Today was my birthday and I got to celebrate in style. It was a perfect sunny day, a great respite from the grey, rain and winds we have seen over the last couple of weeks. So we returned to Stoney Hill which is a great easy walk with a perfect picnic spot overlooking Samsun Narrows. With views also to Maple and Cowichan bays, it’s one of those ‘great bang for your buck’ hikes and even more so today.

The trail was very muddy and wet, partly due to the amount of rain we have had and also because it desperately needs some trail maintenance since its overused by its popularity. But it didn’t keep up from making good time to the top.

I had an extra-large load which were leftover balloons from Nicky’s celebration just on Monday.

At the top we revelled in the sunshine, drank in the views, drank some wine to celebrate and had a wonderful picnic. It was the perfect gift for a birthday. It’s a new experience for us to be able to do this in January without snow and freezing temperatures. Although I miss a bit of the skiing and snowshoeing, this was pretty fine!

I’m so very grateful for the these special people that celebrated with me and made it a very special day! Thank-you!