snowy walk at snowden

Oh, the unpredictable nature of the weather. November is supposed to be cool and wet. Perfect for mushroom hunting, right? Well, the end of this November has turned out snowy and downright cold - more appropriate for frost than fungus. Fortunately the cold weather did not deter the hearty souls who joined us at Snowden Forest for a hike and mushroom hunt last Sunday.

Though it didn't feel mushrooming weather we still managed to find quite a few varieties. As one of our hikers said, once your eye gets trained you start to spot them everywhere. We saw some bright yellow witch's butter,

a type of false morel,

a coral mushroom

and even a nice fat chanterelle!

But, I think my favourite was this diminutive specimen of bird's nest mushroom.

It was only a few millimetres wide and filled with lots of tiny "eggs" (actually spores packets). The word "mushroom" is hardly adequate to describe the variety and diversity of species in the Fungi family. What too often overlooked treasures of the forest they are. And what fun to go out and spot them with our own eyes.

Mushroom hunting was not the only fun we had. The trail itself was quite lovely, too. We hiked along Lost Lake and then followed a bike trail up a high ridge. From the top we could see Lost Lake below and mountains beyond, and were able to enjoy the sunny skies and amazingly crisp, warm light.

The cold weather lent a magical air to the whole forest, with the frost, rime, and snow glistening in the late afternoon sun. By the time we had returned to the parking lot we were tired out from two hour walk, but I for one was reluctant to leave such a beautiful time and place.

(Thanks to Mark Wunsch for the wonderful photos)

snowden forest mushroom walk

The forest is looking decidedly less green these days. All that remains of the brilliant leaves of fall are wet leaf litter on the forest floor. But every season holds it's delights, and November is when the lowly mushroom takes centre stage.

Our recent forays into the forest have turned up all kinds of mushrooms. Like so many things, once I began to actually look for them they seemed to be everywhere. There they were on trees trunks, rotting stumps and poking out of the mossy forest floor in a seemingly limitless variety of sizes, shapes, colours and textures. These cheerful little fellows have certainly brightened up what for me can be a dreary time of year. So I say, hooray for mushrooms!



Which brings me to our next event. For our next gathering we'll be heading out to the Snowden Forest for a hike and mushroom hunt. Meet at the Lost Lake Parking Lot off of Loveland Bay Road on Sunday, November 21st at 1:30. I am no mycologist, but I'll bring a fieldguide along and we can try our hand at identifying some of the fanciful fungi we find. There are edible mushrooms to be found in our region, but it's best to go with an experienced guide, which I am not, before you actually plan on serving them up. So while we won't be picking any mushrooms to eat, it's still fun to check out the many varieties that one can find along the trail. We hope to see you there!

salmon spotting at quinsam river

Living where we do one can't help but think about salmon at this time of year. Throughout the fall months you are bound to catch glimpses of spawning salmon on any number of local creeks, rivers and waterways. Each time I witness the marvel of salmon struggling upstream I am as amazed as the very first time. Some miracles of nature remain miraculous, no matter what.

In this spirit we are planning a hike at Quinsam River on Saturday, October 2nd in hopes of seeing this great migration up close. We will meet at the parking lot just past the bridge on Quinsam Road at 1pm.

This is becoming an annual tradition with Into the Wild. Last season's walk, in spite of the heavy rain, was probably my favourite of the entire year. We really hope you can come out and join us.

fall kick off

After a summer hiatus we are back and ready to kick things off for another season of Into the Wild - Family Nature Club. For our first fall event we are planning a gathering at Oyster River Nature Park on Saturday, September 18th. We'll meet at the trailhead at 11 am for a hike and a picnic.

This is one of our family's favourite parks as it has a little bit of everything - forested trails, a beautiful river and estuary, breathtaking ocean views and a sweet beach complete with driftwood. There are even some nice swimming holes, so if the day is hot you may want to bring your suit to get in one last dip before autumn really takes hold.

We hope to see you there!

wet and wild at willow creek

We sure have been having a wet spring, and the weather for our Saturday walk was no exception. Though we humans may be getting tired of all this moisture, the flora at Willow Creek seems to be appreciating it. The rainforest is fueled by rain after all.

It was a veritable jungle along the trails, lush, green and rather muddy. To add to the excitement, we had an unfortunate encounter with some hostile creatures when the kids disturbed a wasps' nest while exploring along the creek.

It was a good reminder of the wild in wilderness, even if that wilderness is tucked into a residential neighborhood in the heart of town.

By the time we made it back to the trailhead we felt like we had experienced a real adventure, with the wounds to prove it. Thanks to every who came out. We hope to see you next time, if you think you can handle it!

plenty of surprises at miracle beach

It never ceases to amaze me how even a familiar trail can offer up the unexpected. That was certainly the case last week during our outing at Miracle Beach. I was sure the kids would rush through the trail eager to get to the beach. Instead we lingered and wandered and took our sweet time.

We snacked on Oregon Grape blossoms along the trail. We marveled at caddisfly larvae and tried to spy darting fish in little puddle. We couldn't resist the mud, and discovered its properties of suction.

The beach was lovely, too. We found moon snail shells. We suddenly seemed so small.

And on the way back, the biggest surprise of all. Thanks to Louise's quick reflexes we got to hold a smooth, slithering, and surprisingly warm garter snake. Oh joy! One never can predict how a walk will unfold. But, one thing is for certain. You'll never know unless you go. Thanks for going along with us!

next meeting - miracle beach

Our next meeting of Into the Wild Family Nature Club will take place on Sunday, April 18th at Miracle Beach.

Meet at the north parking lot at 1pm. There are some nice trails for hiking along Black Creek before heading down to the beach for some good old unstructured play. The tide will be way out so be prepared for plenty of poking around in the sand.

Remember to bring some change to pay for parking, as Miracle Beach is a Provincial Park. Hope to see you there!