GTO Hikers Reunion

This past August saw the fruition of an idea that was planted last year among a group of us regulars in Guanajuato who live in the Northwest.  I thought it would be fun to get together somewhere back home during the summer, have a little reunion.  Terry and Diana who live in Comox, here on Vancouver Island, were gracious enough to host the event at their lovely place, surrounded by forest, eating veggies our of their bountiful garden, salmon they'd caught, enjoying the deer who joined the gathering every evening and enjoying the camaraderie.  Most of us only know each other in the context of Guanajuato, hiking and socializing together there, so this was a nice opportunity to spend time together in a completely different setting.

Terry and Diana organized some events for us so the first day saw us hiking in Strathcona Park, the activity that originally brought us together in Mexico. 

 Strathcona Park is a large Provincial park, the oldest in BC.  It has the highest mountains on Vancouver Island and endless hiking opportunities of every type, from wheelchair accessible 

 to technical climbing.  

There's even a big ski resort.

Two friends of Terry and Diana's joined us on the hike, she an expert birder, he a naturalist, so between them we were well informed about the flora and fauna we encountered.

 A cheeky jay

And so hiking occupied our first three days, when we weren't wining and dining and chatting.  And then three of the folks had to go home and the remaining four of us made preparations for the next phase of the reunion.