Lower Seymour Exploratory Trips

[Katy Poon]

I have done two exploratory hikes this year (2024) so far…. (I am hoping to do more)

Feb. 11 – Quarry Rock via Raindancer Loop

Feb.14 – Old Buck trail to base of Mount Seymour Ski resort Return

I enjoyed both trips but they are very different in terms of weather, duration and terrain.

Quarry Rock via Raindancer Loop – this is a 4 hour loop trip with less than 300m elevation gain.  We were 5 brave souls hiking in the rain under the forest canopy.  There was not one single complaint about how wet the weather was.  The hike in the forest is just magical.  We reached the Quarry Rock in just under 2 hours, and decided to return to the forest for lunch.   To our surprise, we can see Deep Cove just down the drop off in the mist… it’s amazingly different view.   We also learnt about a few plants from Lesley, one that we all tasted was Licorice fern root  It was a very good “A” trip that I was like to do it again and again.

Old Buck trail to base of Mount Seymour Ski resort Return – This was a different weather day – sunshine was in the forecast.   I have three very experienced hikers join me and that make me very confident to complete this long (15km+) and 700m+ elevation gain hike.    Our first goal is to Deep Cove Lookout via Old Buck Trail where we had a very relaxing snack break in the sunshine.    From there, we aimed to the Seymour Ski Lodge for lunch.   We reached Flower and Goldie Lakes just around noon and thought a hot cup of tea would be nice at the ski lodge.  We then followed the ski runs to arrive the ski lodge.   It’s open but nothing is served.  There were actually ski lessons going even the snow as melting away.  On return, we decided to make a loop via Magic Kingdom Trail on Enquisit Route.  The entrance to the trail would be a route finding challenge but John managed to lead us through the woods without problems.   The rest of the return trip was a fast downhill and connecting us back to Old Buck Trail intersection around 3pm.  As it’s the Valentine Day, John and Hiroshi signed off to return to their cars and be home with gifts for their wives.   Andrea and I extended our loop by returning via Baden Powell.    It was a very rewarding hike and I thanked my fellow hikers, Andrea, Hiroshi and John to accompany me and make it a succeed.

Here is the link to my photo albums:

https://northshorehikers.org/forums/topic/trip-photos-albums/

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