The Next Hike

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

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

So far this year the Trekkers have been exceptionally unlucky with the weather on hike days.  Last week was no exception with thick cloud and periods of drizzle all the time we were hiking. Although the cloud was thick, the cloud base was quite high at around 2,000ft so we decided to head for a viewpoint, hoping the clouds might thin out and give us a nice view at lunch time.  We drove up to the High Road, then north and then down towards Pocahontas Bay parking on the new shortcut logging road not far from the bay.  Hiking south on the old Pocahontas Main until we turned off on the right and up the spur road to Taylor Bluff.  We had hoped for some improvement in the weather, but it was not to be and we sat high above Malaspina Strait seeing little beyond the roads and waterfront houses on the mainland side. 

While the day was gloomy the group were not.  Two hikers were recently returned from the Far East and entertained the others recounting their experiences in exotic lands.

JD.

Lunch on the moss at Taylor Bluff on yet another dull and damp day. 

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 22nd March.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we were expecting another wet day for hiking and, sure enough, it was raining most of the time we were hiking though especially heavy at lunch time. We chose the route that takes us from near the start of Davie Bay road through a mix of clearcuts and forest down to the beach close to Mouat Point. There is a summer cabin there with a covered verandah that makes a perfect rain shelter, so very welcome this particular day. The sea was grey and as far as the eye could see covered in breaking waves driven by a strong south-easter. A loaded barge heading north was soon lost in the rain that restricted visibility, and only close to the shore was the sea calm in the lee of the point. Even there the frequent back eddies of wind made curious dark patterns on the surface of the water.
JD.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we had, yet again, a rainy day for the hike and this coming Saturday the forecast is for another day of rain.  We decided to do the hike down to Shingle Beach as this gives us places in the Diversity Music Festival bandstands to stay dry while we eat lunch.  Before starting the hike proper we made a side trip to see if the earlier rains would reward us with a fine show at Stromberg Falls. and this plan worked out really well.  I think the volume of water coming down over the falls that day was more than I have seen for several years. It never fails to impress me that such a small creek can produce such a massive torrent of water and spray down a sixty foot cliff. 

JD.

Stromberg Falls after heavy rain in early March, 2014

Next Hike

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

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

Last week there was still quite a lot of snow about on the high ground, but I could see from my house at breakfast time that the west facing side of Mt. Pocahontas was mostly clear of snow so we headed up to the High Road for our hike. The road was clear and fine for walking and we used the hydro line right of way and the old logging road to reach a high spot for lunch.  Looking across to Vancouver Island it was interesting to see the snow cover there still extended right down to the shoreline.

JD.

The sun had melted all but a few patches of snow on the slopes of Mt. Pocahontas where we sat on a log for lunch.