Sitting Lady Falls 21/31 weeks

Post Mt. Work swagger.

Mark and I were alone this Sunday at Sitting Lady Falls for our 21st hike. Its May Long Weekend and most everyone is busy or gone for the holiday. We decided to take a trip to a CRD park that is a bit further away from our usual stomping ground.

Sitting Lady Falls as seen from the Lagoon Trail

Sitting Lady Falls is part of the larger Witty's Lagoon structure. We used to live in Colwood and visited the park a couple of weekends each month. We have only hiked the Beach trail and picnicked on the point facing out to Haystack Islets on Parry Bay. While exploring there we nicknamed a waterfront area 'Sea Glass Beach' because the buffered glass washing ashore is so numerous.
We have forgotten how beautiful and fresh this entire area is. Witty's Lagoon has a number of interesting places to see and experience. From the Nature Center on Metchosin Road there are two trails that split to descend on either side of the falls. The Beach trail is a 1.3 km hike down to the water along the lagoon's edge. On the Lagoon trail side, we were also walking just along the lagoon and could hear fellow hikers on the other side.

As we passed through the park we came across the outdoor classroom of the Montessori School. The trail winds just on the other side of the schoolyard fence and is accessible to the students. There is also a teaching structure by the outlook point on the Lagoon trail. Its hard not to love this part of the world witnessing the commitment to youth and the environment woven so well. 
 
Witty's Lagoon is an incredible park with a variety of activities; trail, beach, rocky coastline, picnic facilities, meadows and forest. One of the most popular features here is the beach. It is a long flat expanse of sand that is rare to see in this part of the rocky coast. All summer during low tide people can be seen skim boarding. A short, oval shaped board is tossed onto the wet sand then jumped on and ridden as far as possible. It looks a little like surfing without the surf and is fun to watch. Be sure to look out for the boards if you get to this park during lowtide.

The length of the lagoon; the beach is beyond the far trees.

Sitting Lady Falls

These two were preening as they drifted down the arm of the lagoon.

You could just pop in here and take a short hike. Sitting Lady Falls is so close to the Nature Center it can be heard almost immediately on the trail. My recommendation is to devote a good chunk of your day to this park. Pack a snack and explore the entire place. While you are in Metchosin, enjoy that as well. There are lots of farm stands in beautiful countryside so arm yourself with some loonies and toonies. We were lucky enough to visit on the day of the Metchosin Farmer's market and found a few new guests for our gardens.
We enjoyed the morning so well we decided to devote one sunday a month to a western communities visit. It will give us the chance to visit the beautiful parks and trails in that direction and get some shopping done.
Next week: Bear Hill in the afternoon

Mt. Work Regional Park 20/32 weeks

FINALLY! We arrived at the summit of Mt. Work for our 20th hike of 2010! This hike has been on our radar for awhile; we have been too chicken. We confessed this to our friend Andrea, telling her the reason have never hiked Mt Work may be that we are too scared. She playfully replied that she HAD hiked Mt Work and she was too scared to go as well.
Our friend Fred, Andrea's husband who passed away in January, always told us that Mt.Work was the hike to experience on this part of the island. We'd like to plan a Phred Memorial Hike in July and chose this hike so that we can be more informed for decision making. So if you missed this outing  we will be hiking Mt Work again on July 18th.
At the trail head we were met by runners coming back down the trail at 58 minutes round trip. As they turned to head back up again, we were steeled by their resolve. How hard could it be if these people were running the trail twice?
The summit of 450 m is the highest elevation around and within the first 20 minutes I regretted not stretching out my lower legs.  Mt Work has only one trail to the summit which continues on to a parking lot on Munn Road. Because of this the park has a slightly crowded feel, passing a few fellow hikers both going up and coming down. So it was a mild surprise that we had the summit to ourselves while we relaxed, refreshed and prepared for the descent. At a leisurely pace we were an hour and twenty on the 2.5km summit trail. It took us about forty minutes to walk down. Next time we plan to hike the length adding the additional 4km round trip to the Munn Road parking lot.

We are just getting started and the morning light was beautiful.

A weathered arbutus at the top.

This curious little alpine flower has a mysterious red dot on the bottom petal. Anyone familiar with it?

Hannah capturing the image of the flowers on a rock wall.

Jenny, Hannah and Marlen taking a breather just shy of the top.

Mowgli the hiking wonder dog has missed only one hike so far.

You have to be a pretty good juggler to practice on a  mountaintop...

because who is going to chase them downhill if you miss one?

Mowgli, Hannah and Jenny

kinship

Relaxing at the top...

The little dip to the right shows Brentwood Bay in the distance.

All of the literature surrounding Mt Work advises that one should take precautions when attempting to hike this park. Those who hike it often would laugh and reply that it is no big deal. It is no big deal. A three hour round trip and no need for special equipment. That is if you stay on the trail and no one gets lost or hurt. Mt Work is a monadnock, the tough rock formed out and left behind a glacial passing. Parts of the trail resembled canyon walls and we wound around rock and a once found a cleft in the rock itself. Off trail it is easy to get turned around and this terrain can be dangerous in the dark. Give yourself plenty of time. Not because it will be all that keeps you safe. But because once you make it to the top you deserve to relax and take in the fresh air and the vista. Take a look to the east and see the chain of islands across the Strait. At this elevation it becomes more obvious that this is part of a peninsula surrounded by the Strait of Georgia down to Finlayson Arm to the west.
What will I do next time? I will pack extra socks because while it felt wonderful to be barefoot at the top, putting sweaty socks back on almost ruined it. I would also pack binoculars. There is alot to see at the summit.
Next week: Bear Hill; the rugged back trail off Brookleigh Rd.

Oak Haven Park 19/33 weeks

Happy Mothers Day from the top of this Gary Oak sanctuary. Mark and I have already hiked Oak Haven Park in our 52weeks commitment but chose it because it is close and Sunday was such a beautiful day to climb it with our friends. We were joined by Marlen and Andrea, as well as our daughter Hannah and her friend Rob. Rob inspired us later in the day when he said that he has never regretted going on a hike. He has, however, experienced regret for wasting the day on the computer or watching tv.

 Of course we love this park. Its right up the road from our house on Benvenuto, the road to Butchart Gardens.  Really, whats not to love? It has it all; shade, sun, inclines and level trails, gorgeous views and cozy little meadows. We used the parking lot as the trail head then came back down by way of the lane that leads to Garden Gate rd. Once there, we followed the sidewalk to the right and out of the subdivison onto Benvenuto. There is a wooded path that leads back up to Oak Haven parking lot if you turn right again at the stone gate.

The lane leading to Garden Gate Rd.

The very definition of idyllic.

Hannah and her sidekick, Mowgli.

Marlen; serene.

Next week: Mt Work

Logan Park 18/34 weeks

We look as if we are sitting at a slant; I think its the tripod.

We have been trying to hike Logan Park for a few weeks. I think the main attraction for me is the sweet little  road the park sits in the middle of. It would be great to have a small farm there. It seems as if all owners were told to plant lilacs. There is a healthy lilac bush at almost each driveway.  Today we finally got there for a relaxing hike.
All I can find online is this is a Saanich Park and at 6 hectares so it is a cozy 15 acres. The park reminded me of Butterfeild Park, our 13th hike. They are both small and exceptionally green. Both have well kept trails running around and through them.

Its just a wee little park at the side of the road.

Wayne's parents are great fellow hikers who are up for any adventure.

Mark is telling Marlen about Friday when he looked up in the garden to see an eagle bearing down on him.

This is a small enough park that we turned around at the end and hiked it in the opposite direction. There is always something else to see going the other way. It is nice to experience these smaller parks. The pace automatically slows and there is time to enjoy the company and conversation of friends.

Speaking of friends...here is our newest, Anna.  Good natured and tolerant, it was a treat to meet her and her traveling companion.

Another perk of the small park; time to climb trees.

Viaduct road runs off of Interurban between Camosun College and Glendale Garden's Quayle road. It is a peaceful place at the side of a quiet stretch of rural farmland. If you are out that way dont hesitate to stop and go for a walk. The trail is well groomed and soft with cedar chips making special shoes unnecessary. There are a couple of small inclines that could present problems for people with mobility issues but, having said that, I recommend this park to everyone.  The transit system has a turn around just at the corner of Viaduct and Interurban but it is a far walk to the park from there.
Next week: Happy Mother's Day from Oak Haven Park

Cowichan River Footpath 17/35 weeks

 This week represented my last free Saturday before the beginning of Moss St. Market. For those of you who don't live on this part of the island Moss St. Market is the hippest organic farmers market in Victoria. I co-host a booth for chair massage and absolutely love it. So, I will be there as many Saturdays as I can this season. If you go, pop in to see me and let me know that you have seen the blog. I might just be excited enough to give you a deal on a great massage.

This picture of sleepy Lake Cowichan as seen through the opening on a rusty foot bridge.

Mark and I used this weekend to head up Island to a hiking place that we wouldn't normally be able to visit on a Sunday. Lake Cowichan is a village at the base of Cowichan Lake and almost the mouth of the Cowichan River. It is almost 2 hours from our house so we drove up Friday night, stayed over and spent Saturday exploring the area.
We are completely enchanted by the area. One of the first things we noticed, besides the surrounding mountains, was how mossy the trees are. It gives a distinct clue that you have entered the rain forest. When I ventured out that rainy Saturday morning for coffee the lady who served me laughed about the weather and told me, "This is the rain forest...we never check the forecast. Why bother?" So, if you plan to visit pack your rain gear because I can almost guarantee that it will be raining part of the time. Our Saturday dawned rainy but the skies cleared up after 10 am and we had only light sprinkles after that. The trees hold an incredible amount of moisture so every time I brushed up against something my jacket got soaked; not enough to dampen our spirits though.

Cowichan River

So, this is where Mother Nature keeps her Q-tips.

A calm bend in the river. This illustrates the elevation of the footpath in places.

We began our trip along an old reclaimed railway system that was built for narrow gauge trains to run timber out of the dense forests. As such, it is a level trail suitable for walking or biking and in some places horses are allowed. It was never our intention to hike the extent of the footpath on this visit because it is quite long for a day trip at 20km. We ended up spending most of our time at the Cowichan River  provincial park and it was here that we hiked the loop from Skutz Falls to the trestle bridge and back along the river. Mark and I were never out of sight of the river and always keenly aware of its beauty and danger.
We had to remind ourselves not to think about the time our kids came tubing on this river. They were yelled at to get off the water by an extreme sports show film crew. Apparently, the water was simply too dangerous for extreme sport lovers but my kids tried to meander down the river anyway. It is one of those parent moments that make you thankful your kids dont tell you everything!

The path that wound alongside the river was narrow but well kept.

Rocks playing hide and seek.

You can hear the falls from quite a distance.

 Many hikers treat the Cowichan River Footpath like a small West Coast Trail by coming on at the trailhead and camping along the way.  This is allegedly a fisher's dream but we didn't cross paths with any anglers. I suppose in the summer there are many trying for trout and even salmon at certain times. We only met people at the trail heads. Once we were on the trail itself we saw no one. It was a relaxing hike and one I would be excited to go on again. Perhaps this summer we will plan an overniter again and hit the trail early; with rain gear.

We hiked into a clearing and stumbled onto this beautiful group camp site.

This was taken at a very low spot on the trail. Most places soared above the river on steep embankments.

Next week: Logan Park

Mackenzie Bight 16/36 weeks

This is our second hike to Mackenzie Bight. Time constraints forced us to consider something very local this week and it doesn't get more local than the Gowlland Tod range. Our last few outings have been pretty easy so we headed back to the bight for a vigorous hike.We decided to take the falls trail down and the bight trail back up; the opposite of our last visit here.We might have come to an unspoken decision that this will be our 'default' hike. Its close, varied and if you hiked this park until you could walk to the top without running out of steam, you would be in pretty good shape.

We were all SO happy to be outside.

yes, this park does inspire a certain amount of respect.

Once we discovered that we had taken the Mackenzie Bight trail down again, we tried the bottom trail that heads north along the inlet. The CRD maps show the trail as ending at the boundary of the park. It is a beautiful hike and we took it to the end which was a small bluff of trail and a deer path running into the thicket. It would appear that a person could walk this path all the way to Butchart Gardens and beyond. We will save that for another day when we are needing a workout.
I cant say enough about how pleasant this park is. I realize that is a far cry from my last experience of Mackenzie Bight but it is a matter of experience. If you know this is a 'breathtaking' hike up from the bottom then you prepare yourself. And in the mean time enjoy a pristine environment with pathways that can take you right down to the water and stunning views of the Malahat mountain and highway. Still the only hard road linking Victoria to the upper island it was once a rough trade route for the First Nations people who gave it their name.

The path running north along the shoreline makes for easy walking.

The park drops down to the water so in some places the ascent can get your heart rate up.

Jessica at the waters edge.

Marlen in a magnificent arbutus

The girls are examining the patterns left on leaves by parasites.

The Malahat lies just across the water.

Next week will be our first double header. One of the objectives of the 52 week committment is to get out and enjoy the island more. Mark and I will be heading up to Cowichan River to hike the footpath to Skutz Falls. Sunday morning we will hike Logan Park.