Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 30th April.

We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last week we drove some distance down Cook Bay Road and parked where an older logging road branches off on the east side. The road is a pleasant one for walking as it undulates rather than having a continuous uphill trend. Originally it was possible to hike this road all the way to the Anderson Bay Road which it joins near Angel Lake, but a short section is now flooded by the beaver and there is no easy way to get around this obstruction. Our lunch spot was on a small rise in the middle of a recent clearcut in the forest and the distant views of mountains and sea made it a very pleasant place to eat on a clear sunny day.

The treefrogs are very loud just now and the croaking chorus comes from ditches and swamps all over the island.

The sound is out of all proportion to the tiny size of the adults. My photo this time was taken on the midweek hike just a few days ago and shows a bright green one warming up in the sun beside a narrow ditch near Gillies Bay.

JD.

A tiny adult Treefrog warming up in the sun beside a narrow ditch near Gillies Bay.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 23rd April.
We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.

Last Saturday the weather was cool and windy, but sunny and dry once the snow and rain had stopped! That happened as we started the hike from Van Anda to Raven Bay along the usual route through the limestone quarries. At Raven Bay there was a breeze from the sea so the hot shellfish BBQ fire was a welcome feature.

JD.

Trekkers' clambake BBQ at Raven Bay. Jim Mason photo

Next hike from Van Anda

The next hike will be on Saturday, 16th April.

We meet in Van Anda at the Canadian Legion at 10:00am and this is the day of the Spring Raven Bay BBQ and Oyster Bake so the hike is essentially one way only.

Here are details about what happens and what you may wish to do.

Bring: Chairs (There are some logs to sit on) and BYOB

Food: There will be oysters or clams. If you don't like oysters or clams, bring hot dogs or veggie dogs to roast over the fire or whatever you wish to eat or share with friends. How we get there: Hikers meet at the Legion in Van Anda and walk to Raven Bay (2 1/2 hours). There are several shortcuts, if you don't want to do the full hike

If you are unable to hike right now, used to hike or are spouses/partners/visitors of Trekkers, you are welcomel You can park at the junction to the Raven Bay turnoff on the High Road. If you need a lift, please contact David Taylor. Hikers are expected at Raven Bay between 12:00 noon and 12:30 pm. Raven Bay road is only suitable for 4 wheel drive vehicles.

If you want to go early and collect oysters, bring rubber boots and your current Saltwater Licenses.

After the BBQ/Oyster Bake, those who drove down to the Bay will take the drivers and those who are unable to walk back to their vehicles in Van Anda or on the High Road.

Please contact: David Taylor, (604) 413-1669, if you require more information.

My photo this week is one I took on my visit to Vancouver Island earlier this month. Ants are usually not very active above ground until we get warm weather and I was surprised to see a swarm of ants around the entrance ot their underground nest. I don't know why they were behaving this way but it did make for an interesting photo.

An early swarm of ants on a grassy roadside bank in Parksville, Vancouver Island.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 9th April.

The meeting place is the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

i will still be roaming the beaches on Vancouver Island in search of Black Brant Geese on Saturday and for this hike only I have no substitute guide.  I suggest the choice of hike and the guiding could be a group effort this time with lots of easy and familiar hike routes to choose from.

Today I'm giving advanced notice that the annual Trekkers Spring Raven Bay BBQ and Oyster Bake is coming up on Saturday, 16th April.  The meeting place will be Van Anda.  More information will be available next week.

A couple of weeks ago I guided a group  of the members of the Powell River Malaspina Naturalists Club to visit some areas of Texada with interesting features of limestone geology.  My photo this week shows Stromberg Falls as it looked the day of their visit with very little water in Stromberg Creek. I don't think any of the members had visited the falls before and they were clearly quite impressed with the beauty of this part of the island.  

JD.

Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 2nd April.

We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay.

Last week we hiked from the Cook Bay Road uphill past Gentian Lake and beyond to the beaver pond on the Anderson Bay Road.  It was a lovely sunny day, quite mild and with just the odd patch of snow on the ground here and there at the highest elevations.  On the return after lunch we twice saw Cutthroat Trout actively spawning in ting creeks feeding small lakes and ponds.

My photo today is from a recent midweek hike to Limekiln Bay. It shows a curious circular native fish trap which seems to be rare on Texada as I have only seen them on this particular beach.

I am birdwatching on Vancouver Island for a couple of weeks.  Russ will be the guide this Saturday.

JD.