A day trip to Hornby Island makes for a perfect spring escape

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

 We love heading to Hornby Island and so when our daughter was visiting recently from Vancouver for Mother's day we decided an impromptu trip was in order, especially since our daughter had never been there. We caught the 900 am ferry from Buckley Bay and that got us on to Hornby by 1000 am given that we had to drive across Denman Island and then catch the 10 minute ferry crossing to Hornby Island. Since our daughter likes to hike we first did the hike at Helliwell Park and it was perfect with the blue water below the cliffs and spring temperatures that were ideal for walking (see picture below). After completing that 4 km hike we headed to Tribune Bay where we had lunch on beach front log and since the tide was low it gave a huge area of beach to explore. 

 After lunch we headed to the shoreline at Sandpiper Bay which is totally different from sandy Tribune Bay with its tilted sedimentary rocks and stray boulders dotting the inter-tidal zone. Then it was on to Ford's Cover and the wave sculpted and pitted sandstone of the shore line in that location. We ended the day with another hike at the Middle Bench trail and this is another stellar hike with fabulous views. It is under 2 km in length so doable by many people...but be aware it is along a cliff edge so watch your footing and keep small children close by. We caught the 400 pm ferry off of Hornby which put us back in Courtenay by 5:15 pm just in time for dinner. And a bonus of a trip in the spring is that there are few people around - unlike the crowds in the summer time. Check it out.

                                          Tribune Bay has as huge sandy beach --especially at low tide

                                                            The views from Middle Bench trail are fabulous

Check out the new Glacier Grove Disc Golf in Comox , B.C.

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

The Glacier Grove Disc Golf course has just opened this spring and is a great addition to the Comox Valley Disc Golf scene. It is located at the back of the Glacier Gardens Arena at 1399 Military Row. The tee boxes are great and although there is no map of each hole or a general map of the course it is pretty intuitive to follow. Be aware that it parallels a walking trail in parts so be aware of where errant discs may fly and either wait until the foot traffic has passed or yell Fore. 

                                                                 Heather getting ready to putt

The course is 9 holes and has regular disc golf baskets. The course is quite wooded but with openings to allow the accurate disc golfer a challenge. The course more or less heads into the woods and so when it ends you need to walk back to the starting point. Perhaps the idea is that with another 9 holes it will bring the golfer back to the parking lot? We liked the fact that the holes were relatively short which makes it a good beginner course but we think all disc golfers will find it a challenging course due to the close tree spacing on many holes. This is a great addition to the local disc golf scene. Thanks to those who created it.

The Tee Boxes are well made

The “Pub to Pub” trail is a scenic ocean view walk

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

We always love doing the so called “Pub to Pub” trail which is roughly half way between Campbell River and Courtenay since is a scenic trail with both river and ocean/beach views. We hadn’t done the trail for a few months since last fall and so we decided to walk on Friday May 2 with some xc ski buddies from Mt Washington who had not done the trail before.  The trail gets its name from the fact that 2 pubs were located close to the start and end point of the trail but now these “pubs” are no longer there. Since the trail is just 3.5 km (1 way) it is suited to a variety of options. If you have young children or walkers that would find 7 km too long a hike, you could park a car at each end and just make the 1 way trip. You can see from the photo below that the trail surface is well maintained and is generally flat so is walkable for just about all ages. 

 

To get there from Courtenay drive north on Highway 19A and keep an eye out for the Oyster River bridge since you want to turn right on the next road (Glenmore Road).  Then travel one roughly 1 block and then turn left on Regent and look for a parking lot with a sign Oyster River Nature Park. The parking lot coordinates are 49. 52.232 N and 125 07.616 W.  There is parking for several cars but this area is popular so we try to go mid week to be able to get a spot. There are a few forks in the trail but bear to the left and you should be fine.  After about 1 km you reach the ocean and from there you follow the Jack Hames Trail to Salmon Point. You can walk the trail in either direction although we tend to walk it south to north most of the time. On this day we were treated to some dramatic skies and we had lunch on driftwood logs part along where we had a fabulous view of ocean and mountains of the BC in the distance. Check this trail out of you haven't done it before. See you on the trail.

A mid April hike to the Comox Bluffs Ecological Reserve

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

 The Comox Bluffs are along the north side of Comox Lake and there is an ecological reserve there to protect the unusual plant life that exists in this dry rocky sun drenched area. Trees like Arbutus and shrubs like hairy Manzanita are common along this area where as they are pretty rare in the rain forest environment of the Comox Valley. We hadn’t been to this lookout for a couple of years and we hoped to see some wildflowers which bloom here early in the spring.

                                The viewpoint overlooking Comox Lake is just a 25 minute walk from the parking lot

                 This trail starts at a small parking lot at 49 38.477 N 125 06.256 W on the left hand side of the road a few hundred meters past the bridge the crosses the Puntledge River where it empties out of Comox Lake.  This route is called the Tomato Creek trail and it leads to a lookout which gives fine views of Comox Lake and is surrounded by the rare plants of the Ecological Reserve. It can be reached in just over 1.2 km (25 minute walk one way ).  Some of the many flowers that bloom here were out although if you come at various times in the spring you will likely see a  variety of different flowers in bloom. We saw lots of sea blush out on this visit. 

                                                                      Sea Blush was out in bloom in mid April on our most recent trip to Comox Bluffs

 A longer trail continues from the lookout and it traverses the entire Ecological Reserve and ends up at the main logging road which you can then follow back to your car. Be aware that logging trucks may be using this road and it can be dusty so you also can return back via the same trail rather that do a loop.  This longer route is about 5.5 km and takes about 2 hours. But the shorter hike to the lookout would suit people families that want a shorter hike.  Just be aware that the trail is hard to find in some places and it does have forks which makes route finding abit challenging. In fact we ran into a couple that was off route trying to reach the Bluffs and they followed us to the Lookout. The full route can be found on AllTrails and is under the name “Tony’s and Tomato Creek Loop”. If you use this app route finding should be easier. For more info see: https://www.alltrails.com/ 

Cherry Trees are in bloom in many places in the Comox Valley

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

Vancouver and Victoria are well known for their cherry trees in bloom in the spring and although the Comox Valley does not have the number of trees of these bigger centres they do have some trees worth checking out. One of our favourite streets to view every spring is Anna Place in Courtenay which not only has many well established trees in bloom lining the street but it also has a superb view of the Comox Glacier as you can see in the picture below. Another tree that is very impressive is at the intersection of 14^th and Cumberland in Courtenay.  If readers have other favourite cherry trees in the Comox Valley let us know where they are.   

                                                    Cherry Tree at Cumberland and 14th in Courtenay

 

 

Thanks for a great cross country ski season at Mount Washington Ski Resort

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

   It was a sad day when we cleaned out our ski locker at Raven Lodge on Sunday, April 13 to end the 2025 cross country ski season. Raven Lodge is the base of operations of cross country skiing and snow shoeing at Mount Washington near Courtenay, B.C on Vancouver Island.  Given all the early snow that the resort had the cross country ski trails were almost fully open by Christmas. That was lucky since January and February turned out to be drier than normal but we already had a good base. March arrived with lots more snow and so the season will end with close to 2 meters of snow on the ground. Overall grooming was great this year and the resort did a great job keeping the popular Park trails open even as snow was disappearing at key stream crossings through the last couple of weeks.

                       We had some great times on the trails with visitors from across the country

So next year if you have thought about trying cross country skiing or snowshoeing then check out Raven Lodge at Mount Washington. They have over 50 km of trail groomed for skating and classic skiing as well as many snowshoe trails. Raven Lodge has great mountain views and inside you can have a bite to eat, book rentals and lessons, buy day tickets and even have a sauna.  Lets hope next winter brings more snow and continued great skiing to Mount Washington.  I even got in a xc ski on the last weekend to Lake Helen Mackenzie and it was perfect for skating on (see below) . For more information see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/          

                          

Spring Wildflowers in their prime along the Tsolum River in Courtenay

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

   On Friday, April 11 we decided to take a break from skiing at Mount Washington to check the fawn lilies and other wildflowers along the Tsolum River in Courtenay. The last couple of weeks have seen some mixed weather with rain and cool temperatures some days but more seasonable temperatures on other days so we weren't sure quite what to expect.

Fawn Lilies are delicate spring wildflowers

  There were carpets of fawn lilies and trilliums in bloom along the trails which really brightened up our walk. These trails are located behind the Exhibition Grounds off of Headquarters Road in Courtenay and there is lots of parking. Take the main access trail (really a road) toward the river and we found many clusters of fawn lilies on the trails to the right near the river. You don’t need to walk very far before you see the flowers in bloom along the trail and under the trees.

A Trillium surrounded by Fawn Lilies

  We are not sure how long they will last but if like early spring flowers check out this area and don’t forget to bring your camera. If you are into pictures you might want to bring a tripod and something to kneel on since the carpets of flowers are best photographed low to the ground and the ground can be wet. Another bonus of our walk was seeing a couple of great horned owls. They were quite a distance from the trail and we only saw them since there were several photographers with long telephoto lenses taking photos of them as we passed by. There are other song birds in the area and in the past we have seen Pileated woodpeckers at this time of year. Binoculars might not go astray...see you on the trail.

 

Here is your chance to try skiing at Mount Washington before it closes!

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

  Mount Washington Ski Resort started early and is ending late - April 13 , 2025 is its closing date. But next week people who have never skied before can try the sport for FREE. That is right FREE!!

By signing up for a Discover Skiing Lesson you can get gear, lesson and lift or trail ticket for free. So if you have never tried xc or alpine skiing here is your chance. Mt Washington runs a similar programme in the early winter but often the weather is stormy and cold at that time of year.  Now you can enjoy spring sun and warm temperatures (hopefully) while you learn to ski. For more info see: https://www.mountwashington.ca/play/groups-events/events.html  and scroll down to  Discovery Days - Beginners FREE Lesson, Rental and Ticket This programme runs from March 31 to April 4. Be sure to check it out. 

Of course there is also lots of other events going on at Mt Washington and you can see for full line up of happenings at:  https://www.mountwashington.ca/play/groups-events/events.html   See you on the trail or slopes.

                                          Learn how to Classic Ski at the Discovery Days

Temperature Inversions at Mount Washington Ski Resort are a nice surprise

 

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

    The Comox Valley has seen fog come and go over the past several days but when it is cloudy and grey down in the valley it might be bright and sunny at Mount Washington. That is how it was when we have been cross country skiing a couple of times this week and I expect we will see more of  this weather over the next week or so.  So it pays to check out the web cams at Mount Washington Ski Resort since while it is cold and foggy in town it might be bright and sunny at Mount Washington.  This is caused by ridges of high pressure which trap cloud and fog close to the surface but as you go up in elevation you break through the cloud giving great conditions on the mountain. So if the fog and chilly temperatures are getting you down, head for the hills and you might find it is alot sunnier and maybe even warmer than in town.  And the views are spectacular with layers of cloud and fog below and snowy mountains rising above them (see photos below). To check out the web cams at Mount Washington have a look at: https://www.mountwashington.ca/

 

 

Cycling to the Kingfisher Pacific Resort with the Evergreen Cycling Group

 by Keith and Heather Nicol
The Evergreen Bike Group has rides on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a great way to meet cyclists and explore the country roads and trails of the Comox Valley. On Monday, Dec 2 fourteen cyclists headed from Courtenay to the Kingfisher Resort for a ride that featured both roads and easy trails. We had hoped the winter lights would be turned on at the Kingfisher but likely because it was mid day they were not on. We will have to come back in the evening. The Evergreen group is open to cyclists over 55 years of age and the group uses mix of electric , hybrid and road bikes.  The rides on Mondays tend to be longer and it gives us a chance to explore places like Denman and Quadra Island as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville. On Wednesday morning the rides tend to be in the Comox Valley and run for 2 to 2.5 hours in length. If you are interested in finding out more about this cycling group contact Ernie at: ejkimball62@gmail.com  The pictures below are of the group cycling to Kingfisher and back along the Royston Waterfront Trail. 

 

Checking out November's 2024 Supermoon in Comox

 One of the disadvantages of living in the Comox- Courtenay area is that you don’t get a chance to see the sun dropping off into the horizon in the evening. Sunsets in this area can be nice as the setting sun undercuts any clouds that are in the area but a classic sunset can’t be seen due to the Beaufort Mountains. But we do have moon rises which come up over the Salish Sea and so we have taken to seeing the full moon rise whenever the weather cooperates. Our favourite place to see the full moon rise is the Air Force Beach Parking area and this gives us a good view of the various Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the mountains of the BC mainland that lie behind.  

                                               The moon rising over the mountains near Powell River - Nov 15,2024

           

Of course like the sun,  the full moon doesn’t always rise in the same place each month so the back drop to your views and pictures will always be different. As well the clouds are often different so this adds another variation to each month’s offering.  To find out the date of the full moon and where it will be in the sky check out this web site: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/canada/comox. For newcomers to this area Air Force Beach take Kilmorley Road and be sure to drive past the turn off to Kin Beach.  Turn right on Air Force Beach Road and continue to the end.  See you for the next full moon and bring a tripod and telephoto lens for the best pictures. 

 

 

 

                                                           

                                              

Check out the Evergreen Bike Group if you like to cycle in the Comox Valley

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Evergreen Bike Group has rides on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a great way to meet cyclists and explore the country roads and trails of the Comox Valley. On Monday October 21 fourteen cyclists headed from the Filberg Centre in Courtenay to Cumberland for a ride that featured both roads and easy trails. The Evergreen group is open to cyclists over 55 years of age and the group uses mix of electric , hybrid and road bikes.  The rides on Mondays tend to be longer and it gives us a chance to explore places like Denman and Quadra Island as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville. On Wednesday morning the rides tend to be in the Comox Valley and run for 2 to 2.5 hours in length. If you are interested in finding out more about this cycling group contact Ernie at: ejkimball62@gmail.com  The pictures below are of the group cycling to Cumberland.

                                                              Cycling on the roads of Cumberland

                                                                     Stopping for coffee in Cumberland

Checking out the FREE Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

On a recent trip to Vancouver for the Thanksgiving Long Weekend we had perfect fall weather so decided to check out a place we had never been – The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. A real bonus about the nearby trails and suspension bridge is that they are FREE unlike the nearby suspension bridge over the Capilano River. There was lots of parking when we were there on Friday, Oct 11 but we can imagine that on a sunny summer weekend that this place might get very busy. 

                                                            The Suspension Bridge crosses Lynn Canyon

We opted to do a looped trail that included the Suspension Bridge and Twin Falls. Although the trail is short- just 1 km it has an elevation change of 60 meters (that means lots of stairs) so might not be suited to very young children or people that have trouble with stairs. If this is your situation then a trip across the Suspension Bridge and back might be a good alternative since the Suspension Bridge is close to the main parking areas. There are other walking/hiking trails in this area so for people who want to explore more fully you can check them out on this web site-https://lynncanyon.ca/   . We fully recommend this area but pay attention to the warning signs about trying to scale the slippery rock faces or jumping into the water- many people have evidently been killed in this park by these sorts of activities. We will definitely be back to explore this area in the summer! See you on the trail.

                                                          View dowstream with Twin Falls in the foreground

 

Mountain Biking BC’s Most popular Bike Trail- Bobsled on Mount Fromme?

By Keith and Heather Nicol

One of the great aspects of the app Trailforks is that it is highlights loads of information about  mountain bike trails. It is the perfect app for anyone interested in mountain biking in new areas and who wants to know how to access the different trails, their difficulty , how long they are etc. Another bonus of Trailforks is that also ranks trails so that if you are new to an area it will highlight the most popular trails so a newcomer has some idea of which trails to try if they only have a limited time. So I when Trailforks informed me that Bobsled on Mount Fromme in North Vancouver was BC’s Most Popular Trail I had to check it out on our most recent trip to Vancouver over the Thanksgiving Long Weekend. North Vancouver has long been associated with single track mountain biking so it is not surprising that BC’s most popular trail might be on the North Shore. Of course bikers will have many different criteria by which to rank trails but what Bobsled has going for it is that it is very accessible by a wide gravel road and is relatively short (3/4 of a km) so you can do many laps on this trail if you want. It is a wide flow trail that has many dirt berms and even a wooden berm part way down. The wooden berm does not have a top guard so don’t fly around it too fast and I am not sure how it would be when wet!! There are a couple of options on the way down for those that want a more difficult section but overall it will appeal to a wide range of riders. 

                                                          Mount Fromme has lots of trails to explore                                

To access Bobsled and many other trails on Mount Fromme drive to Mount Fromme Parking lot on Mountain Highway in North Vancouver. The parking lot is large and it has a washroom. Note that you can’t park on the road leading to the parking lot if it is full. We went on the Friday before Thanksgiving long weekend and it was fine. For those just getting into mountain biking there are also some green trails just off the access the road- Road Attraction and King of the Shore so you can try those first before trying Bobsled which is marked as a blue trail. For more info on Trailforks see:  https://www.trailforks.com/

                                                    Bobsled even has a wooden berm part way down                                                      

Trying out the Jordie Lunn Bike Park in Langford, BC

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

We were heading to Victoria for a university reunion on Sunday, Sept 29 and were traveling from the Comox Valley on Saturday, Sept 28.   Enroute we decided to break up the trip with a couple of stops to check out some mountain bike trails that we had heard good things about. First up were the trails at Mount Tzouhalem which is near the community of Maple Bay and the larger community of Duncan. For more info on what we rode there see: https://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2024/10/checking-out-mountain-bike-trails-at.html   From Mount Tzouhalem we headed to the Jordie Lunn Bike Park in Langford. This is relatively new development, opening in 2020 with some new trails added a year later. Jordie Lunn was a local mentor and highly skilled mountain biker who was killed in a bike accident in Mexico in 2019.

                                     Starting down Wildcat- one of the signature trails at the Jordic Lunn Bike Park 

There are not many trails at this bike park—the focus being on developing skills in r through dedicated skills parks with a variety of levels of difficulty. But it does have a signature trail called Wildcat that I was interested in trying out . It is ranked as a blue flow trail and it lives up to its name as it swoops down close to 900 meters with a drop of 90 meters. It is accessed by a series of climbing trails which although they were machine cut still didn’t have the flow and smooth switchbacks of Sobo No Michi at Cumberland where we usually ride. In a couple of sections I had to walk my bike up the trail at Jordie Lunn Bike Park. We certainly be back to try out some of the skills area and to drop into Wildcat again with its raised bridge to start things off-it certainly is a great blue flow trail. For more info check out Trailforks at: https://www.trailforks.com/ and Jordie Lunn Bike Park at https://langford.ca/gravityzone/   

A Skills Park is front and centre of this Bike Park

Checking out the Mountain Bike Trails at Mount Tzouhalem near Maple Bay, BC

 
By Keith and Heather Nicol

We were heading to Victoria for a university reunion on Sunday, Sept 29 and were traveling from the Comox Valley on Saturday.  Enroute we decided to break up the trip with a couple of stops to check out some mountain bike trails that we had heard good things about. First up were the trails at Mount Tzouhalem which is near the community of Maple Bay and the larger community of Duncan. There are a few mountain bike areas in this general region but the larger seems to be Mount Tzouhalem with about 70 trails. We had heard that Double D and Bumblebee were worth checking out and so parked at the lower parking area just off of Navilene Drive. There is parking for a number of cars and a large map and washroom here as well.

                         There are some nice views of the ocean and off shore islands from parts of the trail system 

The main climbing trail from what we could determine was A Grand Traverse or AGT for short.
I found it quite steep in places and often had to get off and push my bike up some sections. It really made me appreciate the well designed climbing trail – Sobo No Michi – at Cumberland which has dozens of switchbacks to cut the grade and is relatively easy to ride up.  AGT finally lead to Tzouhalem Main (presumably an old logging road) which then gave access to Double D. This is one of the most highly rated trails at Tzouhalem and is about 2 km long. It certainly is a nice flow trail and I really liked going through the more open forest than we have at Cumberland. From there I headed back to the start of Bumblebee (another highly rated trail) which is about 1 km long and again has a nice flow to it. Both of these trails are rated blue which suited me just fine. Bumblebee ends very close to the parking area at Navilene Drive. So check this area out if you are in the area . We will certainly be back. While I biked Heather hiked and there are certainly some nice hiking areas in this same area. Make sure you download the Trailforks app before you go since many of the trails here are not marked that well. It made me really appreciate the trail markings etc at Cumberland with names and finger boards at all intersections. For more information on Trailforks see: https://www.trailforks.com/  See you on the trail.

                         I liked the flow trail Bumblebee seen here and its more open forest than we have at Cumberland

Hiking the Lake Helen Mackenzie- Battleship Lake loop in Strathcona Park

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

One of our annual hikes in Strathcona Park is the Lake Helen Mackenzie- Battleship Lake loop and so far this year we hadn’t quite accomplished it. So when Sunday, Sept 15 dawned sunny we decided that this was the day. We were joined by our daughter Kristie and partner Eric and we were amazed when we pulled into the parking lot at Raven Lodge at Mt Washington to see the lot virtually full of cars. This park is a real bonus for people in the Comox Valley and the its easy access means that it certainly gets loads of use.                                           Kristie and Eric having lunch overlooking Lake Helen Mackenzie The hike starts off near the Raven Lodge parking lot at Mt Washington and the trail is initially part of the boardwalked Paradise Meadows loop. Then it branches off and begin to climb. We opted to do the hike in a counterclockwise direction and the trail is mostly in the woods after leaving the more open meadows. It passes by a small pond and then you reach scenic Lake Helen Mackenzie. The trail is easy to follow and in good shape and we were impressed that the trail was fairly dry despite the rain of the previous 2 days. After a quick lunch overlooking scenic Lake Helen Mackenzie we continued hiking along the edge of the lake.                        The runs of Mt Washington in the distance -Battleship Lake in the foreground The trail parallels in the lake for a distance and then winds back into the woods until it breaks out along the shore of Battleship Lake. Now you can see the Mt Washington Alpine Ski Area in the distance.  There are outhouses at both lakes and also a wilderness camping area on Lake Helen Mackenzie. Over all it took us about 2 ½  hours to do the trip including lunch and we measured the loop at around 9 km.  We saw lots of families on the trail and it was very popular on this day with a wide range of hikers. You don’t really get any vistas of the higher peaks in the area but it is a very pleasant hike with the 2 lakes as the highlight. We certainly recommend it.                                                Part of the boardwalked Paradise Meadows trail on our return hike

The High Note trail at Whistler-Blackcomb is an amazingly scenic “must do” hike

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

In a couple of previous blog posts we have mentioned the great deal the Summer Sightseeing Season Pass is at Whistler Mountain. Whistler – Blackcomb is a world class destination in both summer and winter and many offerings at Whistler reflect this status in their high prices. But the Sumer Sightseeing Pass is an exception and we are glad our daughter and her partner put us on to it. For just abit more than a day ticket  price you can get a season pass which allows you to ride the Blackcomb and Whistler gondolas, the amazing Peak to Peak gondola that connects the 2 mountains plus avail of the CloudRaker suspension bridge and Raven’s Eye lookout platform. And these gondola also give you access to some great alpine hiking without the climb from the valley bottom.  We had previously done the longest hike on the Blackcomb side—The Decker Loop (10 km) so on Sept 6 we did decided to try the longest hike on the Whistler side- The High Note Trail (9.4 km) .  For more info the Decker Loop see this previous blog post--http://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2024/08/try-decker-loop-on-blackcomb-for.html

                                      The trail gives great views of Cheakamus Lake in the valley below

The High Note Trail is note worthy since it traverses just below the ridge which gives great vistas of Cheakamus Lake which sits in the valley bottom as well as glaciers that sit along the opposite mountain tops. Then the trail turns back and winds along the northern side of the ridge and so gives views toward Overlord Glacier and Blackcomb Mountain. The trail is well marked with lots of information at trail junctions about the time needed to complete the loop or if you are stuck for time how long a shorter return hike might take. You pass by 2 small scenic lakes on this return portion of the trail and the final lake – Harmony Lake even has some boardwalk and a ramp leading to the water’s edge. It took us about 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete the hike which includes a short lunch break overlooking Cheakamus Lake and numerous stops for photos.  

                           Daughter Kristie a the half way point with views of the Spearhead Range in the background

 But don’t take this hike too lightly – even though it is a abit less than 10 km it has an elevation gain of well over 400 meters and so is classes as a difficult (black) hike. There are many easier hikes on both Whistler and Blackcomb that we are looking forward to trying in another year. Although the Sightseeing Season Pass season is ending soon think about this option for next summer if you like hiking in the alpine but don’t want to climb from the valley bottom to get there. For more info see: https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com

                                           Kristie walking with Black Tusk Peak on her right side

Tree Island makes for a perfect ½ day sea kayak trip

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

Tree Island (or Sandy Island as it is sometimes known) is located off the northern tip of Denman Island and makes a perfect half day paddle (or longer if you plan to explore the island or want to linger). We do the trip on an annual basis and we usually launch at the Union Bay Boat launch.  This makes it easy to launch your kayak since you can drive right to the water’s edge and there is a large car park for your vehicle.  Be sure to drop your launch fee money in the box. From here you can’t quite see Tree Island but as soon as you take a few paddle strokes out of the harbour it looms 4.4 km in the distance.

                                                   Heather enjoying the vistas from Tree Island

 But on this occasion we decided to try out the Argyle Road public access (49 36' 50" N 124 54' 10" W) which makes the drive down from Courtenay abit shorter but more importantly it is the closest launch point we have been able to find to Tree Island. Instead of the 4.4 km crossing from Union Bay our GPS showed a distance of about 3.5 km one way from Argyle Road which meant we could do the paddle in about 45-50 minutes. The big down side of the Argyle Road access is that parking is limited and it is more of a homemade boat launch over rounded cobbles etc so a high clearance vehicle is handy. Or you can use a kayak caddy with wheels to get your kayak to the water’s edge like we did.  However no matter which launch point you use it is an open water crossing so you want to factor in the weather and wave conditions and be competent at doing a self rescue if you run into trouble. 

                              Tree Island is well named and is just off the northern tip of Denman Island

     On August 15 the wind forecast was for light NE winds which made for a very pleasant trip to Tree Island since the breeze was in our face keeping us cool. The tide was 3.4 meters when we set out which meant had to walk our kayaks out some distance before we could launch them-however when we returned it had risen to 4.4 meters so had a much shorter carry to take out.  Once on Tree Island we had a quick lunch and enjoyed the great vistas back to Vancouver Island. There are also some short hiking trails for those that want to explore the island but due to the heat on this day we opted to walk the beach where it was cooler.  Allow about 45-50 minutes each way for paddling depending on wind and wave conditions from Argyle Road – add 15 minutes each way if you use the Union Bay launch location. Just one more note if you do use the Argyle Road access- be sure to note where to paddle back to from Tree Island. Once on Tree Island opposite shore line looks very much the same and so record your track or a waypoint at the launch point so you know where to head to your return trip. We used our Trailforks app to record our route and this helped us get back on track when we were heading back and got slightly off course. We usually use the Trailforks app for locating mountain bike trails but it can be used for other activities as well. For more info see:https://www.trailforks.com/     See you on the water.