Extension Ridge

Views of the Salish Sea from Extension Ridge

Last week, my friend Sally and I resumed our Monday hikes.  We chose Extension Ridge, in the Nanaimo area, starting at the trailhead to The Abyss on Harewood Mines Rd.   We had hiked the Abyss and a short distance along Extension Ridge once before  but turned back for a number of reasons (lack of time, bad joints, difficulty of trail).  In better shape and with more time this year, we set out in moderate temperatures and mostly sunny skies.

The trail up to The Abyss climbs somewhat steeply over exposed bedrock, alongside a light covering of trees.    We saw this little bird perched above a Covid-19 heart, and took it as a sign that it would be a great hike:

After twenty to thirty minutes, we reached The Abyss - a large, long crack in the ground, supposedly from a long-ago earthquake.  It is 12-16" across, probably 75 - 100 feet long (though if you look closely on the hike up and beyond, you will see evidence of smaller sections), and of unknown depth.  I forgot to take photos this time, but here's a couple from last year:

After a brief stop to catch our breath and gaze down the fissure, we continued on along the Extension Ridge Trail, which is part of the Trans-Canada Trail. It is a lightly treed trail on dirt and exposed bedrock, and with a few exceptions mostly flat, with just a couple of tricky sections for short-legged seniors with weak knees.  Hiking poles and good hiking boots helped!

 And it truly is a ridge - looking to our left we had frequent views of the valley across to Mt Benson, looking to our right we had frequent views of the City of Nanaimo and the Salish Sea.

Looking across to the Salish Sea.
Specifically, the long narrow finger of land is Jack Point, another favourite hike. 

Looking down the hydro line across to Mt Benson (to the right of the photo, I think).

When not gazing at the views, we were admiring the many wildflowers - honeysuckle and Nootka rose, lupins and camas lily, stonecrop, sea blush, wild sweet pea, and more.  Add to that the beautiful reds and yellows of the arbutus trees along the trail, and there was no lack of colour.

Stonecrop

Ground cones.  These look just like pine cones but grow straight out of the ground.
They are a parasitic plant. 

Lupins

The last of the spring's seablush

Beautiful colours and smooth wood of the arbutus tree.
Arbutus is a broadleaf evergreen, prominent along the coastal part of the island,
and sheds its thin bark to reveal the gorgeous colours beneath.

We could hear plenty of birdsong, and were fortunate enough to spot a pair of red-breasted sapsuckers, one of which allowed this paparazzi to capture a shot:

Red-breasted sapsucker.
They drill small holes in trees, often in neat little rows, and then return to eat the sap
(and any insects that have been trapped in the sap)

We saw a bit of dried bear scat, and some possible cougar scrapings low on a tree, the birds and at least a dozen little cyanide millipedes were the only wildlife we saw.

Cyanide Millipede

The cyanide millipede, also known as the yellow-spotted millipede, releases cyanide to ward off predators - it is toxic to them, and eighteen times the amount needed to kill a pigeon should a pigeon choose to eat one.  They do not bite, however, and the cyanide is not sufficient to harm a human, though it can cause skin irritation and even blisters so handling them is not advised.

After a couple of hours of hiking (including stops for photos and admiring the views), we came to the edge of a former clear cut, now greening up again, where we found two convenient chairs made from tree stumps.  And there we had our lunch, gazing out over the city to the sea, where we watched ferries leaving Duke Point, and sailboats taking advantage of the day's light breeze.

After lunch, we continued on - more views, more flowers, more wonderful fresh air and exercise.  We had read of a 'fairy circle' along the route - one is supposed to circle it three times, counter clockwise, for good luck.  We never did figure out exactly where it was, but in consultation with a couple of other hikers we met along the way, we decided it must be a flat area at approximately the highest point of the ridge, and there we did our three counter-clockwise turns.

There were no fairies and no apparent circle here, but we turned around three times just in case
this was the fabled "fairy circle". 

Information on the trail from this point on was a bit vague - some described it as a loop trail, some show just a loop at the end, some show it going right through to Extension Road.  Several mentioned a bench further on, though we never saw it.  Mountain bike trails criss-cross the area, and the signage marking the TransCanada trail disappears, so we set ourselves a time limit and turned around to return the way we came.  We did learn from a couple coming from the other direction that there is an access on Extension Road, so another time we will come in from that way.  As we did a little over 6 miles round trip (just under 10 km), we were probably pretty close to the end when our watches said it was time to head back.

Although we saw a few other hikers and a few mountain bikers, it was a perfect covid-19 hike, with lots of space to step off the trail and everyone we met respectful of distance.   The climb to the Abyss would be slippery when wet and is not stroller friendly (nor great for those with knee issues, though I was fine with two hiking poles and no dog), but is a great outing for most age groups. Watch your small kids and small dogs near the Abyss - some parts are wide enough for them to fall in!