Words & Photos from James K. and Alex. R.
Day 1: On Friday, my group went to a mountain near Mt. Work and did a 10.5km hike. The walk started on a trail just off the road, but after a little bit of climbing, we reached the side of the mountain, which overlooked the Saanich inlet. We hiked along the hillside for a while until we reached the top of the hill. We kept on going and eventually stopped for lunch at a small clearing with a view. After finishing lunch, we went back on the trail and hiked the rest of the way back to the bus and left for the day, ready for the weekend.
Day 2: On Monday, my group went to East Sooke Park, which was about a forty-minute bus ride from the Darby building. After exiting the bus and letting those who needed to use the outhouse go, we set down a trail outside the parking lot and marched into the forest. The route we took was a shortcut to Beechey Head. After walking and talking about some plants, we arrived at Beechey Head and started down the Coast Trail. We kept walking until we found a small beach with a tiny island and had lunch there. A few of the hikers went onto the island to eat their lunches. Some people were also skipping and throwing rocks into the ocean. Upon finishing lunch, we walked back to the parking lot. But during our walk, we stopped and discussed potential dangers in nature. We arrived back at the bus at 2:00 and headed back to SMUS.
Alex R.
Friday
After a long week of school and the conclusion of the 5th term of the year, we were more than ready to head into the end of the week with a hike. Today’s destination was Gowlland Tod once again with a greater emphasis on hiking. This time it was to be a “point to point” hike, meaning that we would start at one place and end at another place. We arrived at Derby by 8:30 and departed right away. Upon arrival, we got straight to work. Unlike the last few trips, we didn’t take any mats or supplies with us, so as soon as we got out of the bus and did a quick head count we set out on the trail without a second thought.
We found ourselves mostly surrounded by lush forest with a plethora of different species of greens. While none of the hills were steep, we found ourselves walking up long stretches of gradually elevating rocky path, and it was quickly taking our energy away. We kept going however, and with a couple of quick breaks to regroup, we found a nice place relatively high up to eat. We spent a good 20 minutes there, eating and conversing with each other, before we realized that we could not waste anymore time. Quickly packing our bags, we set off at a quicker, rushed pace. The afternoon part of the walk was rather uneventful, but it gave us all a chance to appreciate the good weather and the nature around us. The many different fresh smells coming from the plants were soothing to say the least, and made the afternoon pass by very quickly. However, before we reached the bus where we would be picked up, we stopped by a huge waterfall, which we went and admired for a few minutes, listening to the constant crashing of water against the rocks. It was a great way to end the hike.
We got to the parking lot shortly after, and after allowing each other some time to do their business we boarded the bus and headed back to the school.
Monday:
Unlike the other trips we had, the whole weekend was there for us to recover. Due to this, we were just as energized and excited as if it was the first day. Today’s destination was another one that we had already been to: East Sooke. Once again, we set off quickly from Derby on the long bus ride ahead. Once we finally arrived, we were greeted with the hot blinding sun shining in our eyes, and we knew straight away that it was going to be a lovely hot day.
We began by going through the forest trail as a shortcut, the same trail we took the other way back a few months ago. Within just a few minutes of walking down what resembled an old logging road, we arrived at the same point where we saw a group of orcas, and took our first rest. The hot morning had already shaken us, but we kept going after a quick swig of water. We continued along the waterside trail, which was accompanied by a nice breeze from the water next to us. This part of the trail was very steep; we were slowly going up and down the trail as if we were traversing a tiny mountain range, and it took a lot of energy out of us, forcing us to move slower and slower and break frequently. In fact, the more energetic of us got so carried away that one of us got lost because they went so far ahead. However, we found each other again and continued on until we settled on a place to eat. We picked a nice, small, tucked away beach with a decently sized island that some of us ate on.
After we ate and rested, we departed once again. Due to the lack of time, we decided that we would turn back instead of going to the point we had originally planned. While it was slightly disappointing, we were able to meet in the middle by taking a route back which we had never taken before. We went through a much flatter route through the forest, observing the diverse range of plants and trees around us. Before we knew it, without a single break taken, we arrived back at the parking lot where we started, and headed home.