I added 11.1 km over my two walks today, to bring the total distance travelled to 71.2 km. I am still on Malahat Mountain, now having passed Koksilah River and on my way toward Deerholme.
Today the Classic Boat Festival was happening in Victoria, so I saw a procession of boats going out when I started my walk on the outer coast, and then a stream of boats returning to harbour when I finished my walk at the Inner Harbour.
After 8 days (Sept. 3, 2017), 71.2 km total distance, just past Irving Creek on Malahat Mountain.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Day 7 McGee Creek, Malahat Mountain
Still working on the long trail up Malahat Mountain. Added a total of 7.9 km today, which brings the total distance walked to 60.1 km. On Malahat Mountain I am well past McGee Creek. This is a beautiful area with trestle bridges over creeks and rivers. I wished I was really there, and not just virtually! Maybe some day!
After 7 days (Sept. 2, 2017), 60.1 km total distance, just past Irving Creek on Malahat Mountain.
Day 6 Irving Creek (Malahat Mountain)
Today saw 9.1 km added, bringing the total to 52.2 km. Still a long way to go on Malahat Mountain before I reach Shawnigan Lake.
After 6 days (Sept. 1, 2017), 52.2 km total distance, just past Irving Creek on Malahat Mountain.
After 6 days (Sept. 1, 2017), 52.2 km total distance, just past Irving Creek on Malahat Mountain.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Day 5 Malahat Mountain
On day 5 (Aug. 31, 2017) I did my two standard loops in James Bay, adding 7.4 km (total distance now 43.1 km over the 5 days). This places me along the forested trail in Malahat Mountain (still long way to go up the mountain, though!).
I thought I would share with you the route I most usually take each day. I start with our home in central James Bay, and head to the outer coast along Dallas Road. The walk along the coast is beautiful! Almost always there is a range of sea traffic to watch, ranging from small pleasure boats to large ships. I take the option to go down to the lower path beside the water for a portion of this part of the trail.
I continue along this path until I reach Cook St. where I cross Dallas Road. I then take a diagonal path through Beacon Hill Park, the first part of which is beautifully forested. Further along I pass the gardens and ponds. I then divert and take the gravel path through the high point of Beacon Hill park that is nearest downtown.
While only a few steps away from the more gardened parts, the rocky outcrops and stunted trees make this seem like a different world. I emerge on Southgate street across from the historic St. Ann's Academy National Historic Site. I cross Douglas St. and always stop to wave at .
A few steps further on I pass through Thunderbird Park, on the edge of the Royal British Columbia Museum. Even though near two busy streets, this set of totems offers a peaceful way to appreciate the first nations who lived here for thousands and thousands of years.
Now I am at the Inner Harbour, with the Empress behind me, the harbour on my right and the British Columbia legislature on my left. Together these represent the most photographed scenes in Victoria, BC, although I like the quieter, less busy parts of my walk.
At this point I either continue along Inner Harbout to Fisherman's Wharf, if ready for a longer walk, or take a left up Menzies St. if taking the basic 5.5 km loop. I will describe the longer loop option, and some photos of the Inner Harbour walk, in a later posting.
The Menzies St. option is usually shaded on one side, and passes by the Capital Park project, phase one of which is nearing completion. It will include a new public library branch for us 😃.
Soon I am at the main corner of businesses in James Bay, and home soon after. James Bay is the oldest European settlement north of San Francisco.
After 5 days (Aug. 31, 2017), 43.1 km total distance, Malahat Mountain.
I thought I would share with you the route I most usually take each day. I start with our home in central James Bay, and head to the outer coast along Dallas Road. The walk along the coast is beautiful! Almost always there is a range of sea traffic to watch, ranging from small pleasure boats to large ships. I take the option to go down to the lower path beside the water for a portion of this part of the trail.
I continue along this path until I reach Cook St. where I cross Dallas Road. I then take a diagonal path through Beacon Hill Park, the first part of which is beautifully forested. Further along I pass the gardens and ponds. I then divert and take the gravel path through the high point of Beacon Hill park that is nearest downtown.
While only a few steps away from the more gardened parts, the rocky outcrops and stunted trees make this seem like a different world. I emerge on Southgate street across from the historic St. Ann's Academy National Historic Site. I cross Douglas St. and always stop to wave at .
A few steps further on I pass through Thunderbird Park, on the edge of the Royal British Columbia Museum. Even though near two busy streets, this set of totems offers a peaceful way to appreciate the first nations who lived here for thousands and thousands of years.
Now I am at the Inner Harbour, with the Empress behind me, the harbour on my right and the British Columbia legislature on my left. Together these represent the most photographed scenes in Victoria, BC, although I like the quieter, less busy parts of my walk.
At this point I either continue along Inner Harbout to Fisherman's Wharf, if ready for a longer walk, or take a left up Menzies St. if taking the basic 5.5 km loop. I will describe the longer loop option, and some photos of the Inner Harbour walk, in a later posting.
The Menzies St. option is usually shaded on one side, and passes by the Capital Park project, phase one of which is nearing completion. It will include a new public library branch for us 😃.
Soon I am at the main corner of businesses in James Bay, and home soon after. James Bay is the oldest European settlement north of San Francisco.
After 5 days (Aug. 31, 2017), 43.1 km total distance, Malahat Mountain.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Day 4 Wolf Hill (near Goldstream) BC
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| The Great Trail (green) is to the left of Golstream Park. |
Rather than my normal routes in James Bay, I had the opportunity today to walk much of my daily walk on The Great Trail in the Gorge area of Victoria, BC up to Uptown in Saanich and back. This was a beautiful walk, with interesting nature, ocean bay and artwork.
Today (Day 4) I added 9.7 km, bringing the total to 35.7 km.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Day 3 Langford, BC
Today I've added 7.4 km, bringing the total to 26.0 km. I am in the region of Langford, BC (virtually that is!). A warm but nice day for a walk in James Bay, with some bigger than normal waves on the outer harbour.
In my walk in James Bay today I walked by The Glenshiel, an independent living facility for seniors run as a non-profit organization. Recently I have learned about an amazing program where some of the residents have paddles with messages to cheer people who walk by. Today I got to wave to one of the residents with her paddle. If you are walking in the area, please do the same and spread the message. There is an article in the James Bay Beacon about to come out any day on the program (Win-Win Window!). Give it a read!
Day 3 I walked 7.4 km which took me from a starting point in View Royal to near Langford, BC. Total distance travelled so far 26.0 km.
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| The region I am in today near the city of Langford, BC. The green line shows The Great Trail. |
In my walk in James Bay today I walked by The Glenshiel, an independent living facility for seniors run as a non-profit organization. Recently I have learned about an amazing program where some of the residents have paddles with messages to cheer people who walk by. Today I got to wave to one of the residents with her paddle. If you are walking in the area, please do the same and spread the message. There is an article in the James Bay Beacon about to come out any day on the program (Win-Win Window!). Give it a read!
Day 3 I walked 7.4 km which took me from a starting point in View Royal to near Langford, BC. Total distance travelled so far 26.0 km.
Day 2 View Royal, BC and a slogan!
In the distance across the inlet from View Royal is the Fort Rodd National Historic site - it actually includes two historic sites, a fort and a lighthouse. It, along with all Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites, has free admission this year for Canada 150, so this year would be an ideal time to visit.
I shared the start of my virtual walking journey with my granddaughter yesterday, and she is keen to start her own walk. In case any of you reading this have started your own walk, why not mention it in the comments, and include a link if you have an online update.
The other bit of news, on my walk yesterday I thought of a slogan for my walk. As mentioned yesterday, while I am not setting a firm goal for either destination for time period, I am hoping to complete from Victoria, BC to Sackville, NB by May, 2022 (which will be my Mount Allison Class '72 50 year reunion). I am going to use the slogan #SeeYouIn22 for my walk (kind of a message to my Mount Allison and New Brunswick Friends).
Day 2 I walked 8.1 km which took me from a starting point in the Uptown region of Saanich, BC to the View Royal region of BC (approaching Langford, BC).
Sunday, August 27, 2017
The Idea and Day 1
I am a fan of The Great Trail (formerly called the Trans Canada Trail). As I write this the 22,000 km trail is 93% complete. Walking the trail enriches lives from coast to coast to coast. The trail inspires and brings Canadians together. I hope each of you have had the opportunity to explore parts of the trail near where you live.
I also love walking in the James Bay area of Victoria where I now live in retirement. With a mix of developed and natural coast, urban streets, the beautiful Beacon Hill Park, it offers incredible variety in a loop walk of an hour or so. Most days I spend at least an hour walking, sometimes more. I look forward to sharing my daily walks with you through this blog.
So the plan is to track the distance I walk each day, and to trace it out along The Great Trail, gradually working my way from west to east. I have started where I live in Victoria, BC and my goal is to make it to Sackville, NB, where I lived for most of my life. I plan to count only walking I do specifically for walking sake, that is not count walking I do to go to a store or do everyday things.
I realize this will take many years, and even if I don't make it all the way, it still will be fun! I deliberately am not setting a goal for how much I will walk each day, or how long it will take. It would be wonderful if I could complete it by May, 2022. That would correspond to my 50th year after graduation from Mount Allison University, and I plan to be there for the reunion so I could do the final walking actually in New Brunswick.
On this blog I will share a little bit both about where I am really walking (usually James Bay, Victoria, occasionally elsewhere) and what I have learned about where I am imagining walking. On the top right I will update what day I am on (I started this on August 27, 2017), the total distance I have walked, and the last community that I virtually visited.
For the starting day I got from Clover Point in Victoria, BC (within a couple of km from my home) to the Uptown region of Saanich, BC. The first part of today's route included the very beautiful section along the Dallas Road coastal path, then a portion of the David Foster Harbour Pathway, and then joined up with the Galloping Goose regional trail. You can see it (in green) on the map on the right. Click on the image to see it in higher resolution.
Thanks for coming along on my walk!
-Bob
Day 1 I walked 10.5 km which took me from a starting point at Clover Point to the Uptown region of Saanich, BC.
I also love walking in the James Bay area of Victoria where I now live in retirement. With a mix of developed and natural coast, urban streets, the beautiful Beacon Hill Park, it offers incredible variety in a loop walk of an hour or so. Most days I spend at least an hour walking, sometimes more. I look forward to sharing my daily walks with you through this blog.
So the plan is to track the distance I walk each day, and to trace it out along The Great Trail, gradually working my way from west to east. I have started where I live in Victoria, BC and my goal is to make it to Sackville, NB, where I lived for most of my life. I plan to count only walking I do specifically for walking sake, that is not count walking I do to go to a store or do everyday things.
I realize this will take many years, and even if I don't make it all the way, it still will be fun! I deliberately am not setting a goal for how much I will walk each day, or how long it will take. It would be wonderful if I could complete it by May, 2022. That would correspond to my 50th year after graduation from Mount Allison University, and I plan to be there for the reunion so I could do the final walking actually in New Brunswick.
On this blog I will share a little bit both about where I am really walking (usually James Bay, Victoria, occasionally elsewhere) and what I have learned about where I am imagining walking. On the top right I will update what day I am on (I started this on August 27, 2017), the total distance I have walked, and the last community that I virtually visited.
For the starting day I got from Clover Point in Victoria, BC (within a couple of km from my home) to the Uptown region of Saanich, BC. The first part of today's route included the very beautiful section along the Dallas Road coastal path, then a portion of the David Foster Harbour Pathway, and then joined up with the Galloping Goose regional trail. You can see it (in green) on the map on the right. Click on the image to see it in higher resolution.
Thanks for coming along on my walk!
-Bob
Day 1 I walked 10.5 km which took me from a starting point at Clover Point to the Uptown region of Saanich, BC.
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