is a great viewpoint overlooking Morte Lake.  It is a flagged route, not an official trail.  There are several different approaches that we can use and a loop is possible.  About 5 hours.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 moderate to challenging, for steep sections and unmaintained trail
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.  If you use poles, bring them.

 

Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 6 July 2016

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Activity Hiking
Destination Morte Lake Loop
Date 6 July 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Julie Mellanby
Contact Info 285-3978.  Please contact the trip coordinator prior to the trip.
Description We will hike the classic loop on maintained trails.  This is a lovely walk through open forest around the lake on bluffs, old logging roads and trails.  If the weather is good, there will be time for swimming.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot, to arrange carpools
Departure Time 09:00
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? yes
Notes: Bring lunch and water.

Hiking – Mine Lake Bluff – 15 June 2016

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Activity Hiking
Destination Mine Lake Bluff
Date 15 June 2016, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info phone 3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator in advance.
Description We will leave from the parking area on the road near the Mine Lake access and walk to Camp Homewood.  From there the route ascends the bluff to the north of Mine Lake with great views (weather permitting).  A loop will be made by a trail which descends to the north and circles back to the trail just before Camp Homewood.  The route up the bluff can feel a bit exposed.  If the weather is nice, there will be time for swimming.  If the weather is awful, we will hike somewhere else.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty moderate, tricky in places
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.

Trip Report – Open Bay – 6 June 2016

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Our paddle on Monday, June 6, started from a new launch site for most of us, the end of Breton Road in Open Bay; a short downhill, a short walk avoiding the nettles, a few logs and the inevitable rocks though not as big nor as steep as at the more commonly used Valdez beach launch site. Five of us were on the water by 10:30 am. The overcast soon dissipated and the weather quickly turned from warm to hot, northwest winds gusted to about 20 knots throughout the day.

We paddled east along Open Bay shores, admiring the contorted and dramatic geology, peered into one cave, then turned north into Moulds’ Bay. The rapidly dropping tide prevented us from taking the shortcuts so we paddled through Shellaligan Pass into Hoskyn Channel, past the north Breton, then into Village Bay. The snow-dappled peaks of the Coast and Vancouver Island mountain ranges provided dramatic backdrops to the north and west.

Our lunch stop, after one and a half hours of paddling was Village Bay beach where we noted the new signage posted by the We Wai Kai nation, as this is Reserve land. The very low tide revealed eel grass and its many inhabitants and the rich marine life in the intertidal zone.

After a short lunch break we were boosted on our return by a following sea pushed by the north-west winds and the flooding tide. We stayed in Hoskyn due to the very low tide, and turned west to Open Bay on the north side of the southernmost Breton. Here we stopped to admire the seals laying on their backs on rocks just above the tideline, apparently sunning their bellies. We also saw many oystercatchers and a flock of wood ducks as well as several herons, gulls, and eagles.

As we came into Breton Beach we could see sea urchins, pencil stars and bat stars on the rocks below. The very low tide meant a long haul up the rocky beach, the usual challenge of launching from Open Bay. We were off the water by about 2:45 pm after a hot but very pleasant paddle.

Valerie

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Kayaking – Open Bay – 6 June 2016

Trip Report – Surge Narrows Trail – 1 June 2016

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Six of us enjoyed our hike along the Surge Narrows trail. We stopped at the first viewpoint to watch the tidal rapids (8.8 knot flood tide at 11:00), then walked the route trail and shoreline through Raven Bay. We had good views of starfish and urchins. After lunch on the rocky point the tide was still low enough to go to a small island for views up Okisollo Channel.

Julie

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Hike – Surge Narrows Trail – 1 June 2016

Trip Report – Stramberg Old Growth – 25 May 2016

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Four hikers and one dog enjoyed a lovely spring hike, beginning at the south end of Vic’s marsh where we were fortified by ripe salmonberries. We stopped for a look at the old barn built by Vic Balatti. The building is still sturdy but several square-timbered floor and ceiling joists have been removed. The trail winds along the marsh through open Douglas fir forest with occasional old growth fir. Past the end of the marsh the trail passes through stands of moss-covered alder, hemlock and back into mature fir.   Several old growth cedar are lying on the ground where they were cut sometime in the past and left for some reason. One large solitary Western white pine was noted along the trail. We stopped for lunch in a grove of old growth fir, then proceeded on a short distance to the main stand of old fir trees. One giant clearly stood out in the crowd, a massive, stovepipe-straight beauty that was worth the hike all by itself.

The north half of the trail is less used but well-marked with flagging tape. Sections of the trail at this end could be improved by a chainsaw and clippers where downed trees make going slow. On the way back, we stopped off for a snack at the bluff overlooking the lake at the north end of the marsh. By mid-afternoon, the day was warming up so a cool Northwest breeze was welcome.   Hiking time was a bit more than 5 hours moving at a good pace, and including lunch and a snack break (13.2 km).   Highlights were the old fir trees, of course, but also the wide variety of plant communities we hiked through.

Janis

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Hike – Stramberg Old Growth – 25 May 2016

Trip Report – Sooke – 16-18 May 2016

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We began our trip to Sooke by visiting the Sooke Potholes. Eight of us drove up to the Regional Park and spent a few hours walking to the viewpoints and beaches, admiring the channels and sculpted rocks. 5.3 km.

We camped at the Sooke River Campground, which was well located for us and very quiet. We had wonderful appies and socializing each night. There were quite a lot of birds, including quail, rabbits and at least one bear in the area.

On Tuesday, seven of us hiked the Coast Trial in the East Sooke Regional Park. After the car shuffle, we started at Aylard Farm and hiked west to Pike Road Trail. The views along the rugged coast and across the Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Peninsula were spectacular. We really enjoyed the arbutus trees, which were continuous along the exposed bluffs and the excellent wildflowers in spite of the dry conditions. The route, undulating over the many rocky points and bluffs, was quite challenging. Just under 7 hours; 14.7 km.

On Wednesday, several people headed home, while four of us had an easy walk at Whiffen Spit and Sooke Harbour House. We then went separate ways, with some biking on the Galloping Goose trail to Matheson Lake; hiking up to Babbington Hill in East Sooke Regional Park; and visiting the Sooke Museum. It was too windy for kayaking. There were lots more destinations we couldn’t begin to visit in two and a half days.

Debbie

Here is a list of flowers:
harvest brodiaea
death camas
yarrow
smooth alumroot (heuchera)
white rhododendron
evergreen huckleberry
tiger lily
nootka rose
red paintbrush
sea blush
field chickweed
red columbine
nodding onion
fool’s onion (brodiaea)
fireweed
starflower
orange honeysuckle
farewell-to-spring
wild strawberry
broad-leaved stonecrop
false lily-of-the-valley
small-leaved montia
Siberian miner’s lettuce (candy flower)
white-flowered hawkweed
narrow-leaved hawkweed
arbutus
salal
manzanita

 

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Hiking – Sooke – 16-18 May 2016

Trip Report – Around Mt. Seymour – 13 May 2016

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Five of us hiked from the Nugedzi trail head, up the old logging road north of Beech’s Mountain, along the old logging road that runs on the west side of the Nugedzi plateau, up a trail to a viewpoint of Nugedzi Lake, then down along a flagged route and trail to connect up with another old logging road which continues below the west and north sides of Mount Seymour and then descends, ending in a recently logged area just south of the gravel pit. The old logging roads can be very nice for walking, covered by a carpet of moss when they are level. The steep ones can be rough walking though.

The west side of the Nugedzi plateau features a number of small lakes or ponds. The north side of Seymour features some nice views to the north.

The trip was 14.4 km and took 5.5 hours, not including the car shuffle.

Norris

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Hike – Mt. Seymour logging roads – 13 May 2016