March 26, 2011

Haida Gwaii – Queen Charlotte Islands Tours

A large sitka spruce towers over the boys

Another attempt to hike the Anvil Trail is a success.

Around Christmas time, Kenny and I decided to burn off some of that extra”Xmas cheer” we packed on while enjoying the festivities. A nice wooded hike through the Anvil Trail would have fit the bill perfectly except five minutes into the trail “old man” winter and his storms had taken down many large trees that blocked the path. So, given that it was later in the day and we didn’t want to be hiking in the dark, we opted to go home early and continue with more “Xmas cheer”!

Kenny climbing overturned tree roots

 Three months later we decided we would finally make another attempt at the Anvil Trail. As of late the days are much longer and the feeling of spring is in the air. So, on this particular Saturday, we decided it would be a good day to attempt the Anvil Trail again.

Gradey & Kristy follow the trail thru a hole in the tree

Much like last Saturday, we started with hash browns and breakfast burritos in hand. Followed by loading our faithful companion, Gradey, into the back of the truck.. Only one pack was prepared and off we went ahead of schedule.

During the scenic ocean view drive out, it was nice to see that many others were taking advantage of this warm sunny day.

Upon arrival to one of the trail entrances we saw a couple of other vehicles parked, but it appeared as though the occupants were enjoying the beach and not the trail. Oh well, we were going to work our way around any fallen winter debris as planned.

Wood fungus on a hemlock tree

The air was fresh and it was nice to be out and active once again. Five minutes into our adventure, we were very pleasantly surprised to see that where we had turned back on our previous outing it was nicely cleared! It was very evident that chainsaws had been packed in to clear and clean up the trail. We suspect it was the Anvil Trail Society. We will look into that a little further, but for the mean time, we would like to give a big thanks to who ever did all the hard work to clear the trail.

Everything else along the hike was as beautiful as it always is. The sights and sounds in this wooded area seems to have the ability to put you in a place of calm and peacefulness. The day went smoothly. I may not have worked off all my “Xmas Cheer”, but I started to work at it. At least mentally, I feel like a better person today

119 growth rings!

March 19, 2011

Haida Gwaii – Queen Charlotte Islands Tours
Pesuta Trail, Naikoon Provinical Park

Checking for updates on the info board at the start of our hike

A hidden view from the upper trail.

Today was a definite exclamation of spring being right around the corner. Tomorrow, March 20, is officially the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and it certainly felt like it here in the village of Queen Charlotte.

This weekend was our first real burst of sunshine and warm weather. It was hard to be lazy on this particular Saturday morning, but we still allowed ourselves to sleep in a little. After all this is “island living” at its finest. Kenny, and I devoured our late morning breakfast burritos, packed our day packs and loaded Gradey into the back of the truck.

Entering the bridge as we cross the creek

As we drove through town, it would have been easily mistaken for a typical summer day that was busy with people wearing their smiles.

Our destination today was about a half an hour scenic ocean drive to the Pesuta Trail. The tides were not conducive to completing the trail today, but we just wanted to see what the conditions of the trail were like after the winter storms. Typically there are many new debris and tree-fall after the winter months.

Although, we were only able to complete about 3km out of the 5 km hike (one way) due to the high tides, we were still happy with the good condition of the trail. That combined with beautiful scenery, great company, exercise and an endless supply of fresh air made for a perfect Saturday on the islands.

On the left side of the tree, a "Charlotte Tree-Cougar" out-smarts Gradey

Our next scheduled hike will hopefully be the Anvil Trail.

We are excited to announce our new website launch in 2011. The new site will help us communicate with you what’s new and improved with our tours.  Check back often and send your friends and family to come explore The Charlottes with Off The Beathen Path Tours!