Another weekend has come and gone… I guess that’s what they do. Shockingly, I did not ride a bike this weekend, yet I don’t feel particularly guilty about it. I did do some work today, at a cost of 40 in-my-mind lashings. A hike at Mt. Finlayson also materialized. According to my blog archives the last outing to Mt. Finlayson was last year around salmon-run time. Not much evidence of fish today, although it was nice and green in the forest, which is partly the result of said fish. The afternoon involved a short stint of bike race watching (Bastion Square Criterium – part of the Victoria Cycling Classic), coffee, and a tad more work.
GPS Data: 4.3km – 1h58m – GPS route
A 4.3km hike to and from the top of Mt. Finlayson near Victoria, BC. Click on the map to see detailed GPS information on the Garmin website.
Uphill is what Mt. Finlayson is; it's steep too. Lots of stuff to look at though if you like greenery and other nature things.
Not sure how many people read the warning signs on the way up Mt. Finlayson, but some really should. Remember the matching/association exercises we did when we were kids? The kind where pictures of loafers, heels, little kiddies, house cats, etc. do not associate with pictures of mountains. I'm just saying, and I guess the sign is saying it too; use your head. Humourous addendum to point #2 regarding finishing before dark: 'lest there be vampires in the area.'
More uphill at Mt. Finlayson, but with a serving of roots.
Shauna and Michelle getting close to the treeless alpine (just kidding, there's no alpine just some non-treed steepness).
Looks like Scottish Broom might be the official plant of Bear Mountain.
Michelle failing to pull off the Sears catalog pose on the steepest part of Mt. Finlayson.
That's me ascending the mountain (mini-mountain perhaps). I felt really out-of-sorts since I forgot my loafers. I also missed not having Mr. Cuddles (my cat) with me... ahhh, this is not the truth, I don't have any loafers and most definitely don't have a cat named Mr. Cuddles.
Wall flowers near the top of Mt. Finlayson.
Impressive mountain climbing skills were on display during our ascent of Mt. Finlayson today. Ok, perhaps I'm exaggerating.
Unfortunately, I forgot the neccessary implements for scratching my name into this plate at the top of Mt. Finlayson.
The view to the south from the top of Mt. Finlayson.
The summit party starts its descent from the top of Mt. Finlayson.
Orange route markers mark the suggested way up and down Mt. Finlayson. Bear Mountain development in the background.
Not really evident in this photo, but there quite a few people at Mt. Finlayson today. Thankfully, we only saw one person in loafers who looked like they had gone beyond their comfort zone.
More roots on the way down from the top of Mt. Finlayson.
Molto greenness on the lower reaches of Mt. Finlayson. I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of slugs today, but there will be other opportunities.
Apparently, there are no wizards allowed on Mt. Finlayson.
Road bike racing action at the Bastion Square Criterium. The weather held out this year so the racing was pretty much full sauce instead of the wet road tip-toeing action of last year.
The bunch heading up the slight, but probably annoying, hill from Wharf Street to Government Street on Broughton. This was about 10 laps to go in the Bastion Square Criterium.
Some expensive Wilier Imperiale road bikes hanging around in the Total Restoration team pit area.
The Total Restoration team vehicle at the Bastion Square Criterium. I think they're based out of Kelowna still.
Getting close to the end of the Bastion Square Criterium in favourable weather conditions. I think the guy in fifth position here ended up winning.
A tasty dinner courtesy of Michelle. Noodoos (rice noodles), spinach, cilantro cream pesto, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts. I have been advised to advertise that this was a 'delicious gluten free dinner' by the cook. I didn't notice the missing glutens:)
