Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 1st December.

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

Last week we had a larger group of hikers than usual and set off towards the high ground hoping we might find a view somewhere as it seemed we had a pretty clear day.  However, when we reached our parking spot on the gas line to the south of the Vancouver Island Hydro lines we found there was still some fog around here and there.  At first it proved to be quite cold as we headed south along the right of way, but once in the forest and climbing we soon warmed up. After walking on a logging road for a while we got into the forest again on the southern trail to Davies and stopped for lunch on the small mossy bluff beside the secluded beaver pond.  We never did get to have a view that day, but everyone said they enjoyed the hike anyhow and it was so nice having a couple of kids along for a change. 

JD.

http://texadatrekkers.blogspot.com

Some Trekkers with two very young hikers and all having lunch beside a misty beaver pond near Mt. Davies

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday 24th November.

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

Last week we were again faced with a foggy situation although this time the fog was not as low down on the sea as it so often is.  Sometimes this means the fog is more like low cloud and might be covering the entire island perhaps even extending above our highest peaks.  Anyhow, it seemed worth heading for the high ground and we set off in search of the sunshine, driving south towards Bobs Lake.  We were in luck and soon found ourselves near Mt. Davies in bright sunshine and  soon parked at the Gentian Lake trailhead.  This day the target was Mt.Flicker and the route took us along roads, the gas-line the forest and eventually up the very steep trail to reach our lunch spot at the very top.  It was so warm in the sun no one was in any hurry to move on and I was happy to capture another view of our fall fog this time the top of one that was just so blindingly white and fluffy!

JD.  

The view from Flicker Mountain over the top of a thick blanket of marine fog towards the tops of the mountains of Vancouver Island. 

Next Hike

The next hike will be on 17th November.

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

Last week we headed off from the Ballpark on a dry but somewhat cloudy day on the long drive to Five-way Junction on the road to Anderson Bay.  Our plan was to repeat a hike we did with an extra large group of hiker in the summer on which we unfortunately got lost and missed having lunch on a small bluff with a great view.       This time we knew the flagging had been checked and we were able to enjoy having lunch on the viewpoint this time.  It's true the view would have been clearer in the summer, there was lots of rain cloud over the mountains on Vancouver Island and for a while the fog was very thick not far below where we were sitting.  It did clear for a few minutes and I think my photo did capture the way things can look on a mild foggy day in November.

JD.

    

Lasqueti Island could just be seen through the drifting November fog from a viewpoint high above Cook Bay.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we expected to have rain for our hike and decided to hike in the Shingle Beach area where know we can take shelter under one of the open sided structures that are used at the annual concerts. We were lucky to have a dry place for our lunch stop. On the way we turned off the main road for a short trip to view the water falls on Stromberg Creek.  We were rewarded with quite a spectacular display tumbling over the cliff and I decided to try for a shot of the falls from a slightly different angle.  There are just so many trees in the way a clear view seems impossible to get, but in my photo taken from a higher view point it's possible to see, if you look at the top left of the image, another waterfall feeding water into the main falls. I've not tried to reach this one in recent years, but there used to be a very narrow and dangerous ledge leading to the foot of these upper falls. 

After that we drove on towards the campground and parked at the spot that takes the hiker to the long new Colossus Trail.  This must be one of the finest forest trails on Texada as it winds through old growth forest with so many majestic firs and cedars.  One end is located on the edge of the highest part of the campground and the lower access is on the left of the Shingle Beach Road where it winds down the last hill before the campground.  There is no parking just there so park before or after the trail sign.

JD.

 

A view of one side of the Stromberg Falls. The other side is behind the branches on the right.

Next Hike

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

We meet at the Ball Park in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week we met as usual in Gillies Bay and had no fog around as far as we could see so decided to head for a high viewpoint hoping to be able to see some distant scenery.  We drove up Bell Road and parked near First Lake, but noticed as we started our hike that the nearest hilltop was shrouded in the mist.  However, hoping for the best we headed off into the forest and soon discovered that the forest floor had quite a lot more fungi than we had been seeing in the earlier part of the fall.  My photo this week is of a type of mushroom that belongs to a group that feature soft teeth on the underside of the cap instead of the much more common groups with either gills or a yellowish sponge.  The toothed mushrooms are sometimes called hedgehogs and the group includes some common species that are collected for eating.  The one in my photo has scales on top that look as if they had survived a fire, and the teeth are a bit larger than you might see on the more common hedgehogs. 

JD.

Hawk Wing or Scaly Hegehog, Sarcodon imbricatum, a toothed mushroom near Second Lake.jpg