The next Elphinstone Community Association (ECA) Meeting will be over Zoom on Wednesday May 18 at 7 p.m. Dean McKinley, chief administrative officer (CAO), Sunshine Coast Regional District, will be the guest speaker to discuss stormwater management, but will be happy to answer other questions too. He is committed to a collaborative approach. Before joining the Sunshine Coast Regional District, Dean served as CAO for the District of Mackenzie in central British Columbia where he had similar responsibilities. Contact elphinstonecommunity19@gmail.com for the Zoom code for the meeting. Everyone welcome.
We are so lucky to have such beautiful places to hike (or stroll or bike). I can step outside the door and walk on easy trails that connect up with other trails with some areas one has to walk on roads for short distances. For ambitious hikers, there are hiking groups you can join with the advantage that you will learn about new trails and meet other outdoor enthusiasts. The Elphinstone Hiking Group gets an excellent turnout and there are other groups too; or why not start your own?
A fellow retired teacher and myself strike out once a week to hike on local trails which we often have to ourselves. I love breathing in deeply the forest air. The Japanese have a term for this – forest bathing or shinrin-yoku – the practice of deepening our connection with nature by spending time surrounded by trees. Forest bathing is said to have many health benefits – studies have been done and books written about it.
Soames is always popular and then there’s the Tramway Trail, which begins from the Elphinstone Pioneer Cemetery. For an easier hike, try the lovely trails in the Reed Road Forest (DL1313). Some great trails start from Sprockids Park at the top of the bypass, including Sidewinder to what’s known as Hwy 102 and then on to the Mount Elphinstone Summit. I’ve never done this but Area E Director Donna McMahon hikes it regularly – you’ve got to be in good shape for this one! She says to give a shout out to the Coast Mountain Bike Trail Association for maintaining the trails at Sprockids in partnership with the SCRD. A volunteer association whose mandate is to build, maintain, and protect the trails on the Lower Sunshine Coast, check out their website at: www.cmbta.ca/
I’m always happy to get Elphinstone news; email me at: author.ggneilson@gmail.com
