Kludahk — Meadow Hut to Tower Hut

Oh the west coast weather… It will never bore you.

Saturday March 21st promised to be exciting, there were so many variables up in the air! What would the weather give us? Would we find snow and need snowshoes? Would the participants enjoy the hike through the groves of trees along the top of the San Juan Ridge?   Oh my. The plan was to lead our group of 13 along the San Juan Ridge, hiking a portion of the Kludahk Trail; a section that I hiked for the first time in February 2015.

GPS Route and Photographs

Total Distance: 11 km
Starting Elevation: 900 metres
Maximum Elevation: 1120 metres
Total Elevation Gain 650 metres
Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

After two quick rendezvous, one in Nanaimo and one in Ladysmith, 12 hikers were on their way to the final rendezvous, the Cold Shoulder Cafe in Jordan River. At the cafe we were joined by the 13th hiker, we also changed into our hiking gear, boots and rain gear, etc. As we were about to leave a minor crisis presented itself! An door lock was bumped, locking keys inside the vehicle. After some quick decisions making, we decided to rearrange the vehicles to accommodate all the hikers in four vehicles.

Read the full report on Matthew’s Blog

Mt Tzouhalem from Genoa Bay – BLAZING SUN!

— Submitted by Matthew Lettington, Read the full report on his blog…

If you are hoping to do a hike with great views of are not interested in driving logging roads and would rather instead a drive through idyllic bucolic landscapes, consider hiking Mt Tzouhalem. The hike is an easy one, with a max elevation somewhere around 475 metres it gives amazing views of Cowichan Bay and Genoa Bay.  On a clear day a hiker can see several small towns and some of the gulf islands.

View of Cowichan Bay, Duncan
The month of November has been very kind to the folks of Vancouver Island. The weather has not turned on us, in fact a few days of heavy rain not withstanding, it has been very dry. Though there have been several days as cold as -5 Celsius, the cloud cover has been limited and there has been plenty of sun. The forecast for November 16th was for sun and good visibility. Excellent conditions for this hike.

GPS Topo image
GPS Route with Photographic Annotation

Total Distance: 10.5 km
Starting Elevation: 6m
Max Elevation: 490 m
Total Elevation Gain: 898 m
Time: 5 h 35 m

We met at 8 am at the Southgate Tim Horton’s and traveled south, taking a left at Herd Road, and eventually working our way down Genoa Bay Road. In my opinion Genoa Bay is the only way to hike this route. Though many do the hike from the Old Stone Church, those folks, in my opinion, are destination seekers. Conversely, starting the day from Genoa Bay gives spectacular views and is better for folks who believe in the mantra, the journey is the destination.