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Our destination for this hike was Maud Island which is linked by a causeway to Quadra Island. Before leading the hike for us Dawn and Gil led a quiet convoy (no horns) along the labyrinth of logging roads to the trailhead. We enjoyed our lunch on a sunny clearing high above Seymour Narrows, across from the Ripple Rock viewpoint. Photos by Brenda, Steve, Lori and Bill.
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We have often hiked right by the China Bowls, but have seldom explored them. This time we hiked a loop along some of the Cumberland Forest mountain bike trails that included a stop at Allen Lake and time to explore the Bowls. With very little water flowing it was possible to walk right down in the creek bed, once most of the children of Cumberland departed after their field trip lunch break. Photos by Lindsay, Lorne, Lori, Steve H and Bill J. Click here for all of Bill's pictures from this hike. Another lovely Autumn walk among the dry, crunchy leaves at the Royston Cumberland Rail Trail starting from Baden Road. It is a bit chilly! So the debrief was at a sunny table outside the Royston cafe.
After a 4 year hiatus, Divers and Rossiter Lakes were next on the list to explore with hopes of also checking out the surrounding meadows. Sunshine and perfect hiking temperatures greeted the group as they set off from Raven’s Lodge. The lakes did not disappoint and we managed to locate and complete the loop around the meadows. The return route involved more bushwhacking than expected which created a wonderful opportunity for people who did the recent GPS training with a chance to work on their new skills. Even though there was no expectation of mud and puddles the route would not let us off so easily as we navigated some low lying areas. Photos by Lori, Lindsay, Peter and Cathy. Wildwood Forest also know as K'omoks Treaty Lands is always a pleasant walk though Autumn is a favourite with its yellow leaves and fallen leaves. Thanks to Patti for photos.
Elk Falls was spectacular as always, with the bonus of salmon making their way up the river and side channels. Bear scat was very plentiful along the trails but we didn't see any of the depositors. It was nice not to have to detour around construction or flooded trails this time. Photos by Patti and two Bills. Click here for all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike. We had just the right weather for our hike above Ramparts, cool and clear. There is very little shade on this route so the almost 500 meter climb would not be fun on a warm day. As usual, the views made the climb worth the effort. Photos by Jill H, Bill B and Ian. What a day up the mountain! First stop was at the yellow chairs by Battleship Lake. Although we saw no smoke, a helicopter came every 2 to 3 min. to scoop up water. We stayed awhile to watch "the show." Then, it was off to Helen MacKenzie for lunch. It didn't take long for the whiskeyjacks to appear. Sun was warm and even the slight breeze was. Some of us picked lots of ripe juicy blue huckleberries. Great Autumn colours! Photo credit: Karen and Patti
After exploring a route on Denman Island last year, we tried it out with a big group. We hiked from Central Park through mature forests, by marshes and across meadows to the shores of Chickadee Lake. At the lake what looked like a launching spot for canoes turned out to be mud that one explorer sank into knee deep. Fortunately there was firm ground close by for the rescue party to work from. We continued along the shore to a scenic lunch stop. Our return to Central Park was mostly back on the same route. Pictures show several hikers looking at their phones. They were "graduates" of the GPS app navigation workshops, and they took turns leading the whole hike. Photos by Lori, Sandy, Patti and the Bills. Click here to see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike. Twenty-four members of the Hiking and Snowshoeing Groups participated in workshops to learn about navigating by GPS apps on their iPhones. Each workshop included one hour of instruction followed by one hour of practice on nearby trails. Several "graduates" took turns doing a flawless job of leading our Denman Island hike on the 26th. Workshops for Android phones and handheld GPS units will follow later this fall. Photos by Steve H, Theresa and Bill B. None of our group on the Quadra Island hike to Newton Lake and Waiatt Bay had been on this route before. We passed a few small lakes before coming to Newton Lake, with it's crystal clear water. Then we took a steep switchback down to Small Inlet, which connects to Discovery Passage. A trail only about one kilometer long took us from the west coast of Quadra Island to the east coast at Waiatt Bay. We returned by the same route with a short detour to a rocky viewpoint on Newton Lake. Photos by Lori, Cathy and the Bills. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike click here. Our hike up Broken Eyes Mountain, AKA Campbell River Lookout was one of the most challenging our group has taken on. It included about two kilometers of steep climbing, aided by four sets of chains in the steepest places. We were certainly well rewarded by a stunning view at the top. Great care had to be taken on the way down on the often slippery dry gravel. We celebrated our accomplishment with coffee by the ocean in Campbell River. Photos by Cathy, Theresa and the Bills. Click here to see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike. Walks in sunny September have been Brooklyn Creek and area, Oyster River Nature Park to Salmon Point and back and Marine Drive and the Royston Seaside Trail. Beautiful weather and good company! Photos by Donald, Lorne and Karen.
The finance group met recently for one last outdoor meeting at the Hall’s summer cottage. We prove to be a hardy bunch who continue to persevere through market ups and downs as well as cooling temperatures. Thanks to all for sharing their thoughts, experiences and knowledge. See you inside for our October meeting!  And the award for Hiking Group coordinator of the year goes to Cathy Schneider for delivering fresh Bigfoot donuts to our mid-hike lunch stop at Maple Lake. Photos by Lori, Cathy and Bill B Another new route for our group. We hiked from Cumberland on a mix of mountain bike trails and gravel roads to where Highway 19 crosses the Trent River. We took advantage of the very low water flow in the river to walk in the channel to the top of Trent Falls. From there we hiked up to the usual falls access trail and used the ropes to get down to the base of the falls. After exploring and relaxing around the pool we used the ropes to climb back up to the access trail and, once back at the highway we retraced our route back to Cumberland. Photos by Cathy, Gary, Katie and the Bills. Click here for all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike. This concert drew the biggest crowd from our group since before the pandemic. Not surprising with Brodie Dawson, Luke Blu Guthrie, Christy Vanden and Ashley Sykes in the lineup. They did not disappoint! Great music, weather and surroundings at Innisfree Farm. Photos and video by Lori. Our 18 kilometer Hairtrigger Lake loop actually takes us past 7 different lakes on Forbidden Plateau, and is a favorite among many in our group. The beauty of Hairtrigger Lake inspired our first banner created by Bill Jorgensen that tops our group emails. Thanks to Bill our banner has been updated with an image from this year's hike. Photos by Lindsay, Bill B, Lori and Bill J. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this hike click here. Ann Zanbilowicz reports ~ Many thanks to Probus member Ron for opening his home to us and sharing his wonderful art collection and furniture. |
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