Activity Group News Posts are like blog or FaceBook posts and cover the last two years of the Glacier Probus Club, you can scroll down and back to January 2018.
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A group of birders lucked in on a good day for an outing last Thursday - cloudy (not so much reflection on the seabirds) and cool with no more than a light breeze to chop up the waters. We headed to the Little River Ferry Terminal area, parking at the Nature Sanctuary. In the ponds here, we were treated to the sighting of Ring-necked Ducks, a male Hooded Merganser, Mallards, a far-off Great Blue Heron and juvenile Bald Eagle. Making our way through a subdivision (Dark-eyed Juncos and Pine Siskins), we found ourselves on the beach on the south side of the ferry terminal. Buffleheads, loons, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Red-necked Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Mergansers, a Pelagic Cormorant, Scaups and Gulls were all in the distance, most only distinguishable by binoculars or camera. On the north side of the terminal, off the Little River mouth, we were able to add Trumpeter Swan (the one who remained in that area over the summer), Dunlins, Belted Kingfisher and Black-bellied Plovers to our list of birds sighted. And then, on our return to the Nature Sanctuary though bushes and grasses, we also caught sight of Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, House Finches and a Stellar Jay. Another good day of birding! Most photos below are on the fuzzy size due to the extreme distance involved between camera and bird, but can be used for identification purposes... Photos were contributed by Dawn Moore and Robin Harrison We did it again! Tuesday was blustery so the walk was changed to Thursday morning. It was a lovely calm morning from the Goose Spit. Up Hawkins Drive to Yates where we climbed the Nob Hill steps. Another short path and on a few streets before the Summer Greenway led us back and towards the alpaca farm. We only went down to the boardwalk but not on the beach. High tide waters went up to and even under the boardwalk. MacDonald woods was next before heading back. Thanks to Deb, Patti, James and Lorne for photos. See you in December! Walks cancelled until the Covid shutdown is over. For our first group snowshoe of the season we opted for the fairly flat Paradise Meadows Loop Trail plus a short bonus trek beyond the bridge. Lots of open and running water provided scenery not usually seen while snowshoeing and kept us on the trail and boardwalks most of the time. The trail was not yet set and had been walked on by people without snowshoes, which left it very rough and uneven. Fortunately our two groups had gone in opposite directions which allowed us to enjoy a much more smooth trail for the second half of the outing. Our 4 kilometer loop was enough to wake up muscles that seem to work harder with snowshoeing than other activities. Great day for our first snowshoe trip of the season. Bring on the snow! On the mountain that is. Photos by Roger Vermeulen, Bill Jorgensen and Bill Boham. To see all of Bill J's pictures from the day click here. A little rain did not stop the intrepid Intermediate Walkers who enjoyed a fine walk through Brooklyn Creek trails. And I guess we need some rain, the fish sure appreciate it.  Taking advantage of a window between storms, three groups of hikers proceeded on an afternoon outing which took in a mix of rural subdivisions and wooded areas. We call this our Raven Woods hike, as it included the wooded area edging the Veterans Memorial Parkway. Bill J. reports: The weather cooperated and we had a most pleasant hike going from Costco to Raven Woods and beyond. The trails were in very good condition for this time of year. The highlight of the trip was when Bob Hall showed us a magnificent shortcut from Willis Way back to Raven Woods. I can see this route being really valuable on future hikes in the area. Patti S., from Bill B.'s group reported an interesting encounter: We had a great hike today. One of the highlights on our return walk was meeting a fellow taking his ducks for their daily walk. They were very well behaved as he very nicely guided them out of the water in the ditch so we could see them. The ducks are the neighbourhood organic "cleanup committee" eliminating such unwanted pests such as bugs and slugs. Dawn and Gil's group had an uneventful hike, enjoyed by all. Photos below were submitted by Patti Spearman, Barbara Robson, Katie Hubberstey, Dawn Moore and Bill Jorgensen. do click on photo link to enjoy more of Bill's photos. Bill Boham has provided a link to the plotaroute for his group. Thanks everyone. On a blustery Thursday, our weekly walk took a few hearty Strollers on a circular trip through Mack Laing Park, along the foreshore and back. It was just as good as a trip to Scotland. Cell phone photos by Ian ThompsonAs soon as the announcement of this hike along the Trent River and Bloedel Creek went out folks started signing up. The emails continued to come in all day and the next morning... 23 in all. Five leaders put their heads together and decided that everyone would be included. We plotted a second route starting from a different trailhead and we staggered departures over more than an hour. Some groups passed once on the trail going in opposite directions. Otherwise our small groups had the trails to ourselves. Bill Jorgensen noted "Fun group, excellent weather, interesting trail, great photo ops. What a wonderful way to enjoy a fall sunny day." Photos by Patti Spearman, Dawn Moore, Bill Boham and Bill Jorgensen. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike click here. With rainy, windy weather Tuesday morning, the walk was cancelled. For the first time ever, the walk was changed to Friday with its promise of blue skies and sun. This was a new location from the Tsolum Spirit Park. Here the One Spot trail is accessed from the other side of the river. The walk took us in the sunshine and the forest with stops at the old Headquarters townsite and the abandoned timber mill. Thanks to Pat for the photo!
The hiking group continues to revel in weather that just begs for ascents into our neighbouring hills/mountains. Yesterday, the route chosen involved an ascent of Nikkei Mt and a visit to Allen Lake (via Cumberland mountain-biking trails) and the sunshine and crisp-to-warm temperatures meant enjoyment for all. Once again, the hike proved to be popular, necessitating three groups to accommodate all signees. Leaders were Bill Boham, Bill Jorgensen/Katie Hubberstey and Gil Moore/Lindsay Sparkes, who took their teams over different routes or in opposite directions. Photos below were provided by Steve Hill, Michele Hind, Bill Boham, Dawn Moore and Bill Jorgensen. More of Bill's great photos can be viewed by clicking on Bill J. photos. Thanks everyone, for your contributions. This was just the second time we have hiked to the top of the cliffs above the Ramparts Chain Up Area on the Mt Washington Road. Our 3 groups led by Dawn and a couple of Bills appreciated the cool temperatures and clear skies. Bill Jorgensen wrote "Big hike, Huge elevation gain, Awesome view. Hardy, determined, strong of heart, and cheerfully joking, our little group conquered the Ramparts challenge with the smile of success." Photos by Lindsay Sparkes, Katie Hubberstey, Bill Jorgensen, Patti Spearman, Dawn Moore and Bill Boham. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's picture from this hike click here. Another enjoyable Autumn walk through the Wildwood forest for us! It is mostly flat with one short cardiac climb. Love the yellow colour from the Big leaf maples! We walked about 8 k. Thanks to Patti for photos!  Monday Walkers had a a lovely walk along the Colliery Trail from Coal Creek Historic Park, Cumberland. 12 of us explored the old China Town, the old Japan Town, the Memorial Cherry Orchard, followed the Colliery Trail, enjoyed seeing the marsh, Perseverance Creek, climbed the slag heaps, and finally enjoyed our coffee debrief time at the very nice picnic pavilion in the Park. AND - we shared spoooky Hallowe'en stories!
Well, maybe not too spooky But very fun. I know you would love to hear some Hallowe'en Jokes! We all know that Albert Einstein was a genius but did you know he had a brother? His name is Frank and he is a monster! Why can’t Frankenstein fly? He always sets off the metal detector. How does Frankenstein travel instead? In a monster truck of course! Happy Halloween! BWAHAHAHA The Birding Group held its second outing of the season this past Sunday, in the Ship's Point area. First stop: the end of Tozer Rd, with its outlook over the Fanny Bay area. We hit a hive of activity in the trees and bushes in the area, noting: Anna's Hummingbird, American Robins, Spotted Towhees, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwing, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Flicker, Bald Eagles, Common Raven, European Starlings. American Wigeons predominated in the Bay, though we also saw Gulls, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Buffleheads and a Belted Kingfisher. Moving on to Ship's Point Park, we were rather disappointed to find the tide was very high, meaning the shorebirds we had hoped to see had gone elsewhere. Still, in the distance, we saw Canada Geese, Gulls, Scaups, Surf and White-winged Scoters, Horned Grebes, , Cormorants, Buffleheads, and a Common Loon. Photos were provided by Ian Thompson and Dawn Moore. Determined to take advantage of good weather when it falls, the Hiking Group added an extra hike to the week...and it proved popular, with 16 participants split between 3 groups. Bill Jorgensen led Group 3, which was mainly composed of photographers. Bill reports: It was a wonderful sunny day for a fun hiking group on the South of Nile Creek Trails. The track was in excellent shape and the forest was a most pleasant mix of various kinds of fall foliage. The photographic highlight of the outing was the wide variety of magnificent mushrooms. We all had a great time. The other two groups endorse this sentiment, having thoroughly enjoyed a day outdoors in the sunshine. Photos below were contributed by Cindy Budd, Dawn Moore, Bill Jorgensen and Katie Hubberstey For more photos, many of which are of interesting mushrooms/fungi, it is well worth clicking on Bill J. and on Katie H. Thanks everyone for your contributions. This hike was our second excursion into Wolf Lake this month, to give some of those who missed our earlier visit another chance. There was some traffic on the road by the lake including a friendly logging truck driver who stopped to chat. Otherwise like the last time we saw nobody else along the route. Photos by Steve Hill and Bill Boham Wednesday's hike to Mt Washington's Croteau Lake was our "Swan Song" to higher elevations before the snows set in. As it was, icy conditions along the trail system meant that the route needed to be negotiated quite carefully. Two groups headed out in opposite directions in order to keep separate, which worked quite well. Bill, Group 1's leader reports: While we have been fortunate to enjoy many pleasant hikes without incident, our group's trip to Croteau Lake this time reminded us that things can change for the worse very quickly. While taking pictures from the bridge over the stream flowing out of Lady Lake a pole was dropped into the torrent below. Attempts from the bridge to retrieve the victim caused it to be carried further downstream. On his first hike with our group, Glen sprang into action and performed a daring rescue as the rest of us watched nervously then broke into loud applause as the cold wet pole was brought to shore. Group 2 reported one fall that was thankfully injury-free. We all thoroughly enjoyed the beautifully sunny (cold) day on the hills and look forward to a time when we can explore the mountain once more. Of course, a number of us belong to the snowshoeing group...! Photos of the day were supplied by Cindy, Steve, Bill, Katie and Dawn. Thank you. And, do check out the rest of Katie's photos...she does lovely work! It was a lovely crisp morning at Nymph Falls. The plan was to walk to the rocks by the falls to view leaping salmon. There may be no picture evidence but we saw plenty of salmon. They are quick and hard to photograph! All of us loved the Autumn foliage and the mushrooms and fungi seen. Thanks to Deb, Patti and Lorne for pictures. On a pleasant morning, we Strollers ambled down and back along the roadway for a distance of almost three kilometres ~ generally agreed a likely record. We got squawked at by an eagle in a tree, probably for making too much noise. Most Strollers then stayed for coffee and gossip. Report and photos by Ian Thompson   On a pleasant morning, we Strollers ambled down and back along the roadway for a distance of almost three kilometres ~ generally agreed a likely record. We got squawked at by an eagle in a tree, probably for making too much noise. Most Strollers then stayed for coffee and gossip. Report and photos by Ian Thompson We had a lovely walk today on the Royston to Cumberland Rail Trail - beautiful colours, good conversation, good weather - and the sun even came out! And we saw some Witches Butter. And the cutest painted rock ever. Our debrief was at the picnic area on Marine Drive in Royston by the Royston Seaside Trail, fun treats. Yum!  The Bridge Group continues to meet on exactly the same days as it did prior to Covid. We have been back up and running virtually, since April 21 and have not skipped a beat. The group usually plays 16 or 20 players every week, although we can do up to 24 players. We play on Trickster Cards website. At the end of the evening the top scores are published. We have an excellent group of people who have mastered new technology and enjoy playing with one another. We're pretty proud of the group. We're also proud of the leadership members who found this way to play and formulated our practises and procedures. Here are a few of our folks:  Our hike to Wolf Lake is very well suited to physical distancing. The trails are wide, there are a few good places to stop for lunch, all with lots of space and we saw no other hikers. It was a very pleasant way to spend a brisk fall day. Photos by Debbie Haynes, Michele Hind and Bill Boham Two groups gathered for a jaunt which centred on the Comox Lake Bluffs. By adding an extra loop out of the Puntledge River BC Hydro Day Use Park, we were able to keep the groups separated: one group started with this extension while the other group completed their hike with it. Bill Jorgensen led the second group and reports: "We ventured farther than we had in the past when we have done the Comox Bluffs hike. Not only did the change offer us some greater distance and elevation gain, but it also took us to the edge of a yet unexplored trail set on the other side of the road. I can see an exploratory hike coming up in the near future." Sounds interesting, doesn't it!? Stay tuned on that... Gil and Dawn Moore led the other group and thoroughly enjoyed a day with Probus friends after a month away from the Valley. Dawn provided the photos below, along with a few samples from Bill Jorgensen's portfolio of the hike. To see the rest of Bill's photos, do click on Bill's photos - they are well worth viewing! |
