June 2nd turned out to be beautiful, sunny and hot. Perhaps a bit hot for a hike which included a lot of up hill scramble, but the small group who turned out looked forward to the challenge. After much waffling, it was decided to do the hike only 1 hour before we met at the parking lot. There is a gate which would have stopped us from driving several km to the trail head but thanks to a wonderful lady, Barb, the gate was open and we were able to do the hike.

The view from the trail head was perfect on a day like this. Port Alberni was easily visible as was Mt Arrowsmith. This hike starts off nice and level but quickly starts up along a difficult path. After that it gets better because the up turns to down, way down. Unfortunately the path does not get any better and in many places we couldn't find the original trail due to trees down and debris. However, Frank and Bill managed to find places we could scramble down the rocks and trees although it was difficult in many places. It was nearly 1 1/2 hours before we reached the beach and found our goal - the beautiful flowers in the estuary. We rested for a short time taking in the view up the Canal before we completed the loop and stopped for lunch on the beach.

The unfortunate part of this hike is having to go up, straight up, after lunch! Again, the trail was difficult because of all the blowdowns but we made it without major problems. A pair of lost sunglasses and a few slips on the loose rock was the worst we experienced. The heat and effort to climb the trail made it a difficult time. We rested often and usually when we experienced any sort of breeze!

Eventually we made it back to the vehicles and rested a bit while taking in the panorama of Port Alberni and the Canal. Several people stopped at Batstar for some refreshment and "debriefing" after the hike. In all, an enjoyable day. A tough hike, but well worth the effort!