Blog: I Think It's This Way» Wednesday Hike – Swan Lake / Christmas Hill – Victoria, BC

Wednesday Hike – Swan Lake / Christmas Hill – Victoria, BC

Kris — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:20:18 +0000

You’d think I’d get sick of blabbing about how it sure feels like Spring/Summer. Well I guess not, tonight was a great night for a hike with abundant Springish greenery on display. Starting from the Dorfmart (aka Walmart) parking lot we did a short stint on the Lochside Trail (former rail bed multi-use trail) and then headed onto the Swan Lake perimeter trail. Over the floating bridge we went and on through the thicket to the bottom of Christmas Hill. While not particularly challenging terrain-wise the hike up the hill requires some effort, with the reward being the view from the top. After hanging about at the summit, we headed back down to Swan Lake to finish our clockwise loop around the perimeter.

GPS Data: 6.2km – 1h40m – GPS Route

A 6km Wednesday hike at Swan Lake and Christmas Hill near Victoria, BC. Click on the map to see detailed GPS information on the Garmin website.

The Swan Lake floating bridge on a damn fine evening.

Mmmm, green stuff. Taken from the Swan Lake perimeter trail, north end.

Wednesday Hike – Swan Lake / Christmas Hill – Victoria, BC

Kris — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:35:04 +0000

My Wednesday hike with co-workers this week had a few more people than in the previous couple weeks, despite the rather cool temperatures. While none of us were scantily-clad, some, including myself, could have used another layer of clothing. For some strange reason, the air near Swan Lake at the beginning and end of the hike was cooler than the air higher up on Christmas Hill. A ‘temperature inversion’, I believe, is what we experienced. The lake appeared to be fully frozen from what I could see with my headlight. Aside from temperature, it was good to be out, and as usual the view from Christmas Hill was pretty good, even in the dark.

It’s still the dark season, so no photos again, but below is a map of the hike route (click the image to see GPS data on the Garmin website).

GPS Data: (Distance: 6.2 km / Time: 1h27m / GPS Route)

Hike route around Swan Lake and Christmas Hill in Victoria, BC. Click the image to see GPS data on the Garmin website.