Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 30th November.

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

Last week we had quite a nice day for the hike for a change.  As we have not been to Davie Bay for a long time we decided to choose that as our destination.  It was a very good choice as the tide was down just enough for us to wander along one stretch of the beach at the north end of the bay and the sunshine made sitting on the grassy bluff for lunch at the UREP (an area that the Province has designated to be reserved for the Use, Recreation and Enjoyment of the Public) very pleasant indeed.  We saw a seal, an otter and then a bit later on a passing sealion.  

My photo was taken at the spot where we lunched and in the distance the mountains on Vancouver Island are just visible above a thin belt of low cloud.

JD.

   Davie Bay on a calm November day.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 23rd November.

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

Last week we had a cool day for our hike.  There was a strong north-west wind and the prospect of some nice views so we headed south towards Bobs Lake and parked at the start of the Mt. Grant Trail.  Taking the longer route to the summit to avoid the wet and muddy patches on the shorter northern route we found there were very few fallen trees to deal with along the way, but many sections were beginning to close in with recent vigorous branch growth. I did notice that some of the Ponderosa Pine trees that were planted on the dry mountain slopes about 35 years ago after a major forest fire were starting to die off.  Many others are showing signs of stress, have lost a lot of their needles and look like they may not live very much longer.  A government forester told me this species is prone to a disease that only affects this species in damp summer climates and not in the interior where summers are hotter and drier.

My photo is one I took a few weeks ago when I noticed a low cliff beside one of our hiking trails that had some lovely green clusters of tiny plantsgrowing on the almost vertical rock face.  The fern is a tiny spleenwort with fronds like maidenhair fern, mosses, liverworts and the crusty grey plant on the rock is a species of lichen.

JD.

        A miniature garden of tiny plants on the vertical face of a cliff in the forest.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 16th November.

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

Last week we had another rainy day for hiking, but with the strong winds mainly out over the open sea it was quite pleasant wandering around in the lower Sromberg Creek area on the south west coast of Texada Island.  First we parked on the road below the falls and then hiked up through the forest to see if there was much water flowing down Grow Op Creek [translation 'cannabis growing operation creek' for those not familiar with the local dialect].  There was a fair amount, but still not enough to fill the sinkhole under the bank and none going on down the rapids towards the main road bridge.  Then we headed back down the trail to take a look at the vertical sink hole and Stromberg Falls.  This is such a lovely spot with the water rushing out of the cave and maidenhair fern leaves all over the cliffs.  Sadly not a drop of water falling from the cliff top, which means we need to have a very heavy rainfall before it will be worth another visit.

Driving down and back across the road bridge we took the side road and parked under the Hydro lines.  By the time we had wandered down to the beach at the mouth of Stomberg Creek it was time for lunch — under our umbrellas!  My photo this week shows the nicely built rustic footbridge over the creek.

JD.

                The rustic bridge where Stromberg Creek flows out onto the beach.  The water flow is really quite low for this time of year.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 9th November.

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

Last week we did the hike that we quite often do on days with a good chance of rain, from Stromberg Creek bridge down to the campground at Shingle Beach.  We didn't go up to see the waterfalls but there was probably quite a lot of water coming down after the heavy rain and the flow may still be good this week too.  We had lunch at a picnic table where there was no wind and the rain held off for a while.  My photo shows the view of the beach from the headland.

JD.

         

         A deserted Shingle Beach on a calm and rather dull fall day.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 2nd November.

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

Last week at the start of the hike the weather was still and on the dull side with low clouds covering the high ground.  There was not much point going in search of high viewpoints on a day like this so instead we chose to hike in the forest along logging roads, new and old.  We parked at the top of the first hill on Davie Bay Road and headed north back towards Mouat Creek on a side road then turned west followed the south bank back towards the main road.  When it came time for lunch we were close to the road bridge and sat beside the creek at the fish tank hut.  Such a pleasant spot with the sound of the water splashing over the rocks and the massive fern and moss covered maple trees towering above us.

Another mushroom photo for this week, not an edible variety, but of interest for the striking purple gills on the underside of the cap.

JD.

An unusual mushroom with purple gills growing on the hillside above Stromberg Falls.  I believe it's not edible