In Victoria dead fish and “mountain climbing” (I am using this terminology loosely) can and do go together. Tis the season for the annual salmon run, and Goldstream Park near Victoria offers easy access to the action. On one hand I feel a little bummed out for the swimming-dead and already dead, but on the other hand the salmon run is an awesome example of how life ends, but continues, in a way, in other forms (trees, other animals, etc.)
So where does the mountain climbing figure in? If you haven’t been to Goldstream Park, there is a fair-sized chunk of rock in the vicinity known as Mt. Finlayson. As already noted, the “mountain climbing” terminology is probably not quite right since Mt. Finlayson really isn’t that big. Following our walk along the creek/river to check out the salmon, Michelle and I headed up the mountain and down the other side; sometimes walking, sometimes running.
Here is a map and some pictures from our outing to Goldstream / Mt. Finlayson today.
A map of our 8km hike/run route at Goldstream Park and Mt. Finlayson. Click the image to see our GPS stats on the Garmin website.
This is what the salmon look like when they are alive...
... and this is what they look like when they're dead.
There are some pretty big trees in the Goldstream area. I failed to notice the sign that said - Only children are allowed in the log.
Michelle is seen here sporting the latest fall fashions from the designer Mauricio Enzo Cacciatore (MEC for short).
Domo arigato Mr. Reflecto. Looking north towards Finlayson Arm from the Goldstream Nature House.
Ahhh, what a pretty pathway through the rainforest.
That actually looks kind of creepy, but it's just a tree growing on the remnants of another tree.
Not so easy to see, but here are some of the swimming dead.
I suspect these trees enjoy the nitrogen contributed to the soil by the dead salmon.
Apparently the seagulls are somewhat choosy about their food. They seemed to be more interested in hanging out around the nearly-dead than the definitely-dead.
There are some stairs on the first part of the climb up Mt. Finlayson. Michelle informs me that the contestants in Canada's Next Top Model were required to climb these steps as part of a fitness challenge. Why not the whole mountain?
Ahhh, some lovely rainforest trail.
Ohhh, that's a pretty creek running down the mountain. Why don't the lazy salmon swim up here?
Looking through the trees to the east. This view probably wouldn't have been possible five years ago. Thank you Bear Mountain 
No rain today, but lots of low-lying cloud, one of my favourite features of west coast winters.
Michelle is an expert mountain climber 
Why have I not noticed Arbutus tree berries before?
And finally, the summit of Mt. Finlayson. This is the view to the south / southwest.
Pose and go. No picnic action on the mountain today. It was a wee bit windy.
A nice little waterfall on the way down the backside of Mt. Finlayson.
Absolutely great pictures. There is a picture which states that “Michelle is an excellent mountain climber” followed by a cute little smiley emoticon. We are sure that she must be a great mountain climber because that looks like a very steep drop behind her. In fact it is giving us vertigo just looking at it. Did you two really come up that way?
Please be careful you two. We don’t want to give the seagulls anything else to stare at.
DiJi
I think the angle of the photo may make it seem like we went straight up the mountain. While it is definitely steep in some sections, there is actually a trail that we followed. We are safe from the seagulls for awhile
I love the pictures; so earthy and undimished! You have managed to show us that the weather is seldom, if ever, a deterent to your adventures. Hike on! My only regret is not being there and able to hit the trails with you. So share on!