Mid-Week Hike Update

Hello! Everyone,
John is unavailable to guide the mid-week hike this Tuesday, March 23^rd. 
Mark your calendars.  John will be away on Wednesday, March 31^st and Tuesday, April 6^th counting the Brant Geese on Vancouver Island. 

The mid-week hikes will be cancelled.

Pam

Next Hike

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

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

Last week my plan for the hike started out as a drive part way down the hill to Cook Bay and then a walk on a spur road to a nice lunch spot beside a small creek. That did not happen as we ran into a layer of snow on the road not far past the Vancouver Island Hydro line. So turning back we drove a short way back down the hill and parked near the side road that goes to the Hydro reactor station. There was just a small patch of snow in a couple of places as we hiked west under the wires and then north along Thompson Road stopping for lunch at a spot with a view towards Vancouver Island. The return to the starting point was along winding logging roads and then up the gasline road, all with no sign of snow anywhere.

My photo of the week is one I took earlier in the month just as the morning mist was rising above the trees around Gillies Bay. Sometimes a rare combination of conditions can make a very ordinary scene transform into one with unusually attractive features and in this shot the sun highlights the houses and logs while the mist lays a veil over the tree tops and the forest beyond the shoreline.

JD.

Gillies Bay on a misty winter morning.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 13th March
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week we hiked on a lovely mild sunny day from the start of Hydro East Road north along the back road to Pocahontas Bay, turning off into the recent forest cutblocks that overlook Malaspina Strait.
Earlier in the week a small group of mid-week hikers parked on Bell Road not far from the end of the black top and set off south through the alder woods which were filled with the sounds of birds singing.
It was dry and sunny and not too cool although a very strong wind was roaring through the treetops. The spindly alders were certainly swaying in the wind, but we decided the chances of being hit by one falling were still pretty remote. The trail follows very old logging roads and eventually reaches the top of the steep sided valley of Mouat Creek. We carefully headed down the steep trail through masses of tender young nettles and near the bottom and not much above the roaring water took a more level flagged trail on a wide bench between the creek bank and the foot of the steep valley side. For lunch we picked a bright spot not far past a section of creek that forms a water slide over smooth shale bedrock. The photo illustrates just how beautiful this creek valley is in winter with moss covered rocks and a multitude of tiny falls and rapids and here and there stretches of smooth water where pools remain and fish survive the dry summer months.

Thanks for the photo Leona.
JD.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we had an unpleasant mix of fog and rain for our hike which started from the Pocahontas Bay junction on the High Road. The lunch stop was on the east side of the mountain just below the top of the fire lookout peak. The view varied as the fog thinned and thickened, but never let us see more than a few of the trees and some small grassy bluffs.

With nothing of interest to photograph last Saturday I instead decided to share with you another of the many photos taken of the sea lions near Favada Point back in January. This one is of a group of male California Sea Lions with their oddly bulbous heads doing what sea lions seem to spend a lot of time doing, just sleeping. Thanks James!

JD.

Sleeping beauties. [James Mack photo]

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 27th February.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we hiked up the steep way to the top of Mt. Pocahontas. It was sunny and mild, but for most of the day Gillies Bay remained in the marine fog which extended across to Vancouver Island, and both north and south as far as we could see.

My photo this week is a follow up on the the hike we did on the 6th of February. This was the time we hiked up towards Eagle Mountain and Thompson Road and came upon a couple of sink holes close to the old logging road we were following. In both cases there were small creeks flowing down into them and soaking into the ground and I explained that this happens to be a curious feature of areas of limestone outcrops. Since then I have been back to the sink holes with a couple of cavers and at one of them we discovered a small cave. My photo shows a caver from Hornby Island emerging from this cave which seems to be quite a small one.

Next Hike

The next hike is on Saturday, 20th February.

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

Last week we wandered around in the forest at Blubber Bay, not entirely sure where we were going to end up, and cut the hike short to have plenty of time to visit the museum there and in Van Anda, both open specially to mark Heritage Day As we were close by we decided to have lunch in the warmth and comfort of the ferry waiting room. To offer a suitable contribution to celebrate Heritage Day, better late than never, I thought for my photo this week I should use an old photo I took back in 1969. I must have stood not very far from where the waiting room stands now facing across the bay to the company houses of BC Cement. All that is left of that row of very smart buildings are the concrete foundations partially covered by bushes and trees. That year the old government dock was being replaced as the ferry berth by a new one that could handle the brand new "Texada Queen". You can find a good photo and a full history of this 30 car ferry, which has sailed under the new name "Tachek" since 1980, at this web site:—

http://westcoastferries.ca/ferries/bcferries/tachek.html

JD.

Blubber Bay in 1969 with the ferry dock under construction. The old ferry "Atrevida" on the old government float at the left.

Hike Notice extra - after hike event.

The hikers on Saturday will meet in Van Anda.  This is the event:— 

The Texada Heritage Society invites the Texada Trekkers to an Open House:

 

Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010

 

New Exhibit of clothes and uniforms at Blubber Bay Museum ONLY

 

Tea & Sweets at Van Anda Museum ONLY (No admission, by donation)

JD.