Summer Planning Meeting – 20 June 2021

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Activity Summer Planning Meeting
Date 20 June 2021, Sunday
Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info qioutdoorclub@gmail.com for inquiries
Description The planning meeting we normally have inside the Community Centre, will be held outside.  We will review the recent Club experiences, likely future scenarios for the summer, but primarily we will be working to construct a summer schedule.
Bring your own chair and gear for weather.
Meeting Place Community Centre Ball Park
Meeting Time 3:00

Trip Report – South Heriot Ridge Loop – 2 June 2021

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This  was the first Club outing since Dr. Bonnie Henry re-opened adult outdoor sports in British Columbia.  It was great to go out with a group again.  The six of us first talked a bit about work that has been done documenting the geology, plants, animals and Indigenous history in this area.  We started out on the Homewood Camp trails leading to the first and most easterly bluff with views to the south and east.  We descended and continued on to Homewood Bluff for more views.  After a brief section off-trail we followed a forest trail leading to a short, steep ascent and High Bluff.  We stopped for lunch, then descended and made our way westerly across open mossy bluffs below the Citadel.  We climbed up a line to the plateau on the Citadel and visited the emergency communications tower with entirely different views to the northeast.  It was quite warm and humid, so we vegged out a bit on the helipad before continuing along the ridge and joining the Hopespring trail.  This trail led us to North Gowland Trail and then the Isle of 19 old growth Douglas firs.  We admired these survivors of the 1925 fire before crossing the small bridge, and again out onto mossy bluffs.  We followed a good line down to a forested logging road, where a Barred Owl sang to us, and a then short trail section leading back to North Gowlland Trail.  From there we walked east back to the vehicles.  7.7 km; 4¼ hours.

Debbie
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Homewood and N Gowlland Trails – 2 June 2021

 

Hiking – Morte Lake Loop – 9 June 2021

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Activity Hiking
Destination Morte Lake Loop
Date 9 June 2021, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Diana McKerracher
Contact Info diana@gicable.com  285 3204.  Please contact coordinator by Monday June 7
Description An easy 9 km hike on established trail all the way around Morte Lake. 4-5 hours with breaks and a possible swim.
Meeting Place Morte Lake parking lot; (allow 15 minutes to drive from Heriot Bay store)
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate.
Costs None
Trip limits 10 participants
Dogs? Okay, if under control at all times
Notes: Bring lunch and swim gear.
Covid protocol in effect.

Hiking – Homewood and North Gowlland Trails – 2 June 2021

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Change of meeting location!

Activity Hiking
Destination Homewood and North Gowlland Trails
Date 2 June 2021, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator by Monday.
Description We will hike to three bluffs off of Homewood trails before climbing up to the telecommunications tower on Heriot Ridge.  From there we will descend to North Gowlland trail to visit some old trees and open bluffs.
Meeting Place Community Centre parking lot
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Moderate.  Some steep sections, wet sections.  We will follow maintained trails, unmaintained trails and routes.  About 8 km; 4.5 hours with lunch.
Costs None
Trip limits 10 participants.  If you RSVP for this trip, please commit to coming as others may be excluded by the cap on trip participants.
Dogs?
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather. COVID protocol in effect.

Trip Report – Cortes Island – May 2021

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Day 1 – With Dr. Bonnie Henry’s encouragement to go camping locally, we stayed three nights and four days on Cortes Island, using the Smelt Bay campground as our base. After taking the ferry on Monday to Cortes, setting up camp and after having a sunny, relaxed lunch on the beach at Smelt Bay, we went to Manson’s Lagoon at a very low tide so that we could walk to the little island and explore the intertidal zone. (1.5 km; 1 hour)  After that we hiked to Easter Bluff, a short walk rewarded with excellent views to the south and east. (2.3 km; 2 hours)

(click to enlarge photos)

Day 2 – The night was quite cold, but we warmed up hiking up to the summit of Green Mountain, the highest point on Cortes Island, but still a very accessible trip. The loop around the top provided great views in most directions. (4.3 km; 2 hours)  In the afternoon, one couple kayaked on Hague and Gunflint Lakes, while the rest of us kayaked from the Whaletown government dock out to Shark Spit, once again at a very low tide. The launch down the steep ramp was quite extreme.  We walked around the Spit before portaging the boats over the spit and exploring the islets and coast around Uganda Passage.  (9 km; 2.5 hours)

Day 3 –  Rain was forecast overnight and into Wednesday, but we really only had drizzle overnight and it was dry by morning. Still, for breakfast we took advantage of the beautiful picnic shelter at the Smelt Bay campsite, with its timber-framed structure, wood stove and picnic tables. We then set out for the long loops at Kw’as Regional Park. Starting near the Cortes Motel, we hiked the eastern side Millennium Trail out to the Swim Rock for lunch. We followed along the Rock Face trail on the Hague Lake shore and visited the amazing Survivor Fir before crossing the narrows and hiking the loop out to the bench on the Pierre de Trail. Returning by the Cedar Ridge, we re-crossed the narrows and followed the Gunflint Lake shoreline stopping at the old steam donkey and then back to the cars. (12.4 km; 5.75 hours)

Day 4 –  Wednesday night was cool and windy, but Thursday turned into a lovely day. A few headed back on an early ferry (which it turned out didn’t run until 3:50), while the rest of us hiked in the morning at Hank’s beach, catching the low tide, sunny facing shore and great views. We rambled over the rocky bluffs and explored some tidal pools.  (3.2 km; 1.25 hours)  We then headed over to Squirrel Cove for lunch on the beach. We carried the kayaks a long way to the water and paddled into the protected anchorage, through the islands, enjoying the intertidal life. We were happy to see that the purple sea stars are returning very well. We stopped at the creek into the Squirrel Cove lagoon and walked across to the lagoon. In addition to the excellent intertidal life, there were duck and chicks in the lagoon. (7.7 km; 2.25 hours)  After ice cream from the Squirrel Cove store, most of us took the last ferry home.

There is so much to see and do on Cortes and we packed a lot into four days. The weather was kind to us, the low tides fascinating, and the spring growth lovely. We are so fortunate to have this nearby.

Debbie

Thanks to Norris and Bonnie for the photos

Quadra Island Outdoor Club Reopens

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Now that Dr. Henry has lifted restrictions on adult outdoor sports, the Quadra Island Outdoor Club has the opportunity to resume outings.  There will continue to be protocols in place, which will be available shortly, and will focus on limiting participation to local residents, the size of the group to 10, and to continued observance of distancing.

In a normal year, we would have a planning meeting in April, with the new membership year beginning in May, so we are only a little late.  At this moment no one has renewed their membership, so that is an important next step.  Here is a link to the membership form and to the liability waiver:

membership application

waiver

However, there are a few challenges about how to initiate the upcoming schedule.  I personally think a planning meeting outside (which would limit attendance to 10 people) or a Zoom meeting are not very appealing options to plan the summer events.  Please let me know if you think I’m wrong about this.  The other possibility is to do the planning through email and the webpage.  I really welcome feedback about this.  It’s essential that the Club energy comes from the membership.  We have lots of destinations, but without participants and coordinators, nothing happens. Please leave your comments about any of this.

Here is a list of possible outings, to tweak your imagination.  Only a very few have dates and coordinators.

2 June, Wed – hike the Homewood – North Gowlland trails – coordinator Debbie Quigg
date TBD – hike the Shellaligan Pass Trail – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike the Morte Lake Loop – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike the Beech’s Mountain Loop – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Mine Lake Bluff – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Main Lake and Yeatman Bay – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Stramberg old growth grove – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Newton Lake – Small Inlet – Waiatt Bay – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Blindman’s Bluff & Eagle Ridge – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Nugedzi Lakes and views – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike the Rousseau Ridge loop – coordinator Debbie Quigg
date TBD – hike to Maud Island – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Mt. Seymour – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Hopespring – Thompson Trail loop – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Surge Narrows – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike the Silk Stocking – Little Black Dress loop – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Trout Creek waterfalls – coordinator Debbie Quigg
date TBD – hike the Quinsam River trails – coordinator Debbie Quigg
date TBD – hike the Snowden Forest trails – coordinator TBD
date TBD – hike to Mt. Elma – coordinator Norris Weimer
date TBD – hike to Mt. Drabble – coordinator Norris Weimer

date TBD – kayaking in Gowlland Harbour – coordinator TBD
date TBD – kayaking to Open Bay – Village Bay – coordinator TBD
date TBD – kayaking on Main Lakes – coordinator TBD
date TBD – kayaking to Granite Bay,  Kanish Bay & Small Inlet – coordinator TBD

Don’t let this list limit what you would like to do.  It only takes three people for a trip to happen, so be proactive about where you would like to go.  I would like to kick-start the trip schedule as soon as possible, so don’t be bashful about volunteering to coordinate a trip.  I have not included multi-day trips here, because that varies widely from year to year.  But we have always had multi-day camping, hiking and kayaking trips and expect to do so again.

I realize that everyone’s risk tolerance and situation is different, but I hope that you are looking forward to a summer of outdoor exercise and beauty.

COVID-19 Pandemic – as of 7 Dec 2020

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Once again it is necessary to suspend Outdoor Club activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been no Outdoor Club trips since Dr. Bonnie Henry raised the bar on restrictions on November 19th. I was initially hesitant to accept that we could not do group outdoor activities safely with strict protocols, but with additional information and continued high case levels, it was clear even before the extended restrictions, that Outdoor Club trips would not be possible. We now know that the restrictions on socializing and gathering will last at least until January 8th.

It’s regrettable that this comes at the worst possible time for most of us. We are eight months into the pandemic, at the darkest time of the year. The thing we want the most, to be with other people, is essentially now forbidden. The Public Health Office still encourages everyone to go outside and we still have all the beauty and trail infrastructure available to us. But anything that is a “gathering” is not allowed under the heightened regulations. There do not appear to be any outdoor clubs in the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC offering trips at this time, and many in the lower mainland never resumed in the summer.  So go outside, but go small and safe.

Trip Report – Shellaligan Pass Loop – 18 Nov 2020

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In damp, cloudy weather, eight hikers enjoyed our first “Hot Chocolate” hike of the season, perambulating the beautiful Shellaligan inland loop clockwise. We set off from the first parking lot from the turn off from Valdes Road, a good decision in retrospect as the logging road was blocked further on by downed trees from the previous day’s windstorm. The first part of this loop is on good logging roads, watch for signage for the turn-offs. Soon we turned right off a wide logging road, onto the trail, this turn easily missed so now marked with extra orange flagging tape. We followed this lovely, easy trail through a veritable sea of green, alongside a very full creek, to the shore. Here we admired the “neurotic sapsucker tree” and noted the collected marine debris awaiting pick-up. Soon reaching the trail sign a bit inland, we headed back on the “shortcut to parking lot” to the “middle” parking lot, turning right onto the logging road back to our cars. Just under 2 hours, good exercise, good company, home by the fire by early afternoon, a great first “Hot Chocolate” hike. 4.9 km; 1½ hours.

Thank you to Norris for the photos!

 
Valerie van Veen
 

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Shellaligan Pass Loop – 18 Nov 2020

 

Hiking – Shellaligan Pass Trail – 18 Nov 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Shellaligan Pass Trail – Land Loop
Date 18 Nov, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Valerie van Veen
Contact Info 250 285 2329; vvv@qisland.ca
Description This is a “Hot Chocolate” Hike:
South end hikers … meet at Heriot Bay store at 10 AM if carpooling or want to convoy together.  Otherwise meet co-ordinator at turn off to logging road (trail access road) on Valdes Road at 10:20 am. We will drive to the first parking lot (on the left, marked with a trail sign). We will follow the land loop around to the second parking lot, walk back on the logging road to our cars.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store at 10:00 or Valdes Road at 10:20.  See trip description.
Departure Time See trip description
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs None
Trip limits 10, following Club Covid protocols
Dogs? Must be in full control, or on leash.
Notes: This is a Hot Chocolate hike; we may stop briefly for a Snack break or continue on. About 2 hours. If rain, sections could be a bit muddy.

Kayaking – Maud Island – 25 Nov 2020

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This trip has been suspended due to additional COVID restrictions

Activity Kayaking
Destination Maud Island
Date 25 Nov, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info 250-285-2111; cell 250-287-0459
Description We will put in at 1000 at the Leishman Road shore access just north of Copper Cliffs. There is parking for a few cars and a rocky beach. Staying close to shore, the plan is to paddle north to Maude Island and/or the Saltwater Lagoon. The trip is about 8 km each way (16 km round trip). The lagoon entrance is passable at certain tide levels so will be an on the spot decision whether to explore or not.
Meeting Place Shore Access Copper Cliffs – Leishman Road
Departure Time 1000 on the water
Difficulty
 Moderate – distance, currents, weather
Costs None
Trip limits 6
Dogs? no
Notes: The tide will be against us but it is a time of neap tides so currents shouldn’t be so strong. Participants should be open to trip revision once the forecast for that week is more relevant – i.e. lets be open to a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday with better weather.
All participants must be equipped for ocean paddling in November – required equipment as per club guidelines (https://qioutdoorclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paddling-guidelines-aug2018.pdf) and appropriate clothing.
Bring lunch, hot drinks, extra warm layers and something to sit on.