Hiking

Hiking Group

Close encounter – July 24

Hello Stew; here’s the photographic evidence of our “Close Encounter” Friday while on our Matheson Lake hike.

I apologize for the picture quality; too much excitement, too shaky a hand!

We were heading back towards the car park, on the lake-side trail just down from the Goose, when we almost ran into them ~ “bearly” 6/8 steps in front of me, Mama Bear & her 2 Cubs!

With a shout of “BEARS“, our “Bubble” exploded and we made a hasty retreat. With Sue now “in the lead” ~ at a pace I don’t think I’ve ever covered before on a hike! ~ we scrambled up through an opening in the bush and back onto the Goose, thinking we’d be safer there.

However, no sooner were we up there and we ran into them again; about 30m in front of us this time, with Mama at the base of a tree and the 2 Cubs up the tree.

That’s when we paused briefly, along with a few cyclists, to snap the photies. (Zoom in and you should be able to make them out.)

An exciting and wonderful experience for all of us; I think possibly a “first” siting for the Hiking Group, certainly in my 7 years with them. Definitely a “view” with a difference; as good as it gets!

Our “Matheson Lake” hike, encompassing the Lake, the Matheson Creek trail, Roche Cove & the magnificent Cedar Grove trail (approx. 10km /2-1/2hrs), remains one of our favourites. I’d be happy to share the detail with any of our members who may wish to tackle it.

Cheers, Alex.

Pictures from July 17

Pictures from Geoff

Pictures from July 10

Mt Work

Ken and Carol lead Rolf, Sharlane and Mary on a beautiful hike to Mt Work – quite a workout with views that made it all worthwhile. The second photo was spotted nestled in a bed of moss.

Sooke Hills

Hi Stew, here are a few pics to post from our 6 hr hike in the Sooke Hills on Friday. Mick

Bear Hill

Beautiful view from the top Bob and Margaret, Bob and Duana, Cathy, Stew

Some pics from June 26

– John P sent along a couple from the East Sooke hike

– Mike sent along one from Their Mt Doug hike

– Alex sent along one Royal Roads where 2 bubble groups collided

Thank you for sharing – it’s good to see you even if it’s in pictures!

We have some pics sent in by Kerrie from the Jocyln Hill hike last Friday [June 19]:

“Here’s a photo of our Friday hike from Tia Chi Lookout, Rhoda demonstrated a typical Tai Chi pose the group “attempted” to follow her lead”

Also, from Mike from their Knocken Hill hike:

“Here are a few photos of our Knockan Hill hike with myself, Mary, Bob, Duana and Lorne enjoying the morning!😀😀😀”

And, From Allan from the country ramble”

“We all seemed to have enjoyed the leisurely country ramble last Friday. While several of us had our cell phones it seems like we were all too busy talking to take any group photos!. However, as Estelle indicated, I did stop to take a photo (see attached) of a cute looking stall with duck eggs for sale.”

General:

advance sign up for hikes in order of preference
6 hikers per group – physical distancing
1 group per trail-head – limitations for physical distancing, parking
meet at trail-head as indicated in that week’s hike directions

Procedures:

Monday – email goes out
- listing current week’s hikes and requesting hikers to sign up for hikes by Wednesday noon in order of preference
Wednesday –
- noon – deadline for hikers to sign-up for current week’s hikes
- afternoon – email goes out
  - confirmed hikes and groups listing hikers in groups sent to hikers
  - request for leaders to suggest hikes for following week(s)

This week’s hikes: sign up for hikes by Wednesday noon

Cordova Bay Beach

Hike 1

Mount Doug Park from Cordova Beach Park – Friday June 5th hike. I will be leading a hike from Cordova Beach Park and through Mount Doug Park next Friday. We will meet at 9:15am at the Cordova Bay Beach Park (located near where Halliburton Road meets Cordova Bay Road). From the Park we will walk along a sand bar and the shoreline to the Mount Doug beach park. From there we will follow the Whittaker – Mercer trails to Blekinsop Road, cross the valley to the Lochside trail and then briefly visit Lohbrunner Park. After that we will walk along urban trails, go through McMinn Park, down the D’Arcy Lane stairs and back to Cordova Bay beach. Be prepared to walk on sand and wet rocks and, near the start, wade across a shallow channel (less than knee deep) but also bring appropriate foot wear for urban trails and Mount Doug Park. The hike will cover about 9.5Km and could take about 3.5 hours, depending on how long we spend admiring the views, flowers and wildlife. A map of the route is attached. I hope to see there, and consider bringing your camera! Allan

Hike 2

This is a reverse of hike 1 going in the opposite direction: We will start our group from McMinn Park at 9:00 and follow Allan’s route thru Broadmead-Mt Doug returning along the beach. Craig and Kerrie

– BTW we found on Saanich’s website and confirmed in person today that the washrooms are open at Mt Doug,

Mike Hill

Next Friday 5 June, Mick and Rhoda will lead our longer hike to Mike Hill over Sugarloaf in the Sooke Hills Wilderness area. This will be a 5.5hr hike to a new area with stunning scenery. It is quite challenging but not particularly difficult. As usual, proper footwear is essential and poles are recommended. Bring a lunch and a drink. Start point is at the mailboxes at 08:30. Here’s the good news! Because of a competing popular beach walk, we currently have room for 3 other members to join us on this longer hike. Call/email now to get your spot! 250 658 2702/ phillips.m@shaw.ca.

Upcoming Hikes:

Nothing scheduled as yet – look for my reminder Wednesday.

Mt. Doug hike – June 5, 2020

Darcy Lake hike – June 5, 2020

Mt Braden – May 29, 2020

General information about the group can be found below the pictures.

Feb 14, 2020 – Bear Hill

Feb 14, 2020 – Partridge Hills

Saturna Island Group – Sept. 2018 Wow! Careful there!!

Views on the Galiano Hike

Royal Roads Hike – Oct. 2018 Goldstream – November 2018

Goldstream – November 2018 Matheson Lake Hike

Sea to Sky Sojurn — Dec. 2019

Sherry Shuffle Sojurn — Dec. 2019

Hiking Group

This group is for members who want a rigorous hike, with varying degrees of difficulty, lasting 2-3 hours. In addition to a regular hike we may also schedule an alternate, longer more rigorous hike. Members should be reasonably fit, wear hiking shoes or boots, bring water and a snack. Many bring hiking poles on the more hilly hikes. After the hike, coffee is our reward! The hiking group meets Fridays at 8:50 am. at the Fowler Road parking lot.

The group relies upon members to suggest and lead hikes. When proposing a Hike, please refer to the schedule and provide the date & destination. When submitting your specific hike details for group circulation, kindly aim to have these e-mailed to me latest by the Wednesday afternoon before hike day.

When considering to lead a hike, you may find that our list of hikes will be of use. The data has been compiled by Mick Phillips and, while not exhaustive, provides a comprehensive list of locations tackled over the years by the CB55+ Group. We’re indebted to Mick for pulling this together for us. A number of these will be quite familiar to most of the Group however, for those members less so, a quick “google” will provide you with more detail. That said, if anyone has other fresh ideas on where we could hike, please do feel free to bring them forward. As with new leaders, new destinations will always be welcomed.

Contact: Stew Arnold at stewart.arnold@shaw.ca or Craig Hilborne at hilbornes@gmail.com

Protocol: Change of Plan/Cancel: We are a well prepared group and while the numbers may decrease in inclement weather we seldom change plans or cancel. But, occasionally it may be prudent to do so. What we will do is if conditions are in doubt, the hike leader and myself will make an assessment and if there is a change send out an email by 8:00 am. If no message, no change. Please check your email before heading out.

Protocol: Proceeding Directly to Trail-head: If you are proceeding directly to the trail-head please advise the hike leader and/or myself in advance and leave a contact number if you have one. The hike leader and/or myself will include a contact number in the weekly hike notice. This requirement is necessary in case something comes up on the way to the trial-head, either with you or the rest of the group. I realize that there are places where cell coverage is not good but we will do the best we can.

Thanks,

Stew,
mobile: 250-361-7250