Hiking – Main Lake from Surge Narrows Rd – 8 Apr 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Main Lake from Surge Narrows Rd
Date 8 April, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710.  Please contact the coordinator in advance.
Description This is a flagged route from the Surge Narrows road, following old logging roads and paths through mature forest to the east end of Main Lake.  The route is not far (about 7.0 km round trip), but quite slow due to rough conditions.  Expect wet sections and significant climbing over deadfall.  If the group wants more of a walk, we can continue on to Yeatman Bay, which would be about 10 km round trip.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 9:30
Difficulty Moderate due to the rough trail conditions.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs?
Notes: Bring lunch.

Hiking – Eagle Crag – 25 Mar 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Eagle Crag
Date 25 Mar 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info 285-3710 or norris.weimer@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description This hike begins on the south side of South Chinese Mountain.  It then follows a flagged route to a climbing wall.  The route goes around and up to the top of the climbing area.  This involves some big steps and minor scrambling. The effort is rewarded with great views.  About 3 hours.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Store for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Moderate.  This is a short hike (5km) mostly without a maintained trail and one very steep section which may feel exposed.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch.  We will not do this trip in poor weather.

 

Snow – Mt Washington – 18 March 2020

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Activity Snow sports
Destination Mt. Washington area
Date 18 March 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Quadra Island Outdoor Club
Contact Info Please e-mail to qioutdoorclub@gmail.com by Sunday.
Description  The Mt. Washington resort is closed as of March 16th due to coronavirus.  We would probably go to Ramparts Hill and snowshoe.  We are watching the conditions closely as there is not a great deal of snow this year, but it should be sunny.  Car pooling will be limited and at the discretion of the driver.
Meeting Place Q-Cove Ferry; Drivers need to be on time to make the busy 9:00 AM sailing.
Departure Time 9:00 AM ferry from Quathiaski Cove
Difficulty
 Moderate, depending on the group
Costs Ferry and fuel.
Trip limits The limit is usually the number of cars driving up.  Cars should have chains available, if conditions warrant.  Car pooling will be at the discretion of the driver to maintain social distance.
Dogs?
Notes: Bring gear for the conditions and lunch.  Rental equipment is not available if we go to Ramparts Hill.

 

Hiking in Silence – Hopespring-Thompson Trail Loop – 14 Apr 2020

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Activity Hiking in silence
Destination Hopespring-Thompson Trail Loop
Date 14 Apr 2020, Tuesday
Trip Coordinator Sandra Burns
Contact Info sandraburns.ca@gmail.com or 3977.
Please, no phone calls after 8 pm.
Description On this silent walk, we will go down to the Old Growth section and do a loop, as long as the weather is a bit dry, coming back along Heriot Ridge, and planning to have lunch in the sun, on the ridge! We will then return to the vehicles, back down to the Hopespring trailhead.  About 3 hours.
Meeting Place Hopespring trailhead. Please note that there is limited parking here.
Departure Time 9:30
Difficulty Moderate
Costs
Trip limits 6
Dogs? No
Notes: Please bring a pole for any slippery spots.

Multi-day Hiking – Cortes Island- 4-8 May 2020

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Activity Multi-day Hiking
Destination Cortes Island, staying at Linnaea Farm
Date 4-8 May 2020, Monday to Friday
Trip Coordinator Janis McLean
Contact Info 250.285.3614; please contact the coordinator well in advance of the trip
Description This is our annual trip to Cortes Island, based at Linnaea Farm in an eight bedroom rustic farmhouse on the edge of Gunflint Lake. We are planning to hike many of the trails: Easter Bluff, K’was Park, Hanks Beech Forest Park, Green Mountain, Whaletown Commons, Manson’s Lagoon, Smelt Bay, Carrington, etc. A schedule of trails will be developed and presented daily. There may be one or more optional hikes in silence, giving us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in nature without the distraction of conversation. Each person is responsible for their breakfasts and lunches; dinner teams will be organized in advance. Please visit: http://www.linnaeafarm.org for information about the farm.
Meeting Place Cortes ferry line-up
Departure Time 9:05 am sailing. Vehicles must be in line-up by 8 a.m. This is a busy trades ferry. Car-pooling will be organized in advance.
Difficulty Easy to Moderate.
Cost $35/person/night. Bring your own sleeping bag and towel. Plus ferry costs and shared fuel. Bring your ferry card (and driver’s licence if you want the senior’s rate).
Trip limits Limit of 10 people, if four people are willing to double up in two of the bedrooms. Lakeview Room is reserved for the coordinator.
Dogs? No. Dogs are not allowed on the farm.
Notes: Payment to Club Treasurer Julie Mellanby by April 15, 2020. Members will need to renew their membership for 2020-21. Please advise of any special dietary needs. Other activities include swimming and canoeing/kayaking (bring your own boats and equipment) on Gunflint and Hague Lakes. As in other years, this trip is popular and will fill up quickly.

Trip Report – Drew Creek and Harbour – 26 Feb 2020

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Nine of us took a stroll around the new Drew Creek loop on the We Wai Kai reserve starting at the stream renovation done by the Salmon Enhancement Society, then on to the new foot bridge put in by John Barclay and other volunteers.  We continued through the campground, which is quiet in February, and on to the memorial and beachwood shack at Paddy’s Lagoon.  There were lots of interesting things to explore along the way.  We walked back along the shore and stopped to admire Alex Witcombe’s driftwood Sasquatch sculpture. 

Five of the group continued into Rebecca Spit Marine Park, stopped for a snack and walked the trail to the end of the Spit.  It was a cold, dark day with a bit of southeast breeze, but the rain held off.  11.1 km, 3½ hours.

– Norris

(click on photos to enlarge)

Hiking – Drew Creek and Harbour – 26 Feb 2020

Trip Report – Open Bay and Crikey Creeks – 12 Feb 2020

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Ten hikers attended the two short hikes. The weather was pleasant for early February, with cloud cover, mild temperatures and no rain. We walked south along the forestry road near the bottom of the big hill on Village Bay Lakes Road (opposite the Open Bay Main turnoff). After substantial snow the week before, the road still had a couple of inches of soft snow, but not deep enough to make walking difficult. After a half hour or so (and passing several clearcuts on the uphill side of the road), we took a trail into the woods towards Open Bay Creek, and followed this undulating trail through mossy open second growth Douglas fir and hemlock forest north along Open Bay Creek (upstream). This beautiful stream sustains salmon spawning in the fall, when chum and coho migrate up from Open Bay.

The second hike began on Open Bay Main which proceeds northwest from Village Bay Lakes Road, downhill from the large gravel pit. After a hundred meters are so, we turned west into the forest and proceeded at a steady uphill climb through lovely open Douglas fir and hemlock forest. The first part of this trail has been heavily eroded after the heavy winter rains, having been improperly constructed with no switchbacks or proper water management. We avoided the slippery-looking rough bridges by easily dipping down into the creek swales. Partway up this hill, we came across ‘Road Right-of-Way’ flagging tape, indicating that this area will be bisected by a forestry road and is slated for logging, presumably in the near future. We popped out onto a narrow logging road and could see Granite Bay Road a little further west uphill. A ten-minute walk south along the road took us to a good place for lunch, with old moss-covered logs to sit on. A short distance further, near the junction of this road and Granite Bay Road, our next trail headed downhill through the same forest, but closer to Crikey Creek which is situated in a deep gully. We came across forestry cruise plots used for timber volume estimates, another indication of imminent logging. The downhill trail ended on Open Bay Main just a short distance to the south of our uphill trail. Total time was three hours, from assembly at the Heriot Bay Store parking lot and back again. 

Janis

Hiking – Open Bay and Crikey Creeks – 12 Feb 2020

Hiking – Deepwater Bay and Benn Copper Mine – 4 Mar 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Deepwater Bay and Benn Copper Mine
Date 4 Mar 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca; please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip
Description We hope to be able to drive up the active logging road to begin the hike.  We will follow old logging roads up to the copper mine and then return to follow the steep creek down to Deepwater Bay.  The old fish hatchery has recently sold and is being upgraded by the new owner.  About 7km, around 3 hours, and some noticeable elevation gain and loss.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot for car pooling
Departure Time 10:00 am
Difficulty
 moderate
Costs
Trip limits We will need high clearance vehicles to avoid the long walk up the logging road
Dogs? Dogs must not run through the group
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for the weather.

 

Hiking – Drew Creek and Harbour – 26 Feb 2020

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Activity Hiking
Destination Drew Creek and Harbour
Date 26 Feb 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710.
Please contact the coordinator in advance.
Description A short easy walk.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay Tru Value parking lot
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty Easy
Costs None
Trip limits None
Dogs? Okay, if they do not run through the group.
Notes:

Trip Report – Ucluelet-Tofino – 3-6 Feb 2020

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On Monday, eight of us drove out to Ucluelet on a beautiful sunny day. The road through the mountains along Highway 4 was lovely with snow. After dropping off our gear at the vacation rental we had an afternoon walk in the remaining sun. We walked into the Pacific Rim National Park and explored Half Moon and Florencia Bays. The stairs down to the beaches are steep and there was occasional snow along the way and ice on the steps. The firm sand was great to walk on and the sunny views were great. (9.9 km; 3 h) Some of the group explored Ucluelet before dinner. We had an amazing dinner followed by a song circle. The big four bedroom house slowly warmed up with the furnace and big woodstove.

On Tuesday we went again to the National Park. We had hard, cold rain all day. It was cold comfort that it was snowing back on Quadra. We hiked to the north end of Florencia Bay and on to South Beach following the Nuu-chah-nulth Trail. The forest was beautiful, but the ice on the boardwalk was thick and extensive. It was a slow walk. We stopped for lunch on a covered walkway at the Wickaninnish Centre (which was closed). We looped back to the car along the road, taking time to explore the very interesting Bog Trail. About half the group continued on to hike the Rainforest Loop, with amazing boardwalk through old growth forest. (10.9 km; 4¼ h) We had another wonderful dinner, played games and socialized by the fire.

On Wednesday morning we were greeted by Trumpeter swans on the inlet in front of the house. The weather moderated to a warm mist. We hiked two loops along the Wild Pacific Trail at Ucluelet. We started with the lighthouse loop, enjoying the dramatic rock bluffs and waves. We stopped for lunch at the picnic area at Big Beach and then continued on to a loop further north including the Artist Loop, the Rocky Bluffs and the Ancient forest. (10.4 km; 4¾ h) These are beautifully constructed and maintained trails with exceptional views. This last night we ate out, which was memorable.

Thursday brought more rain and the return trip to Quadra was made slower by the road closure on Highway 4. We had a great group visiting an extraordinary part of the world. The weather was a challenge, but it was still beautiful and it kept down the crowds.

Debbie

(click on photos to enlarge)

Multi-day Hiking – Ucluelet-Tofino – 3-6 Feb 2020