The first four hikes for this year as chosen by a group of the hikers were all successful. The last one, April 17 was done in a downpour but they were able to warm up and dry off while creating a list of hikes for May and June. The criteria included avoiding snow and providing some interesting new hikes as well as some favourites. As usual we will meet in the old Athletic Hall parking lot at 10 am on the day unless it states it will be an early start. Then it will be 9 am. If you have not been on one of our hikes in the past just show up, introduce yourself and have a good time. It is a friendly, informal group but we insist that you come dressed for the weather, wear suitable footwear, bring a lunch (normally) and don't come along if you are pressed for time. Sometimes the hikes take a bit longer if people want to enjoy the scenery. Photos of some of the hikes are in the photo albums.

• May 1st: Greenmax Trail – This is a low land hike suitable for most hikers.
• May 15th: CPR Trail – This is an uphill hike from Cameron Lake to the lookout. This is almost continuous uphill on a reasonable trail. There are no scrambles or really difficult parts.
• May 29th: Cous Creek Estuary – This is a hike the reverse of most hikes. We hike down to the canal before lunch and it is uphill on the way back to the cars. It is shorter than the CPR Trail so suitable for those who want to try something a little more challenging than the low land hikes. NOTE: Due to the tides there is a 9:00 AM start to this hike. We will walk the beach before lunch and return through the bush trail.
• June 12th: Mt. Douglas/Grassy Mountain/Duck Lake Hike – This is a hike new to many people. It is uphill. We are looking for a leader for this hike. Bill? NOTE: This is a 9:00 AM start
• June 26th: Copper Mountain – There should be a new trail ready by this time. Otherwise this will be a road hike. This is an easy uphill hike suitable for most hikers. Hikes for the months or July and August will be discussed over lunch.
• Alternate Hike or possibly the first hike in July Mt. Anderson – There are two possible routes: from St Dennis Creek or from the backside. This is a steady uphill hike.

We hope these hikes will be enjoyed by everyone. They were chosen by the hikers on the April 17th hike.

These hikes are now completed and although one was not possible due to weather the rest were great. A new list of hikes has been prepared for May and June.

• March 6, 2010 - CNPR Trail down the canal. This will be the entire length taking about 4 to 5 hours. Cars will be left at the China Creek Marina location and everyone ferried to the start at Camp A. Bring a lunch and rain gear as there are a few wet spots. The scenery is great and lunch will be on one of the beaches. This will be a 10AM start from the parking lot.
• March 20, 2010 - Mt Ozart on the west coast. This is along drive so we will meet at 9AM in the parking lot. The view are spectacular, if there is no fog!
• April 3, 2010 - Mt Horne starting from Cathedral Grove. Of the two trails we will take the one with less scrambling although there are two short ropes. Due to the distance and length the start will be at 9AM in the parking lot.
• April 17, 2010 - Angler's Trail along the Stamp River. Again we will park at our friend's house where we will finish and ferry everyone to the start in Stamp Falls Park. Afterwards we well meet at our friend's house for coffee etc and discuss the next four hikes. This will be a 10am start from the parking lot.

Two of these hikes, Mt Horne and Mt Ozart are new to the group and should be very interesting. Photos of the CNPR and Angler's Trail hikes are in the photo albums.

The last Sunshine hikers hike of August was along the trail referred to as Maplehurst. It is an easy hike in the shape of a figure 8 plus a few cross trails. 22 people came out for this hike including a few newcomers to the group. We stopped for a water break and then again, beside the creek, for lunch. One of the hikers show that it is possible to balance rocks on each other where it looks as if they can't possible stand on their own. The creek water level is very low so everyone who is interested in "pond life" had a great chance to see the salmon fry and crayfish. After the hike several people met again at Batstar for a coffee.

In August the Alternate Hikers did two hikes. The most recent hike was on the ever popular Rogers Creek Nature Trails. Frank had a new route starting from Coombs Country Candy. It was a one way route so the cars were split between the start and finish. Unfortunately there was no GPS track this time as Bill didn't wear his antenna hat but the route included Stokes Creek and ended at the Redford Extension entrance to the trails. This is an easy hike on familiar trails. 9 hikers took the leisurely hike this time.

Earlier in the month some of the group wanted to go up Cobalt Lake while the weather was good. The rest of the group was not interested in the hard uphill hike and opted for what has become known as the "low hike". The "high hike" group met and drove off to the trail head only to encounter poor weather. Since it looked to be quite miserable they returned to Batstar for coffee while they considered their next move. They decided to to the Export Lookout, otherwise known as the Alberni Lookout. Uphill but not a real tough hike. At least they got some of the uphill they were looking for without getting drenched. The "low hikers" went to Underwood cove to enjoy the view while having their lunch.

The Map and Photo Gallery is being updated with the hikes done since July. Once this is done a short write up will done on each one with a bit more information.

If you would like a copy of a particular map, it can be downloaded to your computer and then printed. Most maps are labeled with large or small indicating the size of the file. These maps are provided for your personal, recreational use only. Currently they only show the hike route as tracked by a GPS unit. No driving instructions are included at this time.

If you have photos you'd like to contribute please contact us. All contributions are welcome!