Hiking, Vancouver Island

Same Crazy Pace, Different Month

Retirement Reflections

Hiking

My goal this month was to focus on hiking and to walk at least 10 km/6.21 mi (or to do a steep climb) each day. With another crazy-paced month, I was delighted that even when I included my low-kilometre rest days, I achieved this goal (10.622 km per day for the past 30 days). šŸ˜€

With incredible hiking trails all around me, I was spoiled for choice. From top to bottom, left to right, here are my hikes. (Striving for 10 km, I usually walked a longer distance than shown on the links).

  1. Doehle Avenue 116 Stairs 2 Lantzville Look Out Loop 3. Top Bridge, 4. Englishman River Estuary 5. Craig Creek Trail 6. Kinsol Trestle 7. Parksville Beach Walk 8. Qualicum Beach Waterway 9. Lantzville 10. Saltair TCT 11. Little Qualicum Fish Hatchery 12. Qualicum Beach 13. Lighthouse Regional Trail 14. Four Lakes Trail (Squamish) 15. Estuary Trail (Squamish) 16. Spirit Trail (Squamish) 17. Panorama Trail (Squamish) 18. Wonderland Lake Loop (Squamish) 19. Shannon Falls + Surrounding Trails (Squamish) 20. Fern Road/Qualicum Woods Trail 21. Bayside
Doele Ave 101 Stairs
Lantzville Lookout Loop
Top Bridge
Englishman River Estuary
Craig Creek Park
Kinsol Trestle
Parksville Beach Walk
Qualicum Beach Walk
Back to Lantzville Lookout
Saltair TransCanada Trail
Little Qualicum Fish Hatchery
Qualicum Beachfront
Lighthouse Regional Trail, Qualicum Beach
Four Lakes Trail, Squamish
Estuary Trail, Squamish
Spirit Trail, Squamish
Panorama Trail, Squamish
Wonderland Lake Loop, Squamish
Shannon Falls, Squamish
Qualicum Woods
Local Beach hike with full Camino backpack (5.9kg/13 lbs) with a stop at Bayside for coffee.

Friends

“Extremely Grateful” does not begin to sum up how I feel surrounded by these amazing people!

Ladies’ Lunch
After Movie Drinks
Friends’ Backyard Barbeque
Joanne is in town
Friends who all meet through blogging
Neighbours in Beijing, now neighbours on Vancouver Island
Ladysmith Lunch Catchup
Muttley Crew in action




I caught up with friends in 3 different bookclubs. Classics BC, Reel BC and 1 unnamed BC..
It’s always deeply moving when friends go out of their way to support our goals. One friend, Ray, (https://www.instagram.com/vanisleyarnworks) knitted these hiking socks in the colours of the Portuguese flag.
These friends (yup, same group as photo #1) held their Sept. Ladies’ Lunch early so that two of us who will be away could join in!
And this friend, Deb, packed her bag, donned her hiking shoes, and walked 11 – 16 km with me each day for four days (even though her feet and calves took a beating) *See ‘Squamish Adventure’ below.

Special Events

Ensuring that August kept up with July’s lightning-speed pace, these events were mixed into hiking and daily life!

It’s a Barbie World
Parksville Annual Sandcastle Competition
Parksville Rocks the Park
Speaking of Rocks…Rock Painting with Friends

SQUAMISH

Two Friends Ready for Adventure






The Place: Squamish

Accomodation: Home Exchange
Housemate: Freddi
Walking the TransCanadaTrail into Town. (6 km+ round trip).
There was a coyotte in our front yard, a bear in our side yard, and this much more welcomed guy in our view at the estuary.
The Sea to Sky Gondola. Well worth the price.
The Stawamus Chief towers 702 meters above Squamish. This massive cliff face is one of NA;s largest granite monoliths. It offers hikers 3 distinct summits. We looked up, were filled with awe, took snaps and did not attempt one single step of it!
Shannon Falls is BC’s 3rd largest waterfall (Della Falls on Vancouver Island is BC’s highest.)

For more on this Squamish adventure, see the hiking and food pics in this post.

What’s Was On My Plate (in Squamish)?

Flipside Burgers
Dinner by Donna
Dinner by Deb
Indian Spice Cuisine
Our local Farmers’ Market

I will miss September’s ‘What’s On Your Plate,’ so I have given you a sample of what was on my plate in Squamish. One of the many advantages of Home Exchange is that you don’t always need to eat in restaurants when travelling (your health and your wallet will thank you). From top left to bottom right: 1. First lunch out (Flipside Burgers), 2. First night dinner (prepared by Donna). 3. Second night dinner (prepared by Deb), 3. Final night dinner (Indian Spice Cuisine). 4. When we returned home, I did a final Farmer’s Market run for the season.

While in Squamish, I made daily packed lunches for our hiking adventures. I tried to amuse Deb by giving our lunch sandwiches a different acronym each day, e.g. CAT or CHALF (hint: both were derivatives of the classic BLT). Please join my cohost, Deb, for #whatsonyourplate going live at midnight, September 6 (PDT).

COMING SOON

Richard and I will head off shortly for our 5th Camino (6th if you include the ‘Island Walk in PEI). This time, we will be walk the Camino de Portuguese from Lisbon, then veer off to Fatima (157 km). After Fatima, we plan to rejoin the Camino de Portuguese until we run out of time (or energy). I will not be taking part in September’s WOYP, WOYBS or WBOYC, but I will try to post updates of our Camino either on this blog, on Instagram (or a mixture of both). Anyone interested in following along, Richard and I would love for you to join us virtually.
Now all that I need to do is finish organizing (and fretting) and wait for the arrival of our friends who will be staying in our home while we are away. šŸ˜€

That’s a brief snapshot of my August 2023. How was yours? You can share in the comments or through InLinkz below. I look forward to seeing you there!

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Upcoming #WBOYC Posting Dates:

  • Sept. 28/29
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  • Nov. 30/Dec 1*
  • Dec.28/29
    * The August and November Linkups will occur on the 1st of the following month for the Southern Hemisphere.

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Debbie, Jo, Sue & Donna

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ā€˜Retirement Reflectionsā€™ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

87 thoughts on “Same Crazy Pace, Different Month”

  4. I was thinking that we would have been happy to take care of your house while you were gone… then I realized that you’d be gone so what fun would that have been?

    I’m looking forward to “traveling” with you to beautiful Portugal! Obrigada, my friend, for sharing your busy month with us!

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    1. Ummm, did you hear a moan across countries this past Monday? That was me walking uphill with my full backpack on. That evening, my legs were singing a song of their people – and it wasn’t a happy tune. šŸ˜¦ The good news is that the pack has been better since then. I keep on trying to find items to evict from it! šŸ˜€

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  7. That looked like a ton of good busy with friends and hiking and eating. All the best stuff. I hope your kms in Portugal are smooth sailing (sounds better than smooth walking) and I look forward to your intermittent posts as well. Bernie

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  11. What an active and fun-filled August you’ve had Donna. Wishing you and Richard a safe and wonderful Camino in Portugal. I look forward to following along virtually. I’ll add my August highlights post to #WBOYC tomorrow.

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  14. Hi Donna, youā€™ve had a splendid August with lots of amazing hikes and events. August has been an odd month here, going from very cold (rare snow) to very hot (30 C) within 3 weeks. Everyone has colds now but at least we can convalesce in the sunshine.

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  15. What a wonderful month full of all the things you love. Friends are such a blessing, and living where you do is also amazing – and great training for the Camino. I’m looking forward to seeing your updates – make sure you put them on FB too for those of us who are IG averse. xx

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  17. Hi Donna – I’m totally exhausted looking at this – let alone reading some of it, then the exercise – great to know it’s going on!! Derrick says it well … you’re making the most of life – that’s the main thing. Enjoy the Camino and I’m looking forward to following along – cheers Hilary

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  18. You’ve been quite active and social. Good for you. I love that you painted rocks as a group project. I’d like to do that. Enjoy your camino adventure, take lots of photos for those of us back here living vicariously through you.

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  19. Hi Donna, what a colorful and active August you have had. I love the photo of you, Erica, Deb, and Joann, and of course the one of you and your friends in your Barbie outfits. Given your 30-day hiking schedule, I’d say you are ready to conquer just about anything. I will be following along both here and Insta. Good wishes for a safe journey.

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    1. Thanks, Suzanne – You were supposed to hop on a flight and we were going to pick you up at the Nanaimo airport so that you could hike with Joanne, Erica, Deb and me. We can even make the Victoria airport work! Next time for sure!!

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  22. Sometimes Donna I marvel at all you fit into a month and I love all of your photos. They radiate a woman who is living well and enjoying life – my kind of friend! Have a great holiday and you’ve prepared well. Thanks for being a fabulous co-host of WBOYC? and inspiring others to get out there and live. x

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  24. What a wonderful month you had and another one up ahead of you. Your hikes look gorgeous. You are leaving just as it gets beautiful there, aren’t you? I can’t wait to see what your trip pictures show us. How many miles will you go every day?

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  25. Oh my gosh Donna, you have certainly packed a lot into August. You will need to have a holiday to rest – oh, no thatā€™s not happening as you are going on a massive walking holiday! Mad lady! šŸ˜‚
    I hope you have a fantastic time on your Camino trail and safe travels. Iā€™m looking forward to seeing your adventures

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  27. I’ve watched tv programmes following a few camino hikes and they always look like they go through fantastic scenery so I am sure you will have a wonderful time and come home with many lovely photos. My sister is out in Portugal at the moment and it is still very hot out there!
    How lovely to see you in photos with so many friends – you had a good month!

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  28. What a month you’ve had Donna! You’ve managed to pack so much into it and now you’re almost ready to take off for another Camino – so impressive! All the best for your trip, we’ll miss you but will love any posts/photos you can share along the way. Take care xx

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  29. No training for days of hiking but you should see my yard! Flowers peak in August & the rains over the past month have kept the lawn green. The house is clean b/c I’ve spent far too much time on hold with the phone provider trying to remedy a botched phone line. You know, the key to waiting is to find something else to do. A 9hr drive bookended a fabulous week at a lake W of Prince George with my son & his family: days on the beach, in the boat, games, walks. The old grandma even went tubing! Another w/e was spent at my cousin’s lake cabin, more low-key. There was a birthday celebration bbq for another cousin & her partner. Pickles were made; peaches were canned. There were even 2 peach pies. Best wishes to you & Richard on your hike.

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  33. Donna,
    Whew…what a month. I love both your energy and reading about it. Great pictures! Wishing you a fabulous experience in Portugal. May your pack be light, and may you have the sun on your face and the wind at your back. We’ll keep up with you both. Joe

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  35. It’s a shame you don’t get out more or do things in your retirement, Donna. šŸ˜† FYI, I’m reading a fiction book that sort of fits the hiking theme: “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” (Rachel Joyce). – Marty

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  36. Oh, Donna, you are living the life. What a hefty hiking goal but you up to the challenge. And I am sure that is all great preparation for Camino. I think when I first came across your blog you were preparing for a walk. I was in awe then and I’m in awe now!!

    You have made some wonderful friends through blogging. Enjoyed seeing photos of some familiar faces. Had not heard of Home Exchange. Sounds like a cool program. We have switched from staying in hotels to looking for Air BNB opportunities mostly because we are always vacationing with the kids and grandkids. The extra rooms are nice and the kitchens are essential with kiddos. Your food is extremely photogenic!! Looks scrumptious. And I love the acronyms for the sandwiches. I don’t ‘do’ the T in a BLT…so I would prefer a BL, please.

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  37. Hi Donna – wow what a month August was for you! An average of over 6 miles per day is amazing. I’ve been a slave to my phone’s fitness app, but my goals haven’t been as difficult as yours. I really enjoyed looking at your hiking pictures. You are lucky to have so many beautiful sights around you. I’ll be thinking about you during your trip walking the Camino de Santiago and will look for you on Instagram too! šŸ˜Š

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  40. What a wonderful goal to walk 10 km each day! And it must be easy with all those lovely trails around you. It looks like you had some good events with friends too! I saw on Instagram you’re in Portugal and I hope it will be fabulous. I’d like to do one of those caminos at some point.

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  43. Oh my goodness, Donna! What an epic month it has been. And now your 5th (!!!) camino is coming soon – wow wow wow! You really are an inspiration for active living!

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