Shellalligan Pass Trail

It was still dark when I caught the 6:40 am ferry to Quadra Island. I hate driving the roads there because they are so winding with sharp curves and lots of ups and downs. The Village Bay Lakes Forest Service Road is narrow but paved. I took a right down Valdez dirt road with potholes and drove until I saw an abandon one lane logging road. There is no space to pass another vehicle on this dirt road. I drove it 1.7 km to an informal parking and trail sign. There was no one around.

I checked the trail map here and saw another trail access point further down the road. Instead of driving it, I jogged down the road until I came to the second trailhead. This trail heads closer to the bays and inlets in a loop trail. The trail goes through a woodlot with replanted trees protected by plastic white cones. The forest is open with sparse trees and littered with ferns. 

The walking is pleasant with no biting insects at this time of year. The trail eventually heads down along a steep gully with a small creek running; the only fresh source of water. At the bottom of the gully the path heads over a small footbridge before swinging uphill on the other side of the gully. Before heading up, I spent some time exploring around the small bay. 

                                                 Empty clams and oyster shells

There were a lot of empty oyster shells on the ground and out in the bay were a lot of floats; looks like some sort of long structure with floats around it.  I explored around the rocky bluffs finding things to photograph. Unfortunately, there was debris here and there which I had to clear away before I took any photos.

I went back to the main trail and followed it up steeply to the top of the gully. I can see the clear cut, through the sparse forest, with secondary growth of small trees on the other side. This trail heads to the Village Bay FSR so I retraced my steps and went back up the other side of the gully to a junction then followed the trail along the coast southward. I scrambled down to the shoreline treading lightly on the slippery rocks. 

 

                                                          The shoreline looking north

At one point, I slipped and skinned my left leg. The boulder looked dry but the algae clinging to it in places was very slippery. The sun was warm at 9:30 am as I rested near the ocean and gazed across to the bay to the forest land of Quadra with the snowy Coast Mountains poking above it in the distance. 

      Tree frames snow capped mountains in the background

A lot of the rocky shoreline looks scoured as though a glacier has gone over it. These nice patterns made interesting designs. The wave action contributed to the smooth boulders but some rocks were jagged and fractured. 

    Fractured rock along the shoreline

I found another nice place to relax. I went off trail to a grassy bluff overlooking the ocean. There was some benches made of driftwood; a nice spot to spend some time but I wanted to get down to the shore. I found a way to scramble down and made my way to an area with a sheer rockwall behind me and a natural stone ledge to sit on. I had my lunch here.

   Eating lunch on a warm March day

I really enjoyed this trail along the coast with the open waters of the Straight of Georgia. There was an apparent lack of wind which made the sun feel hot. At times, the sun was too bright which made photographing difficult. A thin layer of clouds eventually moved in diffusing the harsh light a bit. The trail continues following the coastline to a small bay before heading into the forest and connecting up with the road. I followed the road back to my car as someone was driving down. At this time of year, there are few people around which makes this hike even more pleasant.