50p
Up Baldy with the Ellis Boys
As a way of getting the lads - safely - off campus, and out into the fresh air, without having to worry too much about running into large crowds for fear of COVID, Mr Wismer and Mr Barrett decided to take Ellis House on a hike up Shawnigan Lake’s Old Baldy Mountain.
Over thirty young gentlemen signed up for the excursion, and everybody involved had a blast.
We departed from the cafeteria on Sunday morning after brunch, and made our way inland toward enemy territory at Shawnigan Lake. Captain Richie dropped us off at the side of the road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but that did not hold Mr Wismer back from leading the charge up the hill.
“Follow me, gents!” He called to us as he strode forward toward a dusty gravel path. We watched as he, followed by Cormac, Stella, and Beatrix - Niall was at home with a terrible case of hay fever - clambered through the yellow steel gate that led to the head of the trail. The Wismers meant business.
The setting was lovely. It was a warm day of about fifteen degrees, and perfect weather for the occasion - a handful of clouds speckled across the sunny, royal blue sky.
After a surprisingly steep climb, we had reached our first view point only 15 minutes into the walk. As water was drunk, and Oreos were devoured, we looked out over Shawnigan Lake, and the rolling hills of the Cowichan Valley. “Beautiful” I heard Mr Barrett mumble under his breath.
After another half hour of hiking, led by billy-goat Finn E, we had reached the summit, and were welcomed by stunning views from virtually every direction. To the north, we could see Maple Bay, and past it the Gulf Islands floating in the distance. To the east we looked over Mill Bay, toward Saanich, and even further on the horizon, the mainland. Behind us to the south was Malahat Mountain, and to the west we could see the majority of Shawnigan Lake, with boats and jet skis cutting up the shimmering surface.
A little below the summit we came across a rope swing, hanging from one of the many arbutus trees on the mountain. After we had had our fill of pushing Nick C on the swing, we came across a cluster of Inukshuks overlooking the lake. The setting could not have been more perfect.
The trip down the hill went by rather smoothly - aside from the skinned knees of Beatrix, who after receiving some encouraging words from her father, and shedding a few tears, ripped down the rest of the mountain. When Nate R asked “How’re you doing B?”, she responded with “I’m fine!”, and zoomed past us down the gravel trail.
Thank you to Mr Wismer and Mr Barrett for organizing such a fun outing. Erik L saw it as too good of an experience not to share, when he asked me to include that “For anybody that is looking for a place to take a hike, the Ellis boys will tell you that Baldy is the place to be.”
Jack NG, Ellis ‘21
Over thirty young gentlemen signed up for the excursion, and everybody involved had a blast.
We departed from the cafeteria on Sunday morning after brunch, and made our way inland toward enemy territory at Shawnigan Lake. Captain Richie dropped us off at the side of the road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but that did not hold Mr Wismer back from leading the charge up the hill.
“Follow me, gents!” He called to us as he strode forward toward a dusty gravel path. We watched as he, followed by Cormac, Stella, and Beatrix - Niall was at home with a terrible case of hay fever - clambered through the yellow steel gate that led to the head of the trail. The Wismers meant business.
The setting was lovely. It was a warm day of about fifteen degrees, and perfect weather for the occasion - a handful of clouds speckled across the sunny, royal blue sky.
After a surprisingly steep climb, we had reached our first view point only 15 minutes into the walk. As water was drunk, and Oreos were devoured, we looked out over Shawnigan Lake, and the rolling hills of the Cowichan Valley. “Beautiful” I heard Mr Barrett mumble under his breath.
After another half hour of hiking, led by billy-goat Finn E, we had reached the summit, and were welcomed by stunning views from virtually every direction. To the north, we could see Maple Bay, and past it the Gulf Islands floating in the distance. To the east we looked over Mill Bay, toward Saanich, and even further on the horizon, the mainland. Behind us to the south was Malahat Mountain, and to the west we could see the majority of Shawnigan Lake, with boats and jet skis cutting up the shimmering surface.
A little below the summit we came across a rope swing, hanging from one of the many arbutus trees on the mountain. After we had had our fill of pushing Nick C on the swing, we came across a cluster of Inukshuks overlooking the lake. The setting could not have been more perfect.
The trip down the hill went by rather smoothly - aside from the skinned knees of Beatrix, who after receiving some encouraging words from her father, and shedding a few tears, ripped down the rest of the mountain. When Nate R asked “How’re you doing B?”, she responded with “I’m fine!”, and zoomed past us down the gravel trail.
Thank you to Mr Wismer and Mr Barrett for organizing such a fun outing. Erik L saw it as too good of an experience not to share, when he asked me to include that “For anybody that is looking for a place to take a hike, the Ellis boys will tell you that Baldy is the place to be.”
Jack NG, Ellis ‘21