Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 29th February.

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

Last week the weather was not great with snow forecast for the whole day.  We decided to start the hike off from the Ballpark to avoid having problems with driving.  There was already snow on the ground at higher elevations and as we headed up School Road it began to snow and in fact the snow never really stopped falling all morning and afternoon.  Our destination was the bluff overlooking Gillies Bay, so quite a short distance, but it was 12:00 o'clock by the time we got there.   Curiously enough  there were very large areas that were quite bare of snow where the trees overhead were evergreens, but on the open bluffs the snow was several inches thick.  At the lunch spot we were never able to see more than the houses on Pine Street, the rest of the view hidden from us by the falling snow. 

My photo was taken as we climbed the first hill on the logging road to Cap Sheaf.

JD.

 

A snowy hike to a bluff above Gillies Bay.  

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 22nd February.

We meet at the Ballpark at Gillies Bay at 10.00am

Last week we just had a very small group of hikers and started hiking from the Ballpark instead of driving somewhere.  A gale was predicted and the weather was certainly quite overcast and showers were predicted.  However, it remained dry and calm all morning and afternoon and he we had a pleasant walk through the forest to Cap Sheaf Lake.

My photo for this week was taken on the first hike this month when we had a lovely day and lunched on a bluff above the sea just in front of a quite rustic abandoned cottage.  Eagle Creek reaches the sea at the foot of the bluff and it was odd to see clusters of ice on the rocks where the low waterfall cascades onto the shingle beach.  That day the tide was very high and the beach under water, but on earlier visits we were able to walk on the beach and lunch on the logs.

JD.

The waterfall where Eagle Creek reaches the sea, and where the tops of some beach rocks had collected curious clumps of ice. 

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 15th February.

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

Last week we were faced with icy conditions after a week of extra low temperatures at night and even during the day.  I felt it wise to stay away from steep uneven trails and try to follow a route that would make for relatively safe walking.  There was a light breeze from the north and it would be nice to stop for lunch in a spot with protection on the north side and so we headed down the road to Davie Bay intending to hike down to the coastline somewhere to the north of Davie Bay.  We parked just up the hill from Mouat Creek and started hiking on the old logging road that eventually swings back and rejoins the main road just before Eagle Creek. Part way along we did run into a section where water flowing in the ruts had frozen hard and we had to be careful not to slip, but this was fairly short and the rest of the hike was on good surfaces.  I thought it might be interesting to see if the small waterfall where Eagle Creek reaches the beach had frozen, but when we got there the creek was running freely and only in a couple of places had the water frozen into some interesting shapes.  In looking for somewhere different to sit for lunch we climbed up to a grassy bluff on the south side of the creek, an area none of us had visited before, we found a surprisingly well built cottage partly hidden by the trees and sitting just a few yards back from the cliffs.  This proved to be an ideal spot for lunch, and the front of the cottage makes a nice subject for my photo this week.

JD. 

An abandoned rustic cottage overlooking the sea at the mouth of Eagle Creek.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 8th February.

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

Last week our hike day came before the current spell of very cold weather had arrived although it was certainly cool and rather cloudy. We set off for the high ground as there was a good chance of getting to a viewpoint looking east towards the mainland mountains.  The starting point was to be the gravel pit part way down the Hydro East Rd so we took the left fork at Bell Farm and it came as a big surprise when we approached the highest part of the road to find the road and surroundings covered in a thin blanket of snow. Luckily it was not enough to worry about and we reached the planned parking place with no snow in sight. 

Hiking an uphill route this time we found we quickly warmed up with the exercise and eventually found a viewpoint for lunch on the Vancouver Island Hydro line right of way just about at the snowline.  My photo shows the view as we crossed under the wires on the way up with the forested high ground to the south covered in snow.

JD.

  

Crossing the Hydro line with snow covered forest on the high ground to the south.