Next hike from Van Anda

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

We meet at the Legion parking at 10:00am

Last week we decided to check out an old logging road up from the Davie Bay road almost as high as Thompson Road. I had seen it on Google Earth and it looked interesting because it ran between a series of rocky bluffs. It turned out that there were actually two old logging roads running parallel to each other, and one of them was hidden by alders on the images I had looked at. Naturally I lead everyone up the wrong one which ended near a tiny mossy clearing in the forest. So no views, but we did discover a couple of quite impressive sink holes where surface streams simply disappeared into large depressions in the ground.

JD.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 6th February.
We meet at Gillies Bay Ballpark at 10:00am

Last week we met in Gillies Bay in quite dense fog and decided to
head up to the high ground in search of some sunshine. With no snow
on even the highest parts of Texada we knew we would have no problem
going as high as we wanted so off we went. Up, up and up some more
and past the Reactor Station turnoff and it did seem to be a bit
brighter. but still no sunshine. We parked at the next road junction
after driving under the power lines and set off up towards Bob's
Lake. Even there it was still foggy so on up the Flicker Mountain
trail we headed, but to no avail. We ran out of time and of mountain
to climb and sat down to eat lunch on the damp rocky mountain top over
2,000ft above the sea as a light rain began. Good exercise though,
and with mild temperature and no wind not at all uncomfortable. Pity
we missed the view!

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 30th January.

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

Last week we hiked from near Second Lake up along the gas line right of way and then round past the Reactor Station on the road that runs down towards Thompson Road. Lunch proved to be quite an exciting time as a rather upset male grouse took exception to having so many uninvited guests on his personal property. He bravely tried hard to drive me away, no doubt realising that I was the leader of the group, and attacked anyone who tried to make friends with him. More than once he even flew up to bite the offered hand!

We all felt he was a very handsome bird when seen close up, and we all had a chance to get a good look at him as he maneuvered into a close enough position to launch a surprise attack. Only the males

have that jaunty bright orange eyebrow. The Blue Grouse is not a native of Texada

having been introduced to the island in the early forties since when it seems to have done well, without

becoming a problem for the environment.

I always think one of the nicest bird sounds one hears in the forest in

summer is the deep booming sound of the male grouse as they compete to

attract females to their territory.

JD.

The handsome male Blue Grouse that did it's best to disrupt our lunch break.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 23rd January.

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

Last week we hiked south along the Davie Bay road and down a short side road to the lovely picnic spot at the mouth of Stromberg Creek. On the way down the hill the sound of the creek could be heard as it roared down rapids and waterfalls, one about 30 feet high and quite spectacular, close by in the forest. Just before entering the sea the creek plunges down the last of many falls and passes under a sturdy but rustic footbridge. On the far side we sat on the beach logs and ate lunch. About a hundred years ago the Stromberg family of Van Anda had a summer cabin on the small patch of flat land just behind us and would spend time hiking and fishing and sometimes entertain visitors travelling by small boat up and down this quiet stretch of coastline. I know this because one of the two children, Edith Poock, told me of her pleasant memories of summers spent here.

JD.

Lunch on the beach at this most attractive spot at the mouth of Stromberg Creek.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 14th January.

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

Sometime last week a large number of sea lions began to gather around the rocks and small islands between Favada Point and Maple Bay on the north-west coast of Texada. For quite a few years now some sea lions have been quite frequent visitors to this area, but this time the numbers have far exceeded earlier totals. Last Saturday we had a wonderful chance to hike along the shoreline and through the forest on some new trails after spending a long time watching these quite amazing marine mammals.

My photo shows part of one group of sea lions resting on the smooth rocks of one of the islands. There are about 90 individuals in my photo while this particular group numbered more than 120 in total. Elsewhere there were smaller groups both in and out of the water, and several hundred all together. Tom has posted many great photos to his Picasa web site:—
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/texadatom/FavadaPoint#

Many thanks to James Mack for inviting us to visit, and to John and Susan who guided us along the new trails.

Sea lions on rocks near Favada Point. Both the smaller California and the much larger Steller's sea lion were present.

Mid-Week Hike

The mid-week hike will be on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. 
We will meet in Gillies Bay at the Ballpark @ 10:00 am.
The hike will be slow-paced.  Bring a lunch. 
We alternate the hike between Tuesdays and Wednesdays to allow more hikers to attend.

 

Next Hike from Van Anda.

The next hike will be from Van Anda on Saturday, 9th January.

We meet at the Legion parking at 10:00am.

Last week we hiked on a rainy and foggy Saturday from a point part way down the hill to Hydro East. We hiked down towards the sea for a while and then north along roads through recent clear cuts until we reached a small waterfall that is hard to see properly because of the trees and brush.

My photo this week is a change from the usual as this one shows not what we saw on the previous hike, but instead, what I hope we will see on the next one. On the west side of Texada just north of Favada Point a few sea lions have been hanging around for a few days and James has invited us to hike there and perhaps get a good view of the visitors out on the rocks. So the photo this time is of some of the California Sea Lions that were there this week.

California Sea Lions near Maple Bay. Photo by James Mack.