Next Hike, and the two after that.

The next hike will be on Saturday, 27th March.

We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

I will be away for two weeks and the guide for this hike is Diana Vaughn.

The hike after that will be on Saturday, 3rd April.

We meet at the Legion parking in Van Anda at 10:00am

This will be the annual oyster and clam bake on the beach at Raven Bay and is a one way hike from Van Anda to the bay. Volunteers will be making preparations for this event and all former hikers and guests are welcome to come along as well. Please contact Russ Sparks or David Taylor if you wish to help or would like to know more about what to bring and the transport arrangements.

I hope to be back again in time for the second hike in April which will be Saturday, 10th April. For this we will meet again in Gillies Bay.

Last week we hiked along an old logging road to a large lake that I have been wanting to reach for many years. I think I might call it "Hard to Reach Lake" although other names have been suggested, and I believe the ATV users had a name for it quite a few years ago. It's about the size of Bobs Lake and forested on all sides. There is a small clearing for camping and picnics and someone seems to have started a trail around the south end, but we did not have time to explore it. It's quite easy to reach, now we know how to find the old logging road, and it lies not far to the east of Mt. Pocahontas.

JD.

A quiet secluded lake in need of a name.

Mid-Week Hike Update

Hello! Everyone,
John is unavailable to guide the mid-week hike this Tuesday, March 23^rd. 
Mark your calendars.  John will be away on Wednesday, March 31^st and Tuesday, April 6^th counting the Brant Geese on Vancouver Island. 

The mid-week hikes will be cancelled.

Pam

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 20th March.

We meet in Gillies Bay at the Ballpark at 10:00am

Last week my plan for the hike started out as a drive part way down the hill to Cook Bay and then a walk on a spur road to a nice lunch spot beside a small creek. That did not happen as we ran into a layer of snow on the road not far past the Vancouver Island Hydro line. So turning back we drove a short way back down the hill and parked near the side road that goes to the Hydro reactor station. There was just a small patch of snow in a couple of places as we hiked west under the wires and then north along Thompson Road stopping for lunch at a spot with a view towards Vancouver Island. The return to the starting point was along winding logging roads and then up the gasline road, all with no sign of snow anywhere.

My photo of the week is one I took earlier in the month just as the morning mist was rising above the trees around Gillies Bay. Sometimes a rare combination of conditions can make a very ordinary scene transform into one with unusually attractive features and in this shot the sun highlights the houses and logs while the mist lays a veil over the tree tops and the forest beyond the shoreline.

JD.

Gillies Bay on a misty winter morning.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 13th March
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week we hiked on a lovely mild sunny day from the start of Hydro East Road north along the back road to Pocahontas Bay, turning off into the recent forest cutblocks that overlook Malaspina Strait.
Earlier in the week a small group of mid-week hikers parked on Bell Road not far from the end of the black top and set off south through the alder woods which were filled with the sounds of birds singing.
It was dry and sunny and not too cool although a very strong wind was roaring through the treetops. The spindly alders were certainly swaying in the wind, but we decided the chances of being hit by one falling were still pretty remote. The trail follows very old logging roads and eventually reaches the top of the steep sided valley of Mouat Creek. We carefully headed down the steep trail through masses of tender young nettles and near the bottom and not much above the roaring water took a more level flagged trail on a wide bench between the creek bank and the foot of the steep valley side. For lunch we picked a bright spot not far past a section of creek that forms a water slide over smooth shale bedrock. The photo illustrates just how beautiful this creek valley is in winter with moss covered rocks and a multitude of tiny falls and rapids and here and there stretches of smooth water where pools remain and fish survive the dry summer months.

Thanks for the photo Leona.
JD.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 6th March.

We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we had an unpleasant mix of fog and rain for our hike which started from the Pocahontas Bay junction on the High Road. The lunch stop was on the east side of the mountain just below the top of the fire lookout peak. The view varied as the fog thinned and thickened, but never let us see more than a few of the trees and some small grassy bluffs.

With nothing of interest to photograph last Saturday I instead decided to share with you another of the many photos taken of the sea lions near Favada Point back in January. This one is of a group of male California Sea Lions with their oddly bulbous heads doing what sea lions seem to spend a lot of time doing, just sleeping. Thanks James!

JD.

Sleeping beauties. [James Mack photo]