A few of our walkers got out to enjoy a jaunt on the Bob Webb trail from the Brazier Rd trailhead this afternoon. The heat had moderated today and skies were somewhat clouded over so conditions were perfect for the outing. A debrief followed at Milano's.
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Well that was fun! A short morning hike through East Courtenay included more mud and wobbly features than a typical suburban route. Fortunately everyone stayed vertical and free of mud. We all enjoyed a shady debrief at Milano Coffee.
Photos by Steve, Lori and Bill. The Intermediate Walking group enjoyed a warm walk from the Japanese Townsite, in Cumberland, out to Comox Lake. Where some cooled off by dipping their feet in or wiping down their face and necks. Luckily the mosquitos were not too bad.
If you want to walk and stay cool, walk in the shade of Seal Bay. The start was from Hardy Road and rather than just turn around at the Bates Rd parking lot, we ventured towards the ocean and did that loop. So our walk turned into a mini-hike of 9 k! All of us were hungry after that so The Country Market with its good home-cooking was a great way to end our outing.
“Thanks so much Donna and Frank Young for hosting such a splendid event in your lovely home.”
We had perfect conditions for our hike up Mt Elma. A good breeze kept the sky clear for great views, and helped greatly with both the heat and the bugs. Our efforts were rewarded with a debrief at the Mt. Washington Alpine Lodge.
Photos by Cathy, Sylvia and Bill. Walk was starting at Baden Road on the Cumberland Royston trail until we veered in the direction of the Trent River. Following a new trail, we came upon this surprised stumpy fellow. This trail lead to an old logging road and then the path to Momma's tree and the trail parallel to the Trent River though higher up. Weather was fine though to avoid the heat, it was a shorter walk than usual. Debrief was outside at the Royston Coffee Shop. Good coffee and good company!
It was a delightfully enthusiastic group for our latest hike around Boyle Point on Denman Island. Everyone was keen to hike down the steep trail to the beach for lunch. Fortunately the beach trail has been improved since our last time on it. And nobody wanted to miss out on the debrief. The Earth Club Factory was such a hit, we ended up with almost as many pictures of the debrief as all of the hike.
Photos by Karen, Tannis and Bill Cathy led us on an adventure up to Wesley Ridge, a new destination for our group. We started by crossing a railway trestle over the Little Qualicum River. From the tracks the trail climbs steeply for the first kilometre. At that point we were rewarded with a view of Cameron Lake. The trail certainly has it's ups and downs from there to the highest summit, but not as steep and relentless. On this trip we went off track to explore a small lake, and we hiked up and over a middle summit. We will omit those on future trips as the highest summit is really the most spectacular part of the hike.
Photos by Cathy and Bill. Our walk is one of our favorites at Nymph Falls. It is usually a 2 hour walk and worth it. We always have a few spots where we stop and look at the river and never tire of the view seen many times before. Debrief was enjoyed by all and now that school is out, parking there at the school and walking to Milanos poses no parking problems. Check out the coffee artwork!
We first explored the trails upstream from Englishman River Falls in May. That was so enjoyable that we hiked the same route again. The river and falls did not disappoint. Photos by Cathy, Andrew and Bill. Our hike up to the Middle Bench Trail on Hornby Island starts with a long climb up a quiet road. Once that is behind us the views soon reward our effort. We took a long break at Ford Cove allowing some to have lunch in the restaurant. Others hiked along the foreshore. Our return to the ferry was along the seaside trail. Photos by Beverley, Steve, Stan, Lori and Bill. We were accompanied by lots of bugs on our hike to Croteau Lake. They weren't bad while we were moving or with a strong breeze blowing, but were quite annoying the rest of the time. There was no snow left on the trails, just occasional mud. At Croteau Lake some took full advantage of the comfortable chairs while Brian led the rest of us to a rocky knoll with great views. After our break Cathy took us on a tour of suburban Croteau Lake. Photos by Cathy, Sylvia and Bill. As is often the case, we had lots of interest in the hike on the Oyster River mountain bike trails. Early on, those of us near the front of the line were able to watch a bear swim/wade across the river at fairly close range before disappearing into the forest on the other side. Some of the trails, which we have been using for years are getting quite overgrown. So hopefully we can visit this route more often to help keep it viable. Photos by Lori, Steve, Bill, Ian and Sylvia. How early in the spring can we hike in Paradise Meadows and above without having to deal with snow or ice on the trails? This year the trails around Lake Helen Mackenzie and Battleship Lake are bare now. There wasn't too much mud and bugs were few and far between. Wildflowers are just starting to bloom. Quite different from spring 2022 ! Photos by Marina, Andrew, Steve, Lori, Brenda and Bill. |