Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hidden Groves - March 20, 2013

Hello Spring!  To celebrate, I managed to take time for my first hike in the forest in a month.  Boy did it feel good!  Holiday, March rains, and a cold have kept me off the trails.  I made time to explore Hidden Groves on Sechelt Inlet. I've only hiked here a couple of times and it seemed like a good day to explore.
Massive old growth tree...500+ years old



The volunteers who have developed this park have done an enormous amount of work to create not only trails, but informational maps and signage.  No worries about getting lost here...maps can be found throughout the trail system. They've even marked and named the largest, oldest trees to be sure you don't miss them. 

Too bad I didn't have a friend along so that you could see just how big this Lonely Giant is. The young trees are as skinny as a man's arm.  Lonely Giant towers over the others and would take a group with arms outstretched to reach around it.

Lonely Giant
 I covered most of the southern half of the park in about an hour.  These are easy trails with no serious climbing.  The ground can be uneven in places, but the terrain is mostly flat with only gradual elevation changes.  I look forward to my next trip where I'll explore the north side where there the maps show some steep climbs up to an amazing view of Vancouver Island.
You can't get lost here
The trail builders have been busy. The official grand opening of the second wheelchair accessible trail is Sunday April 7.  It is a special celebration for dogs and people of all capabilities.
Monty's Way


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