Island Inferno

To say it is seasonally warm on the island is an understatement and with my two days of mountain biking here in the valley it was extremely evident .

On Thursday we chose to ride Maple Mountain as I wanted to show the great trails to some visiting friends from Calgary. Our route would be up the Climbing Trail stage one until it rejoins M600 to cross over on the fun Story Trails link to head back downhill on Lower Maple Syrup to Solar Coaster.

The day was fun as we logged 14.2km in sweltering 29 degree heat. The typical lush moss was now brown , the arbutus leaves dropping and the creeks dry. The trails were enjoyable as always but the lack of rain was extremely prevalent. 

 
The following day we would head over to Mt Tzouhalem to show the boys the amazing outlook over Cowichan Bay and the valley from the summit. We rode to the summit in another scorcher in excess of 30 degrees , several water breaks were taken. The ride would use Schools Out, Rocky Ridge and DoubleD back down as a few of the local classics. The lack of rain was equally evident on Mt Zoo as the ponds we cross were gone and the dust flew as we sped down DoubleD. The day was fun logging 10.2 km but the heat was in the back of my mind not for my concern but what possible issues we may face if the dry hot conditions persist.


Friday night rolled around and we had the opportunity to escape the heat with a sailboat ride on a friend’s Catalina 30. A short drive to the Ladysmith Marina and we were on the water cruising along the Stuart Channel. It was a good way to beat the heat and an enjoyable night with good friends to round off some fun mountain bike riding.
  

   

So with the heat keep two things in mind . #1 – practice water conservation methods at home #2 – the heat is no excuse to not get out and keep exploring.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone and try something “Beyond the Usual.

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