Trip Report – South Morte Lake Loop – 6 Nov 2019

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Nine of us and two dogs enjoyed another beautiful fall day for this highly varied and scenic hike.  We started up the steep bike trail, Morning Beer, and continued on Upper Deadfish.  The path travels through open forest and rocky, mossy bluffs with dappled light in the sunshine and a few great viewpoints.  We had lunch at the Deadfish summit and then descended Seven Sins and Nirvana to the hiking trail around Morte Lake.  After stopping briefly at Morte Lake, we ascended the South Bluff trail and followed along Mud and Reed Lakes to the Walcan Road.  We crossed and hiked along Yellow Mud to Jack Rabbit trails, connecting back to the parking lot.  There were lots of great views, but perhaps the most photogenic were the myriad mushrooms. If you know what they are, please let us know. It’s been a great fall for mushrooms and there were lots of Chanterelles collected for dinner on this hike.  9.2 km;  4 hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – South Morte Lake Loop – 6 Nov 2019

Hiking – Carrington Bay – 2 Dec 2019

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Change of date!

Activity Hiking
Destination Carrington Bay, Cortes Island
Date 2 4 December 2019, Monday Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator well in advance of the trip, so that car pools can be arranged.
Description After the ferry crossing we will drive to the Carrington trailhead and follow the trails to Carrington Bay and lagoon.  We will have lunch at Carrington Bay and continue on to Grandmother’s Grove following the stream.  We plan to return on the 3:50 pm ferry.
Meeting Place Cortes ferry line-up.
Departure Time 9:05 am ferry; vehicles need to be in the ferry line-up not later than 8:15 am for this  busy sailing.
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate.
Costs Ferry travel costs; bring your experience card and ID
Trip limits 12
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather.

Kayaking – Hyacinthe & Open Bays to Breton Islands – 1 Jan 2020

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This outing has been postponed and a hike has been substituted

Activity Kayaking
Destination Hyacinthe & Open Bays to Breton Islands
Date 1 Jan 2020, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com; 250-285-2111; (cell 250-287-0459).  Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description This trip will be weather dependent and changes will be posted during the week before the trip. ALL paddlers MUST be equipped for ocean paddling in the winter.
We will put in on the first high tide of 2020, paddle the bays (Hyacinthe and Open) and the Breton Islands and find a sunny, south facing beach for a New Years Day picnic.
Meeting Place Len Road Beach Access
Departure Time Meet at 9:30; on the water at 10:03 (high tide)
Difficulty
 Moderate depending on weather, winds and tides over a 3-4 hour day
Costs None
Trip limits 8 paddlers
Dogs? No
Notes: ALL paddlers MUST be equipped for ocean paddling in the winter. Please review paddling guidelines (https://qioutdoorclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/paddling-guidelines-aug2018.pdf). Having dry clothes waiting at the take out would be advisable.  Bring water and lunch.
The alternate plan, in the event of southeasterly winds, will be to put in at April Point and paddle into Gowlland Harbour.
The alternate, alternate plan will be to reschedule for a better day later in the week.

Hiking – Haskin’s Farm Loop – 20 Nov 2019

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Activity Hiking
Destination Haskin’s Farm Loop
Date 20 Nov 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Vic Gladish
Contact Info vicgladish@gmail.com; 250-285-2111; (cell 250-287-0459)  Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description We will follow the Haskin’s Farm trail to the beach and pass by some great old growth trees before walking through the gently rolling paths on the golf course.
Meeting Place Haskin’s Farm trailhead at Smith and Heriot Bay Roads
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? Yes, but must not run through the group.
Notes: Dress for the weather and bring a snack/lunch.

Hiking – Shellaligan Loop – 13 Nov 2019

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Activity Hiking
Destination Shellaligan Loop
Date 13 Nov 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Julie Mellanby
Contact Info 285-3978.  Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description We will park on Valdez Rd and hike the logging road to the trailheads.  The loop we choose will depend on the weather.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot for car pooling.
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 Easy to moderate.  There are a few rocky bluffs to scramble up and some undulating sections.
Costs none
Trip limits none
Dogs? Dogs must not run through the group.
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather.

Hiking – Eagle Ridge Loop – 27 Nov 2019

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This trip is FULL

Activity Hiking
Destination Eagle Ridge Loop
Date 27 Nov 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Janis McLean
Contact Info 285-3614.  Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip.
Description This hike will include the official trail to Eagle Ridge and an unmarked route descending the ridge and continuing on to the higher ridge to the north.  From there we will descend to the logging road and return to the vehicles. The descent from Eagle Ridge is very steep on mossy rocks.  There is no trail.  Three to four hours hiking.
Meeting Place Heriot Bay store parking lot for car pooling.
Departure Time 10:00
Difficulty
 The section up to Eagle Ridge is a maintained trail of moderate difficulty.  The descent from Eagle Ridge is briefly tricky.  The segment to the next ridge and down to the logging road is on an unmarked route through mostly open forest.
Costs none
Trip limits Maximum of 10
Dogs? Depends on the dog.  Would need to be completely controlled during the descent from Eagle Ridge.
Notes: Bring lunch, poles if you use them, and gear for weather.

Trip Report – North Gowlland Loop – 30 Oct 2019

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Our group of nine hikers and two dogs had a beautiful fall day for this varied loop. We started at the bridge across the creek and climbed up Marlow’s logging road. We followed a flagged route over to the North Gowlland trail and made a side trip to Rousseau Ridge. We enjoyed great views of Discovery Passage, Vancouver Island and parts of Quadra. We carried on northwest along North Gowlland trail, crossing the foot bridge back over the creek and continuing up the Copperhead logging road to the mountain bike trail, Little Black Dress. We passed by the shallow trenches that were an open-pit copper mine and a small woodland lake before we climbed up a rise and had lunch in the sun on a mossy bluff. After lunch we meandered along the Little Black Dress trail, undulating through open forest. Four of our group had early deadlines, so they parted from us just before the Cash Only trail and headed down a logging road to return to their vehicle.

The rest of us followed the Cash Only trail down to the North Gowlland Road and crossed to the mountain bike trail behind the wetland, Lady Lumps. There were a few trees down on the trail, but it was a lovely walk back to the bridge. This mix of trails makes a great loop with lovely forest and lots of variety. 9.3 km; 3¾ hours.

Debbie

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Hiking – North Gowlland Loop – 30 Oct 2019

Trip Report – Horne Lake Caves – 23 Oct 2019

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Eleven adventurous souls made the 1¼ hour drive down island to Horne Lake Provincial Park. We went on a variation of their guided multi-cave tour.  After the suspension bridge over the Qualicum River and the 1 km walk up the hill, we started on the upper end of Riverbend Cave where we visited the Soda Straw and Bacon Galleries with beautiful caves features (speleothems) and continued as far as the Buddha Room to see the “Buddha” in the reflecting pool.  Main Cave was the second cave where we climbed up a waterfall and slid down a metal slide.  We all managed to avoid “face-plant rock” at the bottom of the slide. The final cave was Lower Cave with beautiful features and tight passageways.  We crouched low as we walked up the stream in the “Birth Canal”, but the “Cheese Grater” was the tightest squeeze. We emerged dirty, somewhat wet and tired, but everyone had a good time.

Matt was our guide and an experienced caver as well as fun and knowledgeable. He explained how the caves were formed by slightly acidic water running through limestone. He also showed us ancient fossils and how calcite crystals are formed.  As we made our way through the caves he talked about how stalagmites (from the ground) and stalactites (from the ceiling) are formed over thousands of years. 4 hours on the tour.

I would highly recommend this Park to anyone. There are a wide variety of things to do for all levels of comfort.

Les

Thanks to Norris and Vic for the photos

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Natural History – Horne Lake Caves – 23 Oct 2019

Trip Report – Mt. Seymour – 14 Oct 2019

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The Mt. Seymour hike was moved forward to Thanksgiving Monday to avoid the deluge forecast for Wednesday, and Monday turned out to be a great hiking day.  Eight of us made a quick trip to the summit, stopping at the three viewpoints for a nearly 360° view.  The summit was clear with a good view of the clouds approaching the other mountains all around.  The southeast breeze was cool, so we headed back down after a quick lunch.  Les provided tailgate apple crisp when we got back to the vehicles.  8.0km; 470m elevation gain; 3¾ hours.

Norris

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Hiking – Mt. Seymour – 14 Oct 2019

Natural History – Horne Lake Caves – 23 Oct 2019

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Activity Caving
Destination Horne Lake Caves
Date 23 Oct 2019, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Les Hand
Contact Info 285-2029 or leshand@gicable.com.  Please let the coordinator know as soon as possible if you are interested.
Description This is a multi-cave experience that will be slightly modified for us and will take about 3 hours.  Please use link
https://hornelake.com/cave-tours/   to check it out. Scroll down to “Multi-Cave Experience”, click on “More Info” to see what to bring and wear. The helmet and headlight are provided.  You can rent rubber boots for $6 if needed.
Meeting Place Q Cove ferry terminal – be early
Departure Time 10:00 ferry
Difficulty Moderate
Costs $26.25 including taxes for the tour. Must be prepaid to Julie hold your spot.  Please make arrangements to pay Julie by contacting her at 3978.  Also the ferry and shared gas costs.
Trip limits 12
Dogs? No
Notes: We will arrange carpools once we know who is coming.  You will need to sign a liability waiver for Horne Lake Caves. Bring a lunch that you can eat before tour.