The Next Hike

Check here every week for details on the next Trekker hike!

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Security Alert. Your account was compromissed. Password must be changed.

Hello!

As you may have noticed, I sent you an email from your account.
This means that I have full access to your device.

I've been watching you for a few months now.
The fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited.

If you are not familiar with this, I will explain.
Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device.
This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it.

I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence.

Why your antivirus did not detect malware?
Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent.

I made a video showing how you satisfy yourself in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched.
With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks.
I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use.

If you want to prevent this,
transfer the amount of $738 to my bitcoin address (if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: "Buy Bitcoin").

My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 1N6dubqFmnyQ2qDWvi32ppVbc3kKMTYcGW

After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again.
I give you 50 hours (more than 2 days) to pay.
I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter.

Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address.
I do not make any mistakes.

If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed.

Best regards!

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 21st September.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we were expecting to have quite a wet day for our hike and were quite surprised when it turned out to be just a dull day with very low clouds even below the treetops in places and hardly any rain at all during the hike. With no point at all of hiking to a viewpoint we headed instead to Dragonfly Lake not far to the north of Black Mountain. Walking on the way to the lake we passed a cut tree trunk that the loggers had left behind when the area was clearcut.  The cut end lying at the edge of the road had been weathered over the years in a curious pattern of contorted ridges and hollows and it seemed so unusual it warranted a photo. The lake has an open bluff at the north end that makes for a very pleasant lunch spot that might even be suitable for a swim in summer as the water seems quite deep at that end.

Judging by the latest weather forecast we may be less lucky this weekend!
JD. 

The intricate patterns created by weathering on one end of a cut tree trunk.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 14th September.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week the weather was still quite warm and humid when we drove south to the Cook Bay gate parking spot.  The bluffs to the west of Cook Bay cover an extensive area and in recent years we have explored and flagged several long trails over the bluffs and we followed a couple of them stopping for lunch on a medium elevation viewpoint for lunch and then climbed steadily to the highest viewpoint in the area. To finish up without back-tracking we headed steeply down until reaching the main old logging road coming up from the cabin at the beach at the south end of very long Shingle Beach, and used that to return to the vehicles.

Earlier in the summer the Trekkers were exploring and trail building in the area to the west of Angel Lake and visited for the first time three small lakes one of which had some unusual plants in a few places close to the water's edge. None had any flowers, but they did look as if they might produce flowers towards the end of summer.  Curiosity led me to return to the lake a few days ago and it was a very pleasant surprise to find many more plants around the shoreline, in fact dozens of them, with spikes of large blue flowers.  It's a native blue gentian that's only found in a few places along the coast as far north as Prince Rupert and I had seen just a few plants in the old meadows at the Bell Farm a few years ago.
JD.
    
A King Gentian, Gentiana sceptrum, at recently discovered Other Lake.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 7th September.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week we had a smaller group of hikers than usual and were able to car-pool in a single vehicle for a change. The plan was to do some exploration with the hope we might be able to reduce the length of a hiking trail near Masyk Farm and also to check the condition of an old logging road that runs quite steeply down the east side of the island.  The shortcut trail through some mature open forest took longer than anticipated and was flagged, but will need some cleaning before being comfortable for walkers.  We did find a high point near the old logging road, but the hoped for view towards the mainland just does not exist there. We hope to try again another day.
My photo this week is one taken a few weeks ago when we hiked part way down the south side of Mt. Davies to a new lunch spot at the top of a very steep cliff overlooking Shingle Beach. In the bottom right corner of the picture you can just see the very new and useful logging road that extends south from the Shingle Beach road towards Cook Bay.
JD. 

The view of Lasqueti Island from a very high bluff above Shingle Beach.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 31st August.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we drove south along Bell Road and turned off onto the Masyk Farm Road driving north to the usual parking spot at the gravel pit. It's not a long hike from there to the top of Black Mountain, but the climb up through the forest after we leave the old logging roads is really quite steep in places.  Not far below the high point on the hike there are gaps in the forest that allow for views south towards Twin Peaks and I was a bit surprised to have nothing visible except a grey fog of low cloud and figured we would not have our usual fantastic view at the lunch spot.  Pure luck really, but as we stepped out of the forest the fog started to break up and very quickly the panoramic view of Malaspina Strait below and Nelson Island and the Coast Mountains in the distance was there again.
Thanks Mich for the excellent time delay group photo. I was quite worried for a minute or two that your unattended camera might roll down the cliff next to the lunch spot!
JD.

A group photo of the trekkers last week at the viewpoint near the summit of Black Mountain.  


Thursday, August 22, 2019

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 24th August.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week drove up to the high ground and parked at the road junction at the bottom of Mt. Davies.  The route of the hike started on the old loop trail that passes near Bloody Mountain and the large beaver pond where we sometimes stop for lunch. From there we had a brand new trail recently cut and flagged by some of the trekkers that took us down the south slope of the mountain through open forest until we reached a row of three small bluffs that each offer spectacular views to the west over Lasqueti and with Vancouver Island in the far distance.  
My photo from the hike is of a very colourful fungus with several common names including strawberries and cream.  It's not toxic but it has a very bitter taste which does not seem to have prevented some animal from trying to eat this small one!  
JD.
Hydnellum peckii, the strawberries and cream fungus that is not poisonous, but very bitter.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Next Hike - extra notice.

 [ sent Friday afternoon at 4:00pm ]

Some people did not receive my earlier email notice of the Saturday hike so this is a repeat email to everyone on my list.

The next hike will be on Saturday, 17th August.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

JD.