Okanagan Mountain Park- Kelowna, BC

Sunday, April 26, 2015

At the request of a number of family members, our "retiree's" hiking club has morphed into "Don's Hiking Adventures", so we can invite working people to our hikes- and using the weekend to accommodate them.

To that end, we planned a hike in Okanagan Mountain Park, that Glenn Thompson & I had planned last Fall, but had to delay due to rain. The usual suspects were invited, but I picked a bad weekend, and regretfully, we only had four (4) hikers. Having said that the hikers were loads of fun, and we were all in awe of the terrain we travelled over, and we had a very satisfying hike.

Jan, Larry and "Barley" Plaxton and I met at Rotary Park, at 10:30 am, and then drove to the trailhead from there. You travel from Rotary Park on Lakeshore, and then at the lights with the intersection of Chute Lake Road, you turn right and continue on Lakeshore. Go past Bertram Creek Park, and then a couple of kilometers past the intersection of Rimrock Road, you arrive at a well marked (but small) parking lot.

The trailhead is across Lakeshore. Look for the bathroom and signs on the hill above the parking lot. We started our hike at 10:45.

My camera was acting up- so did not get a photo of the trailhead map and start of the trail, but the first kilometer or two are a steep climb. The trail is well marked but there are rocks embedded in the path, and roots that are above ground, and you must have good footwear. (NB: Click on the photos to enlarge them and see them in an album)

From the trail, you have great views of Okanagan Lake, and that is West Kelowna in the background, looking at Gellatly Bay and The Cove. This is a steep climb and I would rate much of the hike as strenuous- but worth it!

This is Deeper Creek. This is taken from a bridge over the creek. Not seen in the photo, and further up a steep trail that we ascended after this bridge, are a series of waterfalls. Larry and I kept looking for access to the Falls but the creek runs through a steep gorge and we could not find a safe route down.

From the bridge we ascended more steep trails until we summited at the top of the gorge. We arrived at the top of the gorge at about 12:00noon. We stopped and had our picnic, which included a nice cold beer!

It took us one hour to get to our picnic spot, and 75% of it was uphill and pretty steep! Along the way we met a number of helpful hikers. One young man told us he had recently done a hike of the entire park perimeter, which he said was about 43 kilometers. He said it took him 11 hours, and he did it all in one day! Very impressed!

Our picnic spot. Barley was amazing. He put on twice the kms that we did and he did most of it running his ass off!

 

 

We were hiking through burned out forest that was destroyed in 2003. As you can see from this hillside, there is not much left. However, there is a lot of new growth, and just like the fire ravaged neighborhoods, there were still a lot of pine trees that were still standing, green and not damaged at all by the fire.

 

 

The wildflowers were in abundance. These purple flowers were every where. Lots of fire weed in bloom, as well as Oregon grapes and those yellow flowers (forget the name of them) were all over the place.

 

We took our time coming back down, and wandered off the trail in places to check out rock outcroppings which I am fascinated by.

 

We got back to the parking lot around 2:00. My only disappointment was my camera (my mobile phone) which kept cutting in and out, so I missed documenting some of the hike.

 

A very satisfying day. Weather was great! Sunny, but not too warm- perfect conditions for a hike. We hope to have many more for our next 'weekend' hike. Larry and Jan definitely interested in Enderby Cliffs and the trails in the park in Lake Country above "The Lakes" residential area. Lots of choices! 

 

Length of hike: 8 kms

Time: 3hrs 15 mins

Rating: Strenuous

Advice: Bring lots of water, wear good hiking boots or running shoes, bring snacks for energy

 

Rating: 3.5/5- Signs/Maps were a little confusing. We ended up on a trail that I had not planned to take. When there were 'signs' there were no "You are Here" indicators on them, which would have helped us a lot.



Columbia River Walkway, Trail, BC

April 5, 2015

Bonnie and I decided to go for a hike along the Columbia River, before heading back to Kelowna. We had done some shopping, and were finished at about 10:50am.

We walked to the bridge on Highway #3, that crosses over the Columbia River, in the downtown core of Trail. We started hiking in a northerly direction, along a well maintained trail that meanders along the river. To our left was the very fast flowing river, and to our right was a very wide grassy area, that had benches, and picnic tables along the length of the walkway.

 

 

Bonnie is on the path, and is looking back at the boat launch. In the distance, you can see the bridge that crosses the Columbia River, which is where we started our hike.

 

The river bank has beaches (yes beaches!), and all along the river bank were rocks, which formed natural swimming areas (like little bays that were not affected by the very strong currents in the river). It was fun to play/walk on the rocks. It was obvious (and confirmed by Bonnie) that young people jump/dive into these pools in the hot summer months. It reminded me of being on the Oregon Coast, and climbing up on the rocks to watch the waves crashing. I hope these next few photos give you some idea of what I am trying to describe!!

 

 

 

 

We had to get back to Kelowna, so after about 45 minutes walking along the river, we had to turn around and head back.

 

Bonnie tells me that the next time we will walk south of the bridge along the river, where the trails goes through the downtown, and cultural areas of the City. She tells me that the landscaping is amazing, the flower gardens and hanging basket, statues and art works on display are spectacular.

 

If you are ever in the Trail area, for any reason, I highly recommend taking this hike.

 

Distance: about 5 kms

Time: 90 minutes (but we did a lot of exploring on the river banks/beaches)

Difficulty: Easy

 

**NB**:

 

If you plan on playing on the rocks, make sure you have good and tread on your shoes. Recommend running shoes or hiking boots.

 





Bear Creek Road, Trail, BC

April 4, 2015

I was in Trail, BC this Easter weekend for celebrations with Bonnie's family. We were staying at 'Noni's' house (Noni is Italian for Gramma), which is located at the intersection of Bear Creek Forestry Road.

Noni's house is located in the mountains that surround Trail/Rossland, and the forestry road headed up the mountain, and Noni told me that there was a very nice lake 'a few kilometers' up the forestry road. She was 'not sure' of the distance.

In any event, Bonnie and Noni (Dina) were up at 6:30 am, and were already well into Easter dinner preparations, by the time I wandered into the kitchen at 8:00am! They were nice enough to cook me a lovely breakfast of eggs and bacon, but as soon as I was fed, they soon ignored me and were back at their preparations for the big crowd that was coming for dinner.

Not wanting to be a distraction to their hard work, I announced I was going to hunt for that lake on the forestry road, but told them if I had not found it after 90 minutes of hiking, I would turn around and be back for lunch.

It was a nice, sunny, but crisp morning. I left Noni's at 9:30am.

I almost gave up after the first two kilometers! The first two kilometers was up a very steep grade- as steep as I have ever hiked. The only thing that kept me going was the beautiful creek (yes- Bear Creek- duh!) that was running along the road. The water was running very fast, and going down the steep hillside, and the sound was very loud.

 

 

This video is a small example of a water fall that was feeding the creek.

 

After 90 minutes I had reached the 7 kilometer mark, and had not found the lake, so sadly I had to turn around and come back.

 

Here are some of the photographs/videos I took. Unfortunately, my phone died - and did not take as many photos as I had hoped.

 

 

 

This is not the main creek, but a feeder brook that emptied into the creek.

 



 

Look at the clarity of this water.

 

This image was taken at the 6 kilometer mark, and you can see that I have reached the snow line. This is fresh snow that had fallen the night before.

I took a "Y" in the road, to check out a narrow bridge on the forestry road. No lake in sight!

 

 

 

This is a small bridge crossing over the creek. Unfortunately, my camera died at this point, and I could not take any more photos!

 

 

At this point of the hike I was 7 kms up the forestry road, and still had not found the lake, so I headed back so Bonnie and her mom would not send out a search party!

 

I stayed on the forestry road, and did not venture into the forest at all, as I could not see any hiking trails, and did not want to be disoriented. I do not know how much altitude I gained, but the entire outbound hike was all uphill, and I did reach the snow line.

 

That evening, after dinner, I talked to Dina's son Rick, and he told me I got very close to the lake, and only needed to hike another 3 kilometers. He said the lake is nestled in a mountain range, is a good size and has lots of fish.

 

Distance hiked: 14 kilometers

Difficulty: Strenuous for 2 kms, and moderate for 12 kms

Running shoes would be fine for the well maintained forestry road

 

**Disappointment**

 

The forestry road was strewn with garbage. Just dropped on the side of the road. I saw a desk, drums of driveway sealant, a micro-wave oven, a refrigerator and tires (dozens of them).

 



 



Faro Lighthouse Hike, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

February 6, 2015

While in Mexico recently, I went on a hike with brother Tom and sister-in-law Patti. I was their guest at their El Cid time share. When we went on our City tour, I was excited to see the Faro Lighthouse Hill, and knew that I had to do the hike to the top before I went home.

I was leaving Mazatlán on February 7th, with my sisters Carol and Trudy. Unfortunately Carol was suffering from an upset stomach, and could not go on the hike, and Trudy stayed at the hotel to make sure Carol was going to be okay. We will be going back next year, and Carol and Trudy will do the hike then.

Tom, Patti and I took a 'Pulmonia' cab to the foot of the Faro Hill. Enrico (Ernie), our driver informed us that 'faro' is latin for 'lighthouse'. (Duh!) On the 'cab' ride we enjoyed the sites along the Malecon. The fare, one way, was only 100 pesos.

Enrico offered to come back in an hour to take us back to our resort. We started our hike at 9:30 am.

The first section of the hike, is on a trail which is mostly a lava rock path. The lighthouse is at the foot of the harbor. In the image above, you can see the harbor in the background of this photo of a cactus. The harbor is used by the Ferry system, and cruise lines, as well as fishermen and boating enthusiasts. The Ferry system provides service to La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, on the Baja Peninsula, to the west of Mazatlán, across the Sea of Cortez.

The hill is 550 feet above sea level. It is the second highest altitude for a lighthouse in the world. Roughly halfway up the hill, there are concrete steps that take you to the lighthouse. There are 300 steps to the top. We were a little disappointed in the maintenance of the trail. There are many garbage cans along the trail, but there were a lot of discarded water bottles, pop cans, potato chip bags and other garbage strewn along the path. We cleaned up what we could- but much of the garbage was inaccessible, as the garbage had been thrown a good distance over the wall that can be seen to the left of the steps. It was too dangerous to get to the garbage. It was still a very scenic hike, but would have been much nicer without having to see the garbage.

 

My camera is pointing west. Las Cabos is a 20 hour ferry ride to the west. The hill is very steep as this image shows, but the trail is designed in a switchback pattern, as are the steps, so it really is not a very difficult hike, if you are physically fit.

 

 





We are at the summit and are just below the lighthouse. Fantastic views.

 

 

 

The 'faro'. It is still a working lighthouse, and is manned 24 hours a day. We were not allowed to go up to the tower where the light is.

 

 Some views from the top, and our descent down the steps.

 

It was 25 minutes to get to the top of the hill. We got back to sea level and the harbor at 10:30, exactly one hour from the time we departed, and Enrico and his pulmonia were waiting for us.

 

If you ever get to Mazatlán, I highly recommend this hike. Just the drive to the hill is worth the cab fare!! Lots to see on the trip there and back.

 

Hola!

 

Time- 60 minutes

Moderately strenuous and not recommended if you have mobility issues

Wear good running shoes or hiking boots- NO SANDALS

Take some cat food to feed the feral cat who will come out of the jungle and beg for food.







Wilson Lakes Snowshoe Hike, Peachland, BC

January 3, 2015

Our first hike of 2015, was organized by Carrie, to celebrate Greg's 39th birthday. We had an enthusiastic group of eleven (11), and we met at Tim Horton's parking lot in West Kelowna.

We waited and waited and waited for Tom and Patti, and then got a text from Tom- "where are you guys? We are sitting here". He seemed a little upset, so we walked to the corner of the Tim Horton's store, and waved him over! We had been waiting for them on the other side of the restaurant!

Once we got organized, we all got into three (3) four wheel drive pick-ups to get to the recreational area, as we wanted safe and reliable transportation to this rural area, 15 kms up a gravel road north of Peachland.

We left the parking lot at Tim Horton's about 10:15am. It was a nice sunny day.

The snowshoe trail was not well marked. Greg and Carrie had hiked there before, so were the lead vehicle, and when he got to KM16, knew we had gone too far. We turned around, and found the trail head at the 14km sign. Trucks were parked on the side of the road, gear put on, and off we went. We started our hike at 11:10am.

We were the first ones on the trail for the day. There was fresh snow on the trail. The sun was out, and the snow was shining like diamonds. Here are a few images of the trail.

After an hour of hiking, we found a little grove in the trees where we stopped for lunch.

 

 

My hiking buddies were, from left to right- birthday boy Greg, Morgan, Tom, Patti, Glenn, Amie, Sandy and beside her is Bonnie. In the right front corner are Carrie and her cousin Brenda.

 

We built a fire, had sandwiches, desserts, white or red white and/or beer. We told a few lies, had some good laughs and after a good rest, put out the fire, and headed back to the trailhead.

 

We left the picnic spot at about 1:10. There were a couple of good hills to climb on the way back, but overall I would rate the hike as easy to moderate. Any hills we had to climb were relatively short and the rest of the hike was pretty flat.

 

We got to the trailhead at about 2:00pm, where we got our gear off, and then shared a bottle of champagne to bring in the New Year.

 

We then reconvened at Carrie and Greg's to get warmed up and have some snacks (thanks Carrie!), and we had the added pleasure of meeting Carrie's Mom!

 

I had taken my pedometer, and Tom won the contest for the closest guess to the number of steps we took on the hike (10,400). I must say I was SHOCKED that Greg's choice of background music was Country- much to Tom's chagrin!

 

A great day. Fresh cheeks- lots of Vitamin D- good exercise- good company. Looking forward to many more.

 

Here is a link to the Wilson Lake Recreational area.

http://www.peachland.ca/cms/wpattachments/wpID343atID1503.pdf

 

Bonnie and I left her place at 9:30am and got to her place with our pizza at about 4:30. A nice day outdoors.

 

 



 

Rotary Marsh Trail, Brandt's Creek Outflow to Lake Okanagan- Kelowna Waterfront-

• December 23, 2014

Finally did a hike with my grandson's today! Amie, Ollie, Deegan and I arrived at Rotary Marsh Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the wetlands of Brandt's Creek at the Kelowna Waterfront at 11:00am. It was a brisk day, but as you can see, no snow on the ground!

 

 

I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a beaver working in the pond, but no such luck, but there were a lot of ducks swimming around. The boys were not disappointed.

The marsh trail meanders along the wetlands. On our walk along the pond, we saw many

different birds, including a large whooping crane! Unfortunately, the osprey hawks were not at home. They must migrate for the winter? Will have to research that one. We did see where they nest.

 

 

Can anyone see the Okanagan Lake Floating bridge in the background, or is Ollie hogging the scenery as usual! What a ham...

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Our walk along the lakeshore included playing on a Gert Maas sculpture of a family enjoying beach life, a waterfall, airplanes, boats and the Delta Grand Hotel and the Dolphins sculpture. We ended up at the outdoor skating rink, but doofus Gwampa forgot to take a picture! The skating rink was packed with skaters. Amie found out that you can rent skates, helmets, and the skating helpers (you know the PVC pipe deals that novices can hang onto to avoid falls), for a family of four (4) for under $25.00.

The hike took about an hour. One thing about taking children on hikes, is that you learn to go slow and really appreciate everything, and take it all in.

Length of hike- 60 minutes
Difficulty- easy
Lessons learned- do this hike in spring when the beavers and osprey will be hard at work

Sovereign Lake Nordic Center, Silver Star Mountain

December 12, 2014

I was joined by Tom & Patti Bell and Sandy and Glenn Thompson for this snow shoe hike.

It was a sunny day. We all met at T & P's and traveled in together in Tom's SUV.

This is a view of Kalamalka Lake that I  took on the trip to Silver Star showing the cloud cover over the water.

We had a good trip up to Silver Star but we began to worry that there might be little or no snow. It was very brown! We got to the Nordic Center at about 10:45. There is a nice and rustic lodge where we paid our $10.00 fee. 

Here are my hiking buddies' in all there finery!

We set off on our adventure and found that our worries about not having snow was no longer a concern. It was not new powder and it was crunchy but dagumit it was snow.

We climbed some rugged terrain, mostly up hill, unttil we reached the cabin and consumed our food and refreshments. Ninety minutes to the cabin and ninety minutes back. We chewed up about 10 kms of trails. Here are more images from our travels.

We recommend warming up in the log cabin and having a break to get some food into your system for the 90 minute hike back. We spent a relaxing 45 minutes enjiying the fireplace and excellent food provided by Patti and Sandy.

A fun day and I know we will be going back. We talked about going to the Lookout on our next hike.

Total hiking time: 3 hours

Difficulty: Easy to vigorous