Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 27th October.

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

Last week we drove part way up from Davie Bay Rd. towards Thompson Rd. and parked just past the old sandpit. From here the old logging roads take us quite steeply up through the forest onto Thompson Rd. where it runs quite level towards the south. At the next junction we turned south onto the road we had been driving on  before we parked, then right again onto the fairly new logging road that climbs very steeply to the top of Eagle Mountain.  We used the usual grassy bluff for lunch, but then later discovered that there was a much better viewpoint on a grassy bluff that we could reach by going through a narrow belt of trees to the north of where we had been sitting. 

My photo taken from that viewpoint is a long telephoto shot that really compresses the scene.  In the foreground is Gillies Bay with the Lafarge Quarry beyond it in the middle distance. The black pile on the beach below the quarry workings is coal awaiting shipment to the Far East. This is brought over from the coal mines on Vancouver Island on barges that are loaded in Campbell River. The peak on the right is Surprise Mountain and beyond it and just visible in the far distance is Comox Airport.

JD.

     

   

   The fine view from the new viewpoint on Eagle Mountain.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we were lucky we had no rain again while we were hiking, but there was thick fog on the higher ground and clouds everywhere.  We drove up into the fog on Bell Road then headed north and down to the White Pine test area where we parked just before the Russ Creek bridge.  The forest along the old logging roads is quite impressive in this area and there were hikers that recall that in recent years they have collected some fine mushrooms from the forest floor.  This year the long dry spell in the summer has meant that fungi of all kinds are almost nowhere to be seen, at least not yet, but the heavy rain this week may get things moving along underground and produce the above ground fruiting bodies we love to gather. Our lunch spot was on Taylor Bluff where we could just make out part of the mainland coast line where it was not covered in fog.

My photo this week is of another edible product of the forest on Texada, the berries of Evergreen Huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum.   This year they seem to be especially juicy and sweet and should be good to pick and eat for quite a few weeks.  I find it curious that not many birds eat these berries, but where the fruit is growing on branches close to the ground the racoons do consume quite a lot of them.  Grouse no doubt pick off ones growing low enough for them to reach, but deer seem to avoid them. 

JD.

A cluster of the fruit of the Evergreen Huckleberry, a tasty treat at this time of the year.

Next Hike

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

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

Last week we had a wonderful dry sunny day for the hike and chose to revist Mt. Grant knowing that the various viewpoints would offer clear views in all directions. This year we had so many rainy days in spring and well into summer that it seemed as if our regular dry warm days would never arrive. Eventually the normal summer weather did start, but much later than usual and then continued on and on right through September and into October. Finally, as I write this the weather has changed, the sun is behind a thick cloud cover and the forecast is for some rainy days soon. Dig out the rain gear and start dressing more warmly!  

JD.

At one of the viewpoints on the Mt. Grant Trail on a lovely dry sunny day early in October. 

Next hike

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

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

Last week we decided to do some exploring again and headed south up onto the high ground and all the way down the Cook Bay Road finally parking at the gated entrance to the large private property. Taking the road to the beach that starts at the gate we hiked downhill to a pont where we seemed to be close to the extensive area of open bluffs I knew extended between the road and the coastline to the south west.  At first we were following winding deer trails through open forest that eventually opened out onto grassy areas and we found if easy to climb to a high spot we could see on the GPS.  None of us had been into this area ever before and it was very pleasant to sit in the sun to eating lunch and looking down on Lasqueti Island from a different viewpoint. 

 

Instead of returning by the same route we used to reach the high point we decided to return to the road a different way and found we had problems with steep cliffs and patches of dense vegetation.  My photo shows just how hard it can be to make a new trail through dense evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum.  This is not to be confused with the related red huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium, which is a smaller deciduous shrub not nearly as common on Texada as the evergreen species. Both have edible berries and both are tasty, but the black ones are less tart than the red.

JD.  

Cutting a new trail though a particularly tall patch of Evergreen Huckleberry. 

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 29th September.

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

Last week we had a dull cloudy day for the hike and decided to check out an old logging road near Hydro East.  As we approached the highest point on the Hydro East road we found ourselves driving through dense fog with no view of the coastal mountains at all.  We only came out of the fog as we reached our parking place at the roadside gravel pits.  Hiking on the side road that leads up to the Vancouver Island Hydro line we eventually came to the start of the old logging road that shows on the map as climbing steadily higher until it joins the Anderson Bay Road at Bobs Lake.  It proved to be fairly slow going as there are branches and trees blocking progress that need to be cut or avoided.  The road bed is in good shape and maybe one day we will spend some more time clearing the way so we can reach the nice viewpoint that we visit sometimes by hiking down from Bobs Lake. 

My photo this week is of a curious caterpillar I photographed a few days ago in my garden.  I'm still working on the identification, but I believe it's a moth called White-blotched Heterocampa, Heterocampa umbrata.  Getting it right is difficult because these caterpillars can change their colour patterns as they grow and the variety of patterns and colours within each species is very great.  Whatever it proves to be it's certainly a curious creature.

JD.

       

    A moth caterpillar, perhaps the White-blotched Heterocampa. [Heterocampa umbrata] 

Next Hike.

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

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

Last week we hiked to the top of Mt. Davies in unusually warm sunny weather for mid September.  My photo this week is one I took earlier in the month when we hiked along Thompson Road and up to a small shallow lake not far north-east of Thompson Bluffs.  In my experience this fairly level stretch of Thompson Road in this area has just the right conditions in the warmer months to see and photograph butterflies.  Sure enough, although it's getting late to be seeing many of these lovely but quite fragile insects, I did get a few shots of a fresh looking Pine White.  This species is locally common on Texada and most often seen at higher elevations.  The eggs are usually laid on the needles on the top branches of pine trees and the adults are mainly seen in mid to late summer.  Males and females have different wing markings with the males having white wings with sharply contrasting black blotches and veins.  The fresh looking male specimen in my photo is missing part of one wing which may have been grabbed by a bird hoping for a tasty treat.  

JD.

 Male Pine White feeding on a flower on the side of Thompson Road.        

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 15th September.

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

Last week we drove up to Thompson Road and hiked south turning off on the side road that leads to Mystery Lake.  Before reaching the lake there is a fork in the road where we often strike off onto a narrow winding trail that climbs to the viewpoint on Thompson Bluffs.  This time, and to make a change we took the right fork which climbs steeply for a short distance and then ends in the forest.  Quite a few years ago we had visited a small lake in this area, but reached it from the south side by a different route than we were on this day.  From the road end we bush-wacked east and eventually reached a narrow bluff on the north side of the lake which made a pleasant spot for the lunch break.  On the earlier visit some of the hikers tried sitting on apparently solid logs for lunch, only to have them crack more than once. It seems  appropriate to name the tranquil spot Broken Logs Lake.

My photo was taken from the lunch spot and shows how shallow it is as water lily leaves dot almost the entire surface, and this common aquatic plant is restricted to quite shallow water. 

JD.

The shallow Broken Logs Lake a short distance east of Thompson Bluffs. The leaves dotting the surface are water lilies.