Glacier PROBUS Club in the Comox Valley - ACTIVITY GROUP NEWS:

Snowshoeing Group - December 1

12/2/2022

This gathering of snow fans was billed as a chance to get out on the snow close to home, and for some to try out new equipment such as snowshoes, gaiters and hips. We wandered around the fields at the Exhibition Grounds for about an hour. The snow wasn't deep but a crust on top made the effort similar to a lightly packed trail in deeper snow. Some found deficiencies with their equipment. Better in the city close to their cars than in the back country. I believe that new body parts worked fine.
Photos by Bill Jorgensen. Bill's Portfolio

Hiking Group - November 28

11/29/2022

Our hike around Morte Lake started with some unexpected good luck. We arrived at the ferry terminal in Campbell River at about 9:00 AM to catch the 9:30 ferry. We were immediately directed aboard the brand new Island K'ulut'a ferry. K'ulut'a means porpoise in the Kwakwala and Likwala dialects. We were the first paying customers to be carried on this ferry.
Once at the trailhead we followed our usual Morte Lake route around the north side of the lake, stopping at a sunny beach for lunch. At the south-east end of the lake we tried the Nirvana, Seven Sins and Dead Fish mountain bike trails that were all new to us. This added a modest climb to a rocky hill top with glimpses of Discovery Passage, Morte Lake, Mount Menzies and Campbell River Lookout.
We finished with some good luck too. A trail crew had just cleared some fallen trees and built a new bench earlier in the day along the last part of our route.
Photos by Stan, Lori, Bill B and the Nicholsons.

Regular Walking: Tuesday Nov. 29/22

11/29/2022

We went from the Millard Lookout to the Ridge and back. We are a hardy bunch bundling up for this snowy walk. Only light snow and not much of a breeze this morning. So, we were not chilled. Debrief was around the firepit with tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Near the end of the get together, the wind picked up and so did the snow. Luckily, that was not during the walk.

Hiking Group - November 25

11/26/2022

Our hike in the Beaver Lodge Forest Lands in Campbell River was a popular choice once again. The mix of creeks, ponds and old and young forests provided a nice variety of scenery on this sunny day.
Photos by Lori and Bill B.

Intermediate Walking: Nov. 21/22

11/21/2022

Great walk today starting from Piercy Road! We walked city streets, the Rotary Greenway from Bill Moore Park to the connector and beyond, Tater Place which leads to another greenway, Arden Road, Capes Park and finally back to Deb's. Great debrief outside on the deck with a warming fire. Thanks to Deb for hosting a post-walk get together. Photo credit: Karen and Lorne

Hiking Group - November 20

11/20/2022

Using a route first led by Dawn and Gil, we started at the Coal Creek Historic Park in Cumberland and headed for Comox Lake. To get to the lake we had to cross Perseverance Creek. We were hoping that the water level would be low enough to cross without getting wet feet. To our surprise the creek bed was bone dry, and it looked like a very low tide at the lake. We completed our hike heading toward Cumberland on the Orchard Trail, then back on Mama Bear and Swamp trails. All in all, a very pleasant hike with a variety of terrain and scenery.
Photos by Patti and Bill.

Hiking Group - November 18

11/20/2022

A new twist on two popular routes. This time we combined the best of the East Puntledge hike with all of the Comox Bluffs to make a very scenic 14 kilometer hike.
Photos by Lori, Lindsay, Cathy, Ian and Bill J. Bill Jorgensen's Portfolio.

Birding Group. November 19th

11/20/2022

For their latest outing, Birding Group members headed to Royston to check out the seashore from the Trent River Estuary to the boat hulks off Hilton Road. The tide was down a fair bit, so boots were welcome for walking down the intertidal area for a closer look at distant birds. It was a crisp sunny day so, all in all, a pleasant morning was spent counting up the species sighted. Twenty-four was our total: Dark-eyed Juncos, Golden-crowned Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers, gulls, Mallards, American Wigeons, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoters, Surf Scoters, Common Goldeneyes, Northern Pintails, Common Loon and American Crows.

Wine and Appies - November 18, 2022

11/19/2022

Our Wine and Appies group enjoyed a delicious selection of Mexican appies at the home of Jennifer and Robin Harrison. Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful "taste of Mexico" , Jennifer and Robin!

Regular Walking: Tuesday Nov. 15/22

11/16/2022

Brrr! Quite the foggy morning at the Airpark. We walked the loop and then through the forest and the extension parallel to the beach. Good company and debrief at Bean Around the World. Thanks to Patti for photos.

Hiking Group - November 14

11/15/2022

Starting from Parksville we hiked up the Englishman River to a small fish hatchery. Scenery all along the route had us stopping regularly to take pictures and take in the views.
Photos by Stan, Ian, Steve and Bill.

Hiking Group - November 12th

11/13/2022

Let's climb Mount Benson, they said. The snow will be well packed down, they said. Don't worry about the ice, they said, it will be fun. Well they were right! Thank you Cathy and David for introducing us to micro-spikes. They turned us into confident climbing machines.
Photos by Cathy, Lori and Bill.

Hiking Group - November 9th

11/10/2022

The Group's South of the Nile route was the setting for our hike today and all appreciated the time spent under cloudless skies, despite the resulting chilly temperatures (next time we will all don warmer gloves!). The trail led through a picturesque forest which was mainly on the level, so we just relaxed and enjoyed the exercise.
Photos by Dawn.

Snowshoeing Group - November 9th

11/9/2022

Our first time on snow this winter was more of a workout than we usually do for a first of the season trip. We followed the hiking trail across Paradise Meadows to the Lake Approach cross country ski trail route. We did the Lake Approach loop, bushwhacked through the Old Cabin snowshoe route then followed the Meadows boardwalks to our lunch stop at the Paradise Creek bridge. Our return was along the Crooked Creek boardwalk route. We covered about 4.5 kilometers, more than half of which involved breaking trail or bushwhacking. In the sun it felt warmer on the mountain than on our sea level hikes of the previous two days.
Photos by Lindsay, Cathy, Ian, Patti and Bill.

Bird Group - November 8

11/9/2022

A select few birders braved cold temperatures to check out the bird life at the Courtenay Airpark yesterday. Fingers quickly cooled as they manipulated camera settings, but it was worth it to be out under lovely cloudless skies amidst sounds and scenes of nature. At first we were only sighting a lot of a few species (out to feast on the decaying fish), but as we went on, the number of species noted continued to increase until we tallied up at 20: Golden-crowned Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhees, Brewer's Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, American Crows, Bald Eagles, Mallards, American Wigeons, Trumpeter Swans, Dunlins, Green-winged Teals, Common Mergansers, Scaups, Buffleheads, gulls, Killdeer and Canada Geese. Another enjoyable outing.
Photos below by Ian and Dawn.

Regular Walking: Tuesday Nov. 8/22

11/9/2022

Cold and crisp weather but dressed for it! Walk was from Lazo Marsh to Curtis Beach via the forest trails. Tide was low enough to walk on packed beach sand. We paused at Curtis Corner to admire the additions of driftwood and shell art. Of course, there was the short walk to the marsh to view the birds. Debrief was at Beninos. Photo credit: Patti and Karen

Hiking Group - November 7

11/9/2022

Our hike in Boyle Point Provincial Park on Denman Island is a favorite with our group any time of the year. This time a chilly damp breeze inspired a brisk pace through the first half of the route. Views of Baynes Sound and the Strait of Georgia were beautiful as always.
Photos by the Bills. Click here to see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike.

Live Music Appreciation - November 3rd

11/6/2022

Indigo Jazz attracted the largest turnout of our group for an indoor concert since the onset of the pandemic. This was one of the weekly jazz concerts presented by the Georgia Straight Jazz Society at the Flying Canoe Pub.
Photos by Wink Richardson and Bruce Johnstone. To see all of Wink's pictures from this event click here.

Regular Walking: Tuesday Nov. 1/22

11/2/2022

Seal Bay park from Bates Road was our walk. Late Autumn weather is here with a chilly morning but the sun was shining. Lots of washed up seaweed on the beach but no one slipped. Lots of bird life near the beach which is a pleasure to see. Great debrief and outside at Milanos by The Cubes! Thanks to Dawn and Patti for photos.

Hiking Group - October 29

10/30/2022

With all forecasts predicting rain at some point in our hike we headed out on the Williams Beach trails. Not only did we not get rained on, but the sun came out for a while. It was great to have a perfect fall day between atmospheric rivers.
Photos by Lindsay, Cathy and Bill.

Regular Walking: Tuesday Oct. 25/22

10/26/2022

Nymph Fall is always an enjoyable walk. Usually at this time of year, salmon are jumping, Not this year! A light rain was at the end of our 8 k excursion. Thanks to Patti for photos.

Golfing Group October 14th

10/23/2022

The Golf Group had a terrific summer at Mulligan's.
Our last golf day was a “three club” afternoon and we all had fun after at happy hour. Nancy Brown Watkins and Barbara Sabey
posted by Ian Thompson, Club Communications

Hiking Group - October 20th

10/23/2022

Following a suggestion by Bill Jorgensen we hiked from Piercy Road to the Browns River close to it's confluence with the Puntledge River. From there we walked up the Browns River channel to the falls. There was more water in the channel than expected so our progress was slow and careful. The rock formations in the river channel and at the falls were spectacular. To cover enough distance to call it a hike, most of us finished our outing on the Wildwood Forest trails.
Photos by Patti, Steve Hill and the Bills. Click here to see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike.

Birding Group - October 22

10/22/2022

Some Birding Group members headed to the Little River Nature Sanctuary this morning for a loop walk which included ponds, a subdivision, the seashore, a river mouth, riverside and woodsy areas - lots of potential for good bird variety on this outing! Sadly, the bird presence was rather sparce, but we still managed to sight eighteen species: Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, Bald Eagle, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwings, American Crows, Common Ravens, Great Blue Heron, Horned Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Greater Scaup, Common Loon, Belted Kingfisher, American Wigeons, Mallards, Green-winged Teals and a variety of gulls. All enjoyed being out in the crisp sunshine, in anticipation of rainy days ahead.

Regular Walking: Tuesday Oct. 18/22

10/19/2022

Another great Autumn walk at One Spot from Burns Road! Cheryl was a big kid on the mini-bike. Did you know that there is a scarecrow and zombie warning on this route? Great debrief at Bigfoot Donuts. Photo credit: Karen, Cheryl.

Comox Valley, Club, Social, Activity Group, Probus, Glacier Club