walking

 

Sunday morning I rode 19km around the hood stating out at 7:15am

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The traffic on the streets is pretty scarce at this time.

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Firstly, I checked out the Saanich Family Affair but it was a one-day affair and was gone from the Lambrick site

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Leaving there, it was ride up Mt. Douglas but that did not happen. I only got to the first trail crossing and ran out of power.

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It's either me or teh bike that's running out of power — or a combination of the two.

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Anyway, my ride wound down by cycling through the University grounds which is always nice when there's no students.

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Labels: DelSol, douglas, ebike

 

Irvine Trail Hike 4yrs Ago Monday morning I had a return engagement with a Mt. Douglas hiking trail.

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I went up the 1440m Irvine Trail to the parking lot but left the summit for another day. My pack weighed 3.6kg (8lbs.)

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The weather was good and not too much mud on the trail.

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The last time I hiked it, February 23, 2019, it was in the snow!

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I'll be 86yrs next month — God willing — so I just dropped by to see if I could still do it. I could — I did.

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Labels: douglas, irvine, walked

South Column VIDEO 2-minutes

I lied. Sunday I wrote: "The climb up Little Mount Douglas was steeper than I remembered so I probably won't go up this way again. The north col Tod Trail is easier and safer."

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Not entirely correct. I climbed it again Monday morning (two consecutive days). It was in my craw (corners of the mind) that the route I climbed up was not the one we used to use. I remembered seeing a young woman flitting over the rocks about 10m (40ft) to the right (east) of me on the way up. I just had to go back and take another look.

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It's true. If one keeps east of the rough trail along the west edge -- the going is easier and safer. This is noticeable even from the top when users come down the south col (column). There just happened to be such a hiker when I got to the top; so, I was able to video record her virtually flitting down this dangerous slope.

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So, here's the deal: When going up from Mercer Trail, at each opportunity, always choose the way that goes to the righthand (east) side. It's still a difficult climb but safer and more enjoyable. I will return here many times now that the best way up is known. For now though, I think I'll stick with comng down the North Col to Whittaker Trail for now.

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Adendum: Whittaker Trail is named after Samuel Whittaker who was a taxidermist for the BC Museum in Victoria BC c.1910 (photo p.206). Sam and Christina Irvine were married in 1883 and their first daughter, Elizabeth was born April 27, 1885 in Victoria. Lizzy married Wallace McMorran (of Cordova Bay) June 10, 1908 in Victoria. Wallace's brother, George, founded the famous, Cordova Bay Pavilion & Dance Hall -- which was the place to be Saturday night for several decades.

Elizabeth's sister, Hazel Winnifred Gray (nee Whittaker) (1889-1957) was a wife, mother and poet. Her poems were published by Bill Irvine in 1992 in the eponymous publication, ISBN 0-9695935-0-3.
Reference cited: Irvines in Victoria BC -- since 1851 ISBN 0-969593-1-1 wji ( published by Bill Irvine in 1996 228pp.)
Poetry of Hazel Winnifred Gray 230 poems 240pp. ISBN 0-9695935-0-3 wji

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South Column VIDEO 2-minutes

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Labels: douglas, walked

Sunday morning I hiked 2.5km in Mt. Douglas Park. I hadn't been up Little Mount Douglas in a decade so parked along Blenkinsop Rd. and headed up the Mercer Trail.

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The Tod Trail connects to Mercer in a hundred meters or so so we hung a left there and headed up the mountain.

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Once atop Little Mount Doug, Tod Trail carries on down the north col to Whittaker Trail.

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From there, one hangs a right southbound to pick up Mercer again and back to Blenkinsop Road. This didn't happen.

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I met a couple of hikers just south of Little Mountain who were standing on a branch trail at a fork in the path. I asked them which was the main trail and they said they were standing on Blenkinsop Trail which lead back to that eponymous road. This was true but not the trail I came up on. Anyway, I came out at a designated park, parking lot and walked the few hundred metres back to my vehicle.

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The climb up Little Mount Doug was steeper than I remembered so I probably won't go up this way again. The north col Tod Trail is easier and safer.

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The entire route was recorded with a new free app in my phone. Avenza GPS tracking program is recommended by the Friends of Mount Douglas Park and they provide a free, online, downloadable map to go with it. This is what is shown in the image.

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Labels: douglas, mercer, tod, walked

Thursday morning I walked a 2.5km loop up Merriman Trail and down Whittaker Trail in Mt. Douglas Park.

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I had some interesting encounters with some carbon-bases life-forms -- of the human kind. Get it/ Carbon. Life. Carbon-based?

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Yes, our very existence depends upon carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. But don't tell the climate-kooks this. They go nuts.

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They think CO2 is a poison, a pollutant and greenhouse gas. It is non-of-the-above.

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Check out some of these pix-to-prove-it.

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And oh yes . . . there's VIDEO, too.

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Whittaker Trail is named after Samuel Whittaker who was a taxidermist for the BC Museum in Victoria BC c.1910 (photo p.206). Sam and Christina Irvine were married in 1883 and their first daughter, Elizabeth was born April 27, 1885 in Victoria.

Lizzy married Wallace McMorran (of Cordova Bay) June 10, 1908 in Victoria. Wallace's brother, George, founded the famous, Cordova Bay Pavilion & Dance Hall -- which was the place to be Saturday night for several decades. Elizabeth's sister, Hazel Winnifred Gray (nee Whittaker) (1889-1957) was a wife, mother and poet.

Her poems were published by Bill Irvine in 1992 in the eponimous publication, ISBN 0-9695935-0-3.
Reference cited: Irvines in Victoria BC -- since 1851 ISBN 0-969593-1-1 wji ( published by Bill Irvine in 1996 228pp.)
Poetry of Hazel Winnifred Gray 230 poems 240pp. ISBN 0-9695935-0-3 wji

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Labels: douglas, saanich, walked

Thursday I hiked up the Irvine Trail to the summit of Mt. Douglas.

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The trail is named in honour of the Irvine forebearers who arrived in Victoria BC, May 14 1851 from their homeland in the Orkney Island, Scotland.

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Irvines farmed in Cedar Hill at their farm named: Rose Bank until their deaths in 1906-07.

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My g-g-grandparents, John and Jesse, bore six children and many still live in Victoria.

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If temperatures stay this way, it will be the coldest February dating back to 1941 as recorded at Victoria International Airport. (Ed.Note:) In 1941 Victoria's weather was recorded from Gonzales Weather Station.

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Along The Irvine Trail VIDEO

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Labels: douglas, walked