Twenty-two Loopers and guests gathered at Gleneagles Community Centre just outside Horseshoe Bay under cloudy skies.  The weather improved steadily through the day and the hike ended in full sunshine.  The group headed east along the Seaview Walk, a gentle trail along an old railway right-of-way with views, as the name would suggest, out to the west over the water. 

After a few flat kilometers the trail took a turn to the north, ascending rapidly while passing over the south portal of the BC Rail tunnel and then crossing under the Nelson Creek highway overpass.  A brief level stretch followed, crossing Nelson Creek on the old highway bridge, followed by another climb up a roadway. 

From here the path turned into the woods and continued upward.  Until this point we had been following the Trans Canada Trail.  (Side Note: As of June this year the name of the trail reverted back to “Trans Canada Trail” from the decidedly unpopular “Great Trail”.)  After about half a kilometer the Whyte Lake trail branched off to the north and we followed Whyte Creek up to the lake.

The woods yielded an abundance of different varieties of fungi and at one point a heron was observed fishing in the creek.

Upon arrival at Whyte Lake those who had previously visited and remembered the precarious old dock were impressed with the flashy new walkway and dock.  It provided a perfect setting for a snack/lunch break. 

After the break a few Loopers decided to take a short-cut and descend to Horseshoe Bay.  The rest of the group pressed on around the lake taking a trail that climbed over a hill and joined the Baden Powell trail.  From there it was a steady descent, finally crossing under Highway 99 and reaching the trail head.

At this point a few people left and the remainder broke into two groups and headed into Horseshoe Bay for post-hike refreshments.  One group went to Troll’s restaurant for beer and munchies while the other group had coffee at Blenz down the road.

Photos care of Michael, Jean, Angela, Jon, Bruce, Adrienne