Activity Group News Posts are like blog or FaceBook posts and cover the entire history of the Glacier Probus Club, you can scroll down and all the way back to our beginnings in September 2013.
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Hi Everyone, here is some information about the Fall offerings from Ann Zanbilowicz for Tai Chi. Check them out.
Another lovely morning for a walk! We went on the green arrow trail and then to the pond and some open spaces at the Lazo Nature Park before heading back on the green trail. The only drawback were the roots on the trail though there are sections without. Coffee was at a new location, The Park golf course, formerly Longlands. Thanks to Dawn and Bill J. for pictures which you can view by clicking here.
Fridays hike proved to be a rather eventful one. Our route?...the Taz trail system of Snowden Demonstration Forest, on the north side of Campbell River. For the first time, we opted to hike in a counter-clockwise direction so that we would be climbing UP the steep sections instead of having to scamble DOWN the rather loose slopes - a good choice. Just before turning onto the actual Taz MBT section, disaster hit when wasps from a ground nest decided to take exception to the last hikers of our group. In the confusion, our "Sweep" Gil ended up on his rump, puncturing...the canister of bear spray carried in an outer pouch of his backpack. The wasps took especial exception to the resulting aroma and attacked Gil; it took a bit before they finally left him alone, leaving him with multiple stings and another hiker with one. Ouch. Add to that, the burning skin from bear spray and we had one unhappy hiker! Not much to do but to grin and bear it; after a dose of antihistamine pills and spray, on we went. A second nest encounter added another casualty with another sting. Sigh. Oh well, the rest of the hike was all good, with lots of exercise in scenic country. Thanks go to Patti and Dawn for the photos below and to Bill J. for his link to more great scenes. Almost fifty Wine and Appie group members came out to Kin Beach Park on Thursday, August 15 for a beautiful evening of delicious food, warm weather, wonderful company and a spectacular full moon. This outing was for those who like to golf and eat, as well as drink, and for a very reasonable $25/head that is exactly what we did. The format was "best ball" so meant that everyone had fewer shots than they would ordinarily take and gave more time for the eat/drink part. Our intrepid leader took the score cards at the end of the proceedings and declared himself and Alan and Bob his partners the winners, but we didn't see the scorecards again.! Thanks to Ken for organising a very pleasant afternoon, and let's hope he can organise something similar in September. Click on photos to enlarge. Friday was a day of choices for the Hiking Group with some members opting for the uphill climb to Mt Becher's summit while others headed out on an exploration for a suitable choice of trails leading from Cumberland to Comox Lake and back. Both groups were well satisfied with their endeavours. 1. Mt Becher summit: Sadly, low cloud predominated the day, so the hike was conducted in mist. No views today! But, the scenery looks like it was rendered rather mysteriously beautiful by the tendrils of fog. An intriguing extra was the encounter enroute with a young woman who was descending from a few days at the summit with her 3 goats! Who woulda thunk! Participants reported that there isn't much left to be seen of the Forbidden Plateau ski hill lifts and buildings, other than cables still strewn on the ground and some bases for a chair lift. I'm sure these too, will disappear within the next year or two. Click on the links to view the very interesting photos provided by Steve Ray and Bill Jorgensen 2. Cumberland-Comox Lake: This exploratory was quite successful - we now have a new hike to add to our list as a summer outing. The restriction is the necessity to cross Perseverance Creek before reaching the lake, which is possible at times when the creek has gone dry (like on Friday). By opting to follow Cumberland MountainBiking trails between Cumberland and Jumbo's Cabin and by returning via Porky's Path (on the Cumberland side of Comox Lake Road), we were able to add a loop to our route, while another loop was worked in between the Japanese township area and the bridge on Comox Lake Rd. Total distance for the route was around 9km and was covered in 3 hours (including a snack break at the lake). Photos below were supplied by Patti and Dawn. It was another beautiful, sunny day for a walk, which was at Brooklyn Creek and then the MacDonald Woods trails. For the most part it was shady and comfortable. Both trails led us to the beach for a bit of sun. Thanks to Bill J. for pictures and to view click here.
Another perfect day for the hiking group with sunny skies and cool-to-warm temperatures. And, the periodic ruffling-of-hair by a cool breeze was certainly appreciated. Poles were welcome due to the very wet trails which needed to be negotiated with hop, skips and jumps - a sign that the mountain range, at least, has been getting plenty of rain lately. Our destination was Croteau Lake, above the Helen MacKenzie/Battleship Lake loop (which was included in the hike). As always, the views over the lake and mountain range helped make our lunch break a pleasant one. The group camp by the lake, which opened last year, is proving popular and was fully occupied this weekend by a group of families (who thankfully were off enjoying the trails while we were there). Click on the link to check out Bill Jorgensen's photos of the excursion. Below are more photos, supplied by Katie and Dawn. Thanks, everyone, for your contributions. It was a lovely evening for our Wine and Appies group gathering at the home of Cheryl McMahon and Steve Horn on Thursday, July 25. We all enjoyed the delicious assortment of appetizers, refreshing beverages and happy conversations in their lovely back yard. Thank you for hosting, Cheryl and Steve!  Our Bridge Group was active this month as always. We continue to be committed to keeping our games as homey as we can and this month played at Karen's, Vicki and Robin's, Margaret Furgeron's, and Bruce and Ena's homes. Everyone who wants to, brings snacks for all to enjoy and wine, if they care to imbibe. We announce the points winners at the end of the evening and this month Betty won and Lorna won twice! We all continue to improve our game, while keep our level of enjoyment high. We're a friendly and cohesive group. We have a full membership right now, and maintain a waiting list. The people on the waiting list are often called on to spare when someone suddenly cannot make a game they signed up for. Stay tuned for monthly updates!
Jane and James led the regular walking group in a walk at Rathtrevor Park this Tuesday. We started at the gravel parking lot and walked south along the shore then returned and walked north along the shore trails then through neighbourhoods and then finally returning through the campsite to our vehicles. Some of us then went for lunch and refreshments at the Brazen Poppy Bakery Cafe in Parksville. Six ventured on to the sandcastle competition which was a worthwhile stop. On our way home there was further excitement when something hit our driver side window and shattered the glass. Glass everywhere but everybody OK. Thanks Bill J for the photos. https://billjorgensen.zenfolio.com/p945056517  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Well we managed to fit one more film into July. 11 of us saw the latest Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It is his take on the Hollywood in 1969. The sets & props, cars, costumes and music brought us all back in time. It is a long film, 2hr. 40 minutes, but was enjoyed by all. The group them retired to the Match Eatery & Public House at the casino for a great meal. We all enjoyed the next outside patio and especially the red padded couches.  Only a month to September and the new Art Gallery movie season. We will keep you posted to when the tickets go on sale. PS Our fearless leader Tina missed the movie but made it to the dinner.  Despite an optimistic weather forecast, Thursday started out cloudy and with a tendency for showers. So much for starting our hike early to avoid the heat of the forecast temperatures! Oh well, the temperature turned out to be quite comfortable for hiking, so in the end - no complaints. It was a cheerful bunch who started off on the Comox's NE Woods trail system at 08:00. We followed our usual route taking us down to Curtis Rd and the seashore, but then Bill J. took the lead and stretched the hike to three hours by following a meandering route back to the Torrence Rd trailhead. An interesting moment during our snack-break by the beach was watching a Bald Eagle head in low over the water, carrying a bird. He landed fairly close to us and after a little interplay with encroaching eagles, proceeded to enjoy his 'lunch'. We never did get a close enough look at the bird to identify it. Thank you, Bill, for the link to your hike photos. Photos below were supplied by Dawn. Regular walking group takes over Courtenay Air Park playground. Thanks to Bill J for the photos. https://billjorgensen.zenfolio.com/p537753401  A hot sunny day saw a small group of dedicated walkers head to the Coal Creek trails in Cumberland. The trails were nice and shady, and when we crossed Comox Lake Rd we saw Perseverance Creek was dry there! so we crossed and explored the trails on that side of the road. We met some friendly travellers who pointed us to a little water hole where paddle boaters were practicing, and after a few more minutes down the trail we came to Comox Lake. We were told this little bay is called White's Bay. Verrry nice. Several of the locals were enjoying a swim. Oh, we also passed the remains of an old coal mine entrance too. An unexpected delightful exploration.  Saturday provided an object lesson on why the hiking group conducts exploratories to check out new routes. Our route began at a trailhead on a logging road from Rampart's parking lot on the road up to Mt Washington. We hiked past McKenzie and Douglas Lakes and through McKenzie Meadows. Hooking onto the trail between Mt Washington and Forbidden Plateau, we turned towards the latter end and hiked onwards until we reached the side trail to Drabble Lakes. Up to Drabble Lakes we went for a well-deserved lunch break. And then....back again to the trailhead. Our email announcing the hike referred to the route as "fairly level, except for some climbing as we approach the lakes". Hah! Gil's memory of the stretch we covered was coloured by including Mt Drabble in the hike he and Barry made last year as part of a loop hike to Drabble Lakes, up and over Mt Drabble, down its far side and back to the trailhead. The mountain section was so steep that the part we hiked on Saturday was level in comparison. Not. Our day was very invigorating, involving a trail that turned out to be quite soggy due to recent rains over the mountain range. The result?...a fair amount of jumping (or leaping from rock to rock) over streams , slogging through very soggy meadows, negotiating slippery roots/rocks/mud ….and hiking up and down a number of slopes. In the end, the route turned out to be nearly 14 km long and took us over 6 hours to complete, which is almost the same statistics as when we tackle Drabble Lakes from the Forbidden Plateau end. I'm sure all the participants were feeling a mite tuckered by the time they reached home; I sure was! Thank you Barry, for so valiantly leading us all there and back. Your patience with us was appreciated. Thanks you, Bill J., for the link to the excellent photos taken of the day - well worth checking out. Photos below were supplied by Dawn. And, thank you, fellow hikers, for completing the route with good humour and few complaints. You were excellent companions for the day. Fifteen members enjoyed a walk in the park, Seal Bay Park, then refreshments at the Country Market. Thank you Bill J for the photos. https://billjorgensen.zenfolio.com/p467576311 
The Bridge Group celebrated our founder Liz McCullough who has been leading the group for five years. At first the group hosted two tables of Bridge Players, once a week, and, under her guidance has grown to 40 members. We now host as many as five tables (20 people), and continue to play weekly! Liz recently retired as group leader. Everyone at the celebration, held at Locals, is grateful for the friendships that they have made through the group, and thank Liz for this. We wish her well and are grateful that Liz will continue to play Bridge with us!
Alan and Elaine led a fine walk through Comox - The Four Parks. Beautiful weather and beautiful parks, PLUS coffee and gelato at Benino's after. Who could ask for more. Thanks to Dawn for the photos!  Nineteen members and two guests enjoyed a walk along the Puntledge River from Comox Lake towards Nymph Falls and back. Refreshments followed at Mud Sharks and Tim Horton's. Thank you Dawn, for the pictures. Wanting to take advantage of a positive weather forecast, some members of the hiking group headed back up to Campbell River for an outing in Snowden Demonstration Forest yesterday. The participants were a select few, due to the short notice of the hike, but enthusiasm was evident as they tackled a new-to-them route through the park. The trailhead for this one was at the Loveland Bay Provincial Campground parking lot. They walked through the campground, crossed the access logging road and entered the Snowden trail system for a 13-14km hike which included a circumnavigation of Elmer Lake. One wrong choice at a junction added a km or two to the pre-selected route, but the participants still got back to the trailhead in good time. Lunch break was at a picnic table located in a pretty glade. The weather cooperated: no rain and a mix of sun and cloud. Consensus?...another good trail route to add to our repertoire of Snowden hikes. Click on Bill's photos to check out more hike snapshots. Thanks Bill! Bridge continues to be a going concern! This spring we've had many weeks where we have 20 members playing. We're happy to say we've been able to accommodate most of our spare (wait list folks) players at least sometimes! On June 3 we split the group of 20 between two houses. Valerie and Skip took 8 players, and Lorna took 12. The following week Marilynn took 3 tables of 12 players. Betty accommodated us on June 19 with 4 tables of 16 players and, on June 27, Shelley hosted 16 players. We all chip in a loonie at the beginning of the games and our winners can win up to 8 or 9 dollars when we have 20 players. It's a fun end to the game, as players often linger after helping to clean up, to see who won the pot! A loonie also goes to the lowest score, to encourage them! :).  Such a Happy Bridge Group! Since the weather forecast for Monday looked good, some of our hikers headed up to Campbell River to tackle the trail to the Ripple Rock Viewpoint. Small things seem to excite us: the trailhead now has a biffy on hand for use before setting out! Finally! That put us in an even better good mood for the expedition - bursts of song could be heard along the way as we jollied ourselves up the hillsides..and down and up, and over roots,... etc. How can you tell this is a "favourite outing"!? As usual, we had a pleasant lunch break at the viewpoint while admiring the wonderful views, before retracing our steps back to the trailhead. Riptide Pub was once more our stop-of-choice for the thorough "debrief" of the hike. Some of the hiking group decided to work up an appetite by hitting the trail system at William's Beach, near Merville, as a prelude to the annual Club BBQ at Simms Park last Thursday. Bill Boham led the group skillfully through the maze of trails, timing the route exactly to get us back to the trailhead in two hours. The group then split, with some leaving for home while others took the steep path down to the beach...and then back up. I'm sure those four hardy souls felt extra food at the picnic was totally warranted after the additional exercise! Click on Bill Jorgensen photos for a look-see at our outing. Dawn provided the photos below. |
