Oak Street Trail - May 25, 2012

Today was absolutely beautiful with full sunshine.  Summer weather has arrived.  After dinner, we decided to take a stroll along the beach and watch the sunset.  Bonniebrook Beach is just outside of Gibsons and is a wonderful place for watching sunsets over Vancouver Island in the distance.  Ocean Beach Esplanade is 2-3km long and only local traffic, so there are more walkers and bikers than cars most of the time.  We had just started walking when I noticed a new trail sign, so we took a detour and look what we found.

Oak Street Trail - look at the size of that stump!

 What an entrance!  Imagine how tall that tree was to leave a stump that big.  I had no idea there was a hiking trail here...I've always just walked along the beach.  It isn't even on the SCRD's trail maps yet.  We decided to explore and see where it led.  What a great trail for an evening hike!  The whole trail couldn't have taken more than 10-15 minutes and connects to the end of a neighborhood road.  If you follow the trail up the road, you end up in Whispering Firs Park along the Sunshine Coast Highway.  

Birds and frogs were singing and large ferns covered the forest floor.  Rushing water from a creek could be heard in the distance.  There were other trees as large as the entrance stump that had fallen and were creating a hotbed of regrowth.  The first part of the trail is a bit steep.  You are hiking up the bank from the ocean, afterall.  Not terribly difficult, but not accessible to everyone.

Educational display & map of the area

 As you come back down the path, there are glimpses of the ocean in the distance.  You can hear the pounding waves more than you can see them from the forest.  As we came out to the clearing, we imagined what is was like for pioneers and explorers to cut through think forest only to find the Pacific Ocean before them.  Absolutely incredible.  We finished the evening with a stroll along the beach to watch the sunset.  So simple, yet so special.

Bonniebrook Beach

Hidden Groves - May 12, 2012

Today felt like summer had arrived.  Everyone was so happy to see sunshine and warm temperatures that it was a must to spend as much time outside as possible.  So after stocking up at the Sechelt Farmers' & Artisans' Market, I headed for Sechelt's Hidden Groves along Sechelt Inlet.  It was the grand opening & ribbon cutting for the new fully accessible trail.  "Take It Easy" or "ayat-tsut" (in shíshálh ) is about 500m of level meandering trail through the forest open to anyone.  Wheelchairs, scooters and strollers joined the group today for the opening hike.

Take It Easy / ayat-tsut

This is another one of our fabulous Sunshine Coast trail systems that is only possible because of extremely dedicated volunteers.  This single trail was built over the past few months and required over 600 hours of volunteer sweat & hard work.  Many local companies and the District of Sechelt came together with materials and equipment, and a number of important grants were earned from various foundations to create a financial base.

The area has a large network of trails that include a number of old growth giants estimated to be 750 years old.  This was my first trip to the area, but the sights from this short trek were fantastic.  Look at this old beauty standing, but at an amazing angle.

new shelter at the trail entrance

I look forward to my next hiking trip to Hidden Groves when I have time to explore all of the trails....and many more days of warm sunshine like today.  If you're not tempted enough...have a look at the Hidden Groves brochure.