Theo Dombrowski - Family Walks and Hikes of Vancouver Island ― Volume 1: Streams, Lakes, and Hills from Victoria to Nanaimo

Family Walks and Hikes
of Vancouver Island

Volume 1

Victoria to Nanaimo

Theo Dombrowski

Copyright 2018 by Theo Dombrowski

First Edition

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Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

ISBN 9781771602792 (paperback)

ISBN 9781771602808 (electronic)

All photographs are by Theo Dombrowski unless otherwise noted.

Cover photos: Mossy Branches in West Coast Rainforest iStock.com/GlowingEarth, Backpackers Examine an Edible Orange Mushroom while Hiking Through Forest iStock.com/PamelaJoeMcFarlane

Distributed in Canada by Heritage Group Distribution and in the U.S. by Publishers Group West

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and of the province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Disclaimer

The actions described in this book may be considered inherently dangerous activities. Individuals undertake these activities at their own risk. The information put forth in this guide has been collected from a variety of sources and is not guaranteed to be completely accurate or reliable. Many conditions and some information may change owing to weather and numerous other factors beyond the control of the authors and publishers. Individuals or groups must determine the risks, use their own judgment, and take full responsibility for their actions. Do not depend on any information found in this book for your own personal safety. Your safety depends on your own good judgment based on your skills, education and experience.

It is up to the users of this guidebook to acquire the necessary skills for safe experiences and to exercise caution in potentially hazardous areas. The author and publisher of this guide accept no responsibility for your actions or the results that occur from anothers actions, choices or judgments. If you have any doubt as to your safety or your ability to attempt anything described in this guidebook, do not attempt it.

CONTENTS

AREA MAP

INTRODUCTION

Family Hikes

What makes a perfectly normal hike a family hike? There is, of course, no simple answer. We all have a pretty good idea of what doesnt belong in a book of family walks and hikes on Vancouver Island. A stroll through the beds of spring flowers in Beacon Hill Park is not what most families are looking for when wanting to take their brood for a dollop of nature walking. And they would blanch at the suggestion of assembling climbing ropes and heaving themselves en famille up the cliffs of 2200-m Mt. Elkhorn. No doubt, there are toddlers who would find the Beacon Hill Park option overwhelming and some strapping teens would call Mt. Elkhorn a jolly romp. Between these extremes, however, there is a rough middle ground that includes a considerable range of possibilities.

Unsurprisingly, the family outings in this book are as hugely varied as families themselves. Still, they correspond, roughly, to the following four principles:

Nothing in this book duplicates walks that can be found in Seashore Walks of Vancouver or Popular Day Hikes of Vancouver Island, by the same author and publisher. Both of those books have lots of information on walks and hikes that would be great for some families: these can be culled by reading the descriptions for difficulty, length and elevation gain. In addition, many of the trails described in this book you wont find in any other book.

All the trails here have a natural setting. Many fine walks in other books wind through city streets, along harbour fronts and so on. The trails in this book stick more or less to the woods. Admittedly, a few are surprisingly close to city streets: Millstone Creek Park in Nanaimo, for example, is surrounded by streets. It, however, and a few others perilously close to city streets, are sufficiently large and full of ungroomed forest to create that sense of Ahh that comes with release from concrete and cars and the Ooh that comes with encountering huge old trees and gurgling streams.

Every trip in this book includes something special for children. Adults can be perfectly pleased walking sedately along a path that does nothing more than wind amongst second-growth forest. Children often have a hard time feeling such pleasure. They want an element of fun, surprise, thrill or the extraordinary. And who can blame them? Thus, each of the entries in this book comes accompanied by notes on what children might find interesting. The key word, of course, is might. Nothing is less guaranteed in this world than a childs interest.

Still, many children perk up when water hoves into view, especially if there is a chance with or without parental approval of interacting with the water. And the good news? A high proportion of the trails in this book link to streams, rivers or lakes. Of course, amongst watery delights, the mighty waterfall probably is the most fascinating. Not surprisingly, then, many of the trails in this book lead to waterfalls, some famous, some so obscure as to be known only by locals, but all of them impressive.

A word of warning: Many waterfalls can be viewed securely only from the top of a ravine. A good deal of parental judgment and care will necessarily go into assessing how much latitude to give the eager-beaver child who wants to go justthatlittlebitfarther.

On the other hand, most children are notoriously immune to the charm of The Pretty View. More good news: nearly all the trails in this book that lead up hills dont just provide a pretty view but also have something else that airy king-of-the-castle excitement that comes from cliffy heights or (safe) rocky bluffs for clambering, or, of course, the perfect picnic spot.

Likewise, its hard to pin down what will spark each individual childs interest in the natural world. What about huge, swarming ant hills, woodpecker trees, beaver lodges, spawning salmon, nesting herons or vulture-updraft cliffs? You will find such features in the trail descriptions. The wily parent will use this information to whip up a little anticipation. The same wily parent can create eagerness about features that make viewing wildlife interesting raised viewing platforms, suspended walkways, colourful interpretative signs.

No matter how fascinating nature walks are for some children, however, some simply dont like walking. Why walk, they wonder, when they can scoot about on two wheels? For such children (and, possibly, their parents), included in this book is information on which trails are suitable both for two feet and for bicycles (with, in most cases, sturdy tires).