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.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 2nd January.

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

Last week it was foggy over the sea and most of the lower parts of Texada, so we set out to get above the dismal fog in Gillies Bay and up to the sunshine I felt sure we would find if we went high enough. It turned out to be only about 800 feet thick and when we drove onto Hydro East Road at Bell Farm we had perfect weather for hiking. This time we used the longer southern route to reach the forest trail up Black Mountain. I decided on this hike because I figured we would have little if any snow to contend with on the ground on the steep slope, and sure enough the trail was clear even though the old logging roads did have some snow and ice and were slippery in places.

It was cold and shaded at our usual lunch spot so we back-tracked the short distance to the small bluff with Manzanita bushes. This faces due south and was just a perfect spot to enjoy the view .

JD.

Boxing Day high above the fog on the top of Black Mountain. This view looks south to Mt. Grant and Mt. Davies.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Boxing Day, 26th December.
We meet at Gillies Bay Ballpark at 10:00.

Last week we hiked into Big Dragonfly Lake through a large area of recently logged and replanted forest. Around the lake the forest is still standing and we had just a small mossy bank to sit on at the water's edge. The trail to the far end of the lake still needs a little cleaning so that we can sit next time on the low bluff where the water is deep enough for swimming. That should make a nice destination for a warm summer day.

For my photo this week I picked an older one that really suits this holiday season — a view of Gillies Bay on a winters day when the snow was still fresh on the tree branches.



Looking down into Gillies Bay on a winter day in December, 2008.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
JD.