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.
 Monday weather was perfect for a walk, and the intrepid Monday Walkers climbed mountains, crossed glaciers, and generally had a great time. Oh oh, watch out for a snowball fight!
Ok, maybe we didn't do quite all of that, but we did have fun. Then we scurried inside and relaxed with tea & Christmas goodies. Yum. So, any guesses where we found all this snow? It may have been raining in Courtenay, but not for our pub to pub or no pub to no pub walk. We were all pleased that we could get out for a walk and not get soaked or even rained upon. We started from Salmon Point and wondered when that restaurant/pub will be rebuilt after that fire last March. The usual walk to what was the Oyster River pub and back is one of the favourites. The Country Market was for our debrief where many of us had soup and coffee. Thanks to Bill J. for photos which you can view here. A few Live Music Appreciation Group members obtained tickets in time to attend this sold out concert by the Strathcona Symphony Orchestra. They performed music by Mozart along with medleys of Christmas favourites. We all agreed that this community orchestra has come a long way and is sounding better than ever these days. The sound of a full symphony orchestra was certainly a treat for our ears. As an added bonus, our own Steve Hill, AKA Wolfgang was a very entertaining MC as he impersonated Mozart. Seven hikers set out for a Sunday adventure in East Comox and all the way down to the spit in dry and mild weather. Our pace was quick and before long we all opted to shed a few layers. The sun came out from behind the clouds and we began to revel in the magnificence of the day. Conversations were continuous. The route contained a wealth of diversity so that each member was able to hike on trails and shortcuts previously unexplored. One of our goals was to find a greenway or trail that was new to most us. Even Bill J was pleased to find a new area to add to his repertoire. The bearded moss on the old trees sparkled in the sunshine. The trails were in excellent condition and generally flat except for the climbing of the Spit stairs. Lunch was enjoyed on the boardwalk at the bottom McDonald Wood Park. We completed the 13.5 km loop hike in 3.75 hours. It was a great way to spend the middle of the day. Everyone enjoyed the hike. Thanks to Mary F. for being our “fearless leader” and to Bill J for the photographs. To see all of Bill's photos click here.  The First Tuesday benefit concert at The Mex Pub featured Ali Romanow's Western Swing Orchestra. The orchestra played traditional American country music from the first half of the 20th century. Bill J had a busy evening photographing the event and dancing with each of the ladies at our table. To see all of Bill's pictures click here. What a morning! Courtenay was couched in fog but as we drove out to the Comox Lake dam, the fog was lifting and no light rain as predicted. Our group left the dam and followed the river trail. It is an easy, wide path with few roots. Lovely to see the sun shine through as we walked for about one and a half hours. Debrief was at Bigfoot Donuts for excellent coffee, a few goodies and good conversation. Thanks to Bill J. for photos to view here. Our Christmas Wine and Appies event took place on Wednesday, December4 at the Griffin Pub. The group enjoyed the delicious assortment of appies and beverages as well as the very festive piano music and decorative touches provided by the Griffin. Wishing everyone a season filled with good holiday cheer! We successfully completed another exploratory hike. This one started just south of the Trent River and followed single track trails and old road and rail grades to the outskirts of Union Bay. At the southern end of our route we crossed Highway 19A to have lunch among the gnomes in Glover Park. There were lots of water features along the way but all were passable. This hike would be easier after a long stretch of dry weather. Thanks to Steve Ray and Bill Jorgensen for the photos. To see all of Bill's photos click here. It may have snowed in Black Creek, but it was only cloudy and cool weather for our walk at Seal Bay. There were ten of us who enjoyed a 7 k walk around three loops in Seal Bay Park (off Bates Road) and a walk down Sea Cliff Road to the ocean followed by refreshments at the Country Market. Thanks to Bill J for the photos and click here to view.  With a keen sense of adventure we set out on trails that were new to all of us. Including one wrong turn that required an about face, our 11 kilometer route was a loop on mountain bike trails south of Nile Creek. The area included big trees, recently logged patches and an enchanted area where everything was moss covered. The trails were very well maintained and look like they would be suitable for hikes between our wet season storms. A return visit is likely in our future. Photos by Patti and the Bills. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures click here. Larraine and Ken Kemper hosted our group gathering on Friday, November 22 and everyone enjoyed some spirited beverages, a delicious variety of appetizers and many friendly conversations. Thank you again for hosting, Larraine and Ken! Early in the week the weather forecast for Friday didn't look too wet. Perhaps a small group who didn't mind some showers would venture out. By Friday morning the rain had moved on and our group certainly wasn't small. We enjoyed a 14 km circle tour of Seal Bay Park. Our debrief was in the clubhouse at the Sunnydale Golf and Country Club. Photos by the Bills. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures click here. Thanks to Sheila for organizing a lovely evening for the Pub Club at the White Whale. It was a lot of fun. Good food, good conversation, good times!  Yes! It may have been pouring at night, but the weather for our morning walk was just cloudy. Starting from Noel Ave., we ventured along Brooklyn Creek, MacDonald Wood, the beach and up through Mac Laing Park. Debrief was at a new location that will take a reservation. Excellent coffee and conversation topped off a fine walk at The Mill! Thanks to Bill J. for photos to view here.  It was a Happy Hour takeover at the Flying Canoe Monday afternoon. And Happy Hour(s) lived up to the name. Our group out numbered the rest of the pub patrons and dominated the dance floor. Luke Blu Guthrie and Doug Biggs fed off our energy and delivered an outstanding performance. After the show Luke said "Your crew helped make that the best night all year!" Well done crew!  In October, the group leaders (Dorothy and Vicki) met for coffee with our fellow Probus Members who are on the wait list - Mary and Laraine. Lael was also at the meeting and has been taken off Wait List Status and is a full member of our Bridge Group. WELCOME LAEL!!! We met at The Mill in Comox and had a lovely time chatting about all kinds of things and, of course, Bridge.
We introduced a different scoring system on October 16; one that is used more often these days when playing Chicago Bridge. It includes scoring for Vulnerability. Lorna introduced this system to a group of 20. The rest of the players who are not familiar with the system will be brought up to speed when they play. Many thanks to Lorna for taking this instruction on! She was well received. Sheets with a scoring chart were passed out and will be available at all tables in the near future, but we urge players to know how to score without the chart. This month we played at Shelley's on September 30, Phil and Marie's on October 8, Vicki and Robin's on October 16 and Dorothy and John's on October 24. Thank you to all the hosts!!!. The Bridge Group is a very active group, with 40 engaged members. We meet 4 times a month. This was our first return to the Quinsam River from Beaver Lodge Forest since our exploratory hike about a year ago. This hike started on the Rail Trail in the Beaver Lodge Forest in Campbell River. From there we made our way across the Inland Island Highway to mountain bike trails that took us along the top of the Quinsam River valley. Most of the walk from Beaver Lodge to the river was on an interesting single track trail through new and mature forest, with some short stretches on logging roads. The trail above the river, called Road Apples offered great views of the Quinsam below. After hiking 15 km everyone convened at the Rip Tide Pub for a debrief. Thank you Bill Jorgensen for visually capturing our adventure. To see all of Bills pictures of our hike click here. The dry weather held out for the November 3rd Digital Neighbourhood Scavenger Hunt in which 30 Club members (divided into 7 teams) participated. What an enthusiastic bunch they were! The number of tasks that each team completed within the allotted time was truly impressive, as was their creativity. Cheryl had fun producing the task list which included items to find and photograph, team pictures to be taken at designated locations and actions involving strangers to be photographed or videotaped. Some of the tasks brought out the child in participants and gave them licence to be silly. Teams report that their interactions with strangers were well received. Judging by the wide grins in some of the attached pictures, the participants really enjoyed the afternoon. The meeting point at the end of the scavenger hunt (for presentation of the teams’ digital evidence) was the Whistle Stop Pub where 35 Club members had dinner. Gift certificates were awarded to the winning team (Vicki Matthew, Robin Pearson, Phil & Marie Morck, Lindsay Sparkes), and scratch tickets were awarded to the second place team (Michele Morton, Sheila Precious, Steve Hill, Donna Young). Ray Fast won the draw for an additional scratch ticket. All teams deserve credit for doing such a terrific job. Thanks to Jane Kelliher, James Kennedy and Steve Horn for their assistance with organizing the event and scrutinizing the digital evidence. Even though we had been to Nymph Falls in Oct., we went back in hopes of seeing fish jumping. Yes, salmon were seen but off in the distance. Nevertheless, it was a lovely day for walking/hiking. Our group consensus led us on a different route on the lower river trail and loop trail and even the cog the log trail. We didn't go very far on the cog the log trail before a wet and slippery-looking bridge stopped us from going any farther. Great to explore a new route with new sights to see! Thanks to Bill B.for suggesting a new debrief site at Bigfoot Donuts. There was room for all of us and good coffee and food. It has more than just donuts. Thanks to Patti S. and Bill J. for photos. To see more pictures, click here. A small group of hikers headed up the Mount Washington trail system for what is likely a last outing at higher elevations before the snow arrives. Croteau Lake was our intended destination, but we all felt like a bit of adventure and so diverted onto the trail leading up (UP!) Mt Elma, which is located between Lake Helen-MacKenzie and Croteau Lake. Two of our hikers had been on the exploratory for this route last month and were intent on showing the remainder of us the wonderful views from the summit. It was a very stiff climb, but we all made it to the top and promptly fell in love with the panoramas which were to be seen on all sides. What a wonderful place this is! Well worth the effort of the climb...but it IS rather hard on the knees coming down! I would rate it in the same category as a Mt Becher hike (fair warning!) Photos below were contributed by Dawn Moore, Steve Hill and Lindsay Sparkes. Click on the link provided by Bill Jorgensen to enjoy his photos of our day - stirling, as always! The Birding Group was well represented for this outing to the Little River Ferry environs with twelve members showing up at the trailhead. It was a lovely day and the birds were out enjoying it - we had one of our best days for sighting birds throughout each environment area. On our list were: Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Nuthatch (heard in the distance), Ring-necked Duck, Scaup, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northwestern Crows, Mallards, Gulls, Raven, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Bald Eagles, Hummingbird, Common Loons, Red-breasted Mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, Harlequins, Belted Kingfisher, Surf Scoters, American Wigeons, Sandpipers (Dunlins?), Killdeer, Golden-crowned Sparrows, House Finches, Song Sparrow and Hooded Merganser. Photos below were provided by Dawn M. and Ian T. The Royston Cumberland Railway trail was our walk. This greenway was once very active transporting timber and coal from 1888 to the 1950s. Once the railroad tracks were removed, it was a Van West Logging road. Thanks to the Comox Valley Regional District, it was purchased in 2014 so that it could be maintained as a trail. Being a rail trail meant a fairly flat grade with easy terrain. I don't know if it was the cold morning temperatures or the fact that many of us have been walking regularly, but our brisk pace took us for a total of 8 k. That was 45 min. in one direction and 45 in the other. Usually our group averages at about 6 or 6.5 k. Thanks again to Bill for photos that you can view here.
An enthusiastic group of twelve walkers enjoyed the trails, scenery and sunshine in the Puntledge Park area this afternoon. It was interesting to watch the salmon and bird activity in this area at this time of year. We also enjoyed a coffee stop at a sunny table at Mudsharks afterwards. :) We had a beautiful sunny, sometimes windy day to explore the Eastern Block of the Cumberland mountain bike trails. We met a few cyclists who were all friendly and welcoming as usual. Our route included wetlands, narrow trails through tall trees and open meadows with views of the Comox Valley and beyond. Our group carefully navigated a long series of boardwalks some of which were slippery with frost. Fortunately we all stayed vertical. We took our lunch break at the top of a bluff with views of mountains and forest to the south. After lunch we walked below the bluffs for a different perspective. After our 12.6 kilometer adventure most of us convened at the Waverley for drinks, snacks, conversation and lots of laughs. Photos by Dawn, Bill B and Bill J. To see all of Bill J's pictures click here. |
