mount douglas

one nice thing about living in victoria (or visiting, as ryan is), is that there are countless sunday hikes to be had within a short driving distance of the city.  many within the city of victoria itself!  today, ryan and i drove out to mount douglas, a 15 minute drive from my apartment, and hiked to the summit. we had perfect september weather, not too hot, slightly misty, fresh after-rain smell, slugs everywhere - it was great!

photos 4&8 credit: ryan nelson.

my favourite part of the hike was when we found a rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). after we held him for a bit, we let him go, placing him safely in the underbrush. neat! i'd only ever seen one other before, when michelle (ryan's sister, and my new sister-in-law) and i caught one up in bella bella while i was her research assistant (she is working on her phd in salmon conservation from SFU).

anyhoo, ryan and i had a great misty/moist sunday in victoria. bye for now!