Save Mary Lake! last hike.

Jon, Marlen, Hillary, Mark and I falling head over heels in love with this place;
Victoria's future parkland.

This represents our last blog hike and the completion of our 52 week commitment. Even though it took us 55 weeks to finish I feel that we are better people because of it.
In the 52 occasions of our weekly hikes throughout the Victoria/Vancouver Island area we have been fortunate enough to hike some stunningly beautiful places. Some that have become my favorite spots on the island and a couple that I would not plan to travel to again. But most were saved and set aside for others by the tireless work of individuals and groups who love this island and all of the green space it offers.
We thought that it was particularly fitting that our final hike would be to a place that is up for grabs; Mary Lake.

Picture postcard perfection.

Mary Lake is 107 acres of Coastal Douglas fir ecosystem that has been privately held and lovingly preserved by a local family. It is now for sale and zoned for development. A click of the mouse will show you what happened to sacred First Nations land when the Bear Mountain development got underway. I have no doubt that the same fate awaits Mary Lake should this campaign fail.

Former Highlands mayor Bob McMinn, instrumental in helping to save Gowlland Tod, hikes #1 and #51, has permission from the family to conduct tours of the lake and surrounding area in an attempt to generate interest in setting aside this land as parkland. It would also serve as a wildlife and hiking corridor as it is perfectly situated between the Gowlland Tod and Thetis Lake parks. We joined Mr. McMinn and a group of like-minded conservationists for his Sunday afternoon tour.

Embarking on the Sunday tour.

Bob McMinn shows us the trail and lake system before we set out.

We all take off up the family driveway for our tour.

The first thing that struck me on this hike was that a family had managed to hold onto so much property in this age of development. It is such a gorgeous piece of land. I am grateful that it remained in private hands for so long. Locally we have watched the Vantreight family wrestle permission to parcel off a portion of their extensive property in order to continue farming the tillable portion. I read in the Times-Colonist editorial page that a simple solution would be for CRD to purchase the land in question and turn it into parkland enlarging adjacent tiny Quarry Park.

This slightly out of focus photo was taken by a fellow hiker  whose limited mobility necessitated  canes
but he still felt compelled to join the fight for Mary Lake.

The property has numerous bridges linking trails throughout.

I can add nothing to convey the loveliness of this future parkland.

Please go to www.savemarylake.com and let Bob McMinn explain the ways in which you can help to save a piece of this gorgeous island for future generations. There is a beautiful video of the lake and surrounding land. Click on the map and see our square metres by asking the map to find barbeann@gmail.com. We have purchased 6 pieces; one for each child including our new daughter Nicole. Hopefully by the time we have our next family reunion I will be able to take them to the Highlands and show them this amazing place. Donate $10 to set aside your own little piece of Vancouver Island paradise and we can all meet there in the future to celebrate this wonderful property and its place in the lives of future generations.

We will continue hiking the island but will no longer feel compelled to keep a blog record of our adventures. Please stay tuned occasionally to see some of the beautiful places one can hike locally. I promise to add information should I have the occasion to visit a place that hasn't been written about.
In the meantime, our quest for the year 2011/2012 is to host a vegetarian blog or website that will aid people in finding a way to embrace a more peaceful way of life. Cheers.