CDMC

Courtenay Urban Hike; Wed Mar 31, 2010; hiking; leader: Jackie Gray

A merry band of eleven hikers showed up on an overcast but not too cold day for the parks, forests and river hike in West Courtenay. The route began at Puntledge Park, looped away from the Puntledge River through Morrison Park and back to the river via the Masters Greenway. After passing by the Fish Hatchery and Hydro generating station we went upstream to a riverside lunch spot. Smart people would have been alerted to the true motives of the leader by the words spring wildflowers in the trip description. This group stopped to identify every plant in bloom! The best displays were the trilliums and skunk cabbages (much more poetically now also called swamp lanterns) in Ruths forest. The rear guard gentlemen were extremely patient with the flower viewers, and we had a great time exploring some beautiful natural areas very close to town.