Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 31st January.

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

Last week we drove a short distance along the road to Davie Bay and parked on the left at the top of the first hill.  This was a hike along old logging roads that followed the south bank of Mouat Creek for about half the hike.  Before lunch we had a chance to walk a short spur road from the north end of Thompson Road that ends at a curious rustic cabin built many years ago by some hunting folks from Powell River.   After that we back-tracked a little way and sat beside the creek on the site of a loggers road bridge that is long gone, washed out over the years by winter floods.  

My photo this week is of a brand new beaver dam on Pocahontas Bay road that has flooded a wetland area to create quite a large beaver pond.  These wonderful bodies of open water are excellent new habitat for both birds and amphibians, and I would not be surprised if the rare Red-legged Frog started spawning here quite soon.

JD.

 

A new beaver dam on Pocahontas Bay Road that already has quite a large pond backed up behind it.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 24th January.

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

Last week we drove up to the High Road and then north to the Pocahontas turnoff and down to a parking spot on the old main haul road from the south just where the road up the mountain branches off.  Walking back towards Pocahontas Bay our plan was to do a circular hike visiting two small bays and returning to the vehicles from the second one.  We had time to do this, but we found out we needed a very low tide to avoid the rocky shoreline so we ate lunch in the first bay and returned the way we had come.  It was a very pleasant day for hiking and we found things of interest including some edible mushrooms, an attractive waterfall on a creek that is usually a quiet trickle and some impressive mature cedars.   The circular hike will keep for a low tide day in the summer perhaps.

JD.

  

A small waterfall on the creek that flows into the sandy bay east of Pocahontas Bay. 

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 17th January.

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

Last week we had a day when it was not raining in the morning,  but the clouds were covering the top of Mt. Pocahontas and a hike in the forest seemed a good choice. We drove up to the lower section of Bell Road and headed into the forest at the far end of Staaf Rd. The walking started with an easy section of old logging road, but once we had reached the edge of the very steep-sided Mouat Creek valley things got a bit tricky.  The trail is well flagged and in the summer is fine enough although the stinging nettles have to be beaten aside in places.  That was not a problem in early January, what did make the going tricky was the wet clayish surface of the ground that made it difficult to avoid sliding down the steep slope.  Once down on the bank of the creek it was very much more comfortable to walk the winding route heading down stream.  

My photo shows some of the hikers on the bank of Texada's largest creek enjoying a very beautiful section of the valley not often visited although a very attractive place to be in both winter and summer.  A different route was used on the return, climbing almost straight up the steep valley side under some more mature conifers to avoid the slippery trail down.  

JD.   

Mouat Creek rushes past towards the sea beside our pleasant lunch spot.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 10th January.

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

Last week we started by driving the short distance to the Gravel Pit, parking at the locked gate.  The hike route follows an old logging road that heads north through continuous forest all the way to where it is crossed by the natural gas pipeline right of way.  Turning right onto the grassy track heading south along the pipeline we reached a high spot that marks an overgrown trail that leads to a ridge with a view west and in good weather a glimpse of the sea and some of the Vancouver Island mountains.  The return route followed the same logging road heading south.

My photo for this week was taken by a hiker a few weeks ago when we visited Stromberg Falls and the surrounding area.  This is limestone karst country and the creek just visible on the right side of the photo usually flows into a cave that runs downhill under our feet.  This day there was so much water flow the cave entrance was too small to take it all and most was going on down the normally dry creek bed.  Another cave in the direction I am pointing is a very short one with the entrance and exit on the right bank of the creek. 

JD.

   

At Grow Op Creek near Stromberg Falls. The creek flows in and out of a cave not far above this spot. Steve Vander Kwaak photo

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 3rd January.

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

Last week we drove a short distance along the road to Davie Bay and hiked south along the old logging road that eventually rejoins the main road at the Eagle Creek culvert. Not walking quite that far we instead took the short side road down to the former community at the mouth of Eagle Creek.  I don't believe there are any permanent residents there now, but I do recall seeing people living there as long ago as the late sixties when Davie Bay had quite a large community of people who favoured the popular "back to nature" life style.  More recently several quite elaborate homes were built and lived in for many years.  We sat on the cliffs for lunch and enjoyed a day that turned out to be really quite pleasant from the weather point of view. 

JD.

The view along the rugged coastline to the north of where Eagle Creek reaches the sea.