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.
Thanks go to Patti and Dawn for the photos below and to Bill J. for his link to more great scenes.