Next Hike.

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

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

Last week we drove south past Shingle Beach to the entrance gate to the Cook Bay land. From there we walked part way down the old road that goes to the south end of the long Shingle Beach and then got off on to the long winding trail that heads up and over the series of grassy bluffs above the small twin bays.  We had lunch on one of the higher bluffs with a rocky summit and then used the route that passes by a very old pickup type camper in a small clearing in the forest to get back to the old road again.  

The photo for this week is one of the group that hiked from Van Anda to Raven Bay at the end of April.  We had made a point of diverting from the Priest Lake Trail where it crosses Van Anda Creek to check out that small area of old growth forest which includes a few of the old giants including this Douglas Fir with massive fissures in it's centuries old bark.  Thanks Terry for doing this perfect timer delay shot.

JD.

Trekkers on their way to Raven Bay rest beside a giant Douglas Fir close to Van Anda Creek.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we had a dry day that proved to be very pleasant weather for hiking.  We drove up Bell Road then down the Hydro East road to a parking spot abouttwo thirds of the way down the very long hill.  A fairly new logging road branches off at this point and heads downhill taking a winding route through mixed areas that are both untouched forest and young plantations.  Several creeks pass under the road in culverts and after so much rain in recent weeks it was no surprise to see so many miniature rapids and attractive waterfalls. For lunch we sat on logs on the beach after failing to locate a larger waterfall that we had visited some years earlier.  

My photo is one I took on the previous hike at the start of May when we explored the forested mountain side high above Cook Bay. This is a colourful lichen that has the very odd English name 'Floral Pixie',  There is a similar species that is common elsewhere that is called 'British Soldiers', but I understand it's rare here on the coast.  

JD.

Cladonia bellidiflora, Floral Pixie, a lichen similar to another kind of Cladonia lichen called British Soldiers.

Next Hike.

The next hike will be on Saturday, 13th May.

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

Last week we drove a long way south past Bobs Lake and parked at Five-way Junction not far from Twin Peaks.  This was the first group hike along a long new trail that winds through the forest to the west of the junction.  It passes several small wetlands and lakes and the lunch stop is on the highest of the open bluffs that extend several kilometres up the mountain side above Cook Bay.  The view is of Lasqueti Island and the mountains of Vancouver Island in the far distance.  As we hiked through the forest we could hear the voices of the tree frogs at the ponds and lakes and they would always go silent when they felt we were getting too close to them. 

My photo is of one of the treefrogs in a dry area.  This species is also called "Chorus Frog" by some people.

JD.

Treefrogs tend to have a wide range of body colour variations. This one has quite distinctive black markings. 

The next hike.

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

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

Last week we had a rainy day for our hike and annual Raven Bay beach oyster roast and BBQ.  For the hike we started at the Legion parking in Van Anda as usual, but could not use the usual route through the two quarries as Imperial, the active one, was operating so too dangerous to walk through.  Instead we hiked the trails south of Van Anda and visited the wonderful section of old growth forest that straddles Van Anda Creek just a short distance downstream from the Priest Lake dam.  The food was all good and the conversation pleasant, but it was defintely a bit chilly so the warm fire was very welcome. 

My photo this time is of the waterfalls on Maple Bay Creek when we were on a hike back in February.  The frequent rains we have been having this year have maintained high water flows on all the islands creeks and have helped to produce more impressive falls and rapids than usual.  We had had a chance to see some of the sealions out on the islands that are also a part of the Woodwardia Conservation Lands and also visited Favada Point with it's interesting Prickly Pear Cactus clusters. 

JD. 

Waterfalls on Maple Bay Creek, February 2017.