first snow fall on jocelynn

rainy day on Mt Macdonald

 Hiked up Mt Macdonald the other day in the rain. It was more like spring showers with a little frozen rain mixed in, the sun came out number of times and the wind picked up as I got to the summit. A little chilly. but the low cloud was pretty cool with the sun came out causing some neat lighting.

Victoria is in the background over the misty mountain of Mt Wells. 

Out to the E & N goldstream lookout

Hiked up along Arbutus Ridge trail today, out the E and N Railine, to the lookout above the Trans Canada highway. It was a bright high overcast morning at the start but cool, still some ice on the rail ties. I was actually checking out the trail I was going to take on the Christmas bird count in a few weeks. It will be pitch dark when I head out that day so I was familiarizing myself with the route again. I often see golden eagles from this lookout so I was hoping one would appear today. no luck, it was pretty quiet except for  a few Pacific Wrens and a Bald Eagle.

first snow of the season

looking south from the top of mt finlayson after the first snow fall

 looking over the Estuary towards the malahat and the nature house below

gonzales

gonzales, originally uploaded by robinnestridge.

from King George Terrace , victoria

uplands fall leaves

uplands fall leaves, originally uploaded by robinnestridge.

a few pics from my last few hikes around victoria, east sooke park, mt finlayson

this was on a Hike towards Sugar Loaf mtn. in the sooke hills, looking towards Helmchen mtn. and the "sookeahalla"... Victoria is directly behind the mtn. apparently I took the shot from Camass Ridge.

this one is from near the top of Mt Finlayson, looking westerly over the Goldstream estuary. The Nature house in in the shadows at the head of the delta. and the Malahat Highway is the cut you see just above the inlet heading to the right.

 These are part of the Olympic mountains as seen from East Sooke park above the hawkwatch lookout at Beechey Head. The shot below shows beechey head and the hawkwatch lookout

 a nice looking mushroom, Gomphus floccocus, on the trail edge. and Here is brent scrambling out of the thick tall Salal bush that seemed to go on for far too long. Lots of dead falls and stuff to climb through in east sooke park once you get off the trails.