This is the 1st. report on the Comox Glacier Trail and Access for 2007. I am the current President of the Comox District Mountaineering Club or CDMC for short. For the past couple of years we (the CDMC) have had talks with Timberwest each year on where they were going to log, just so it would not interfear with our hikes around Comox Lake. 2 years ago, Timberwest denied access to us and anyone during working hours around the Comox Lake. To access during the working hours (6 am to 6 pm 7 days a week ) they wanted you to have the proper insurance, which was "forest fire insurance". Along with a fee to access during working hours. You also needed a radio to talk to the other drivers. But you could wait until 6 pm and drive the roads for "free", or before 6 am. With the latest meeting we had with Timberwest, they have said that they are going to LOG the Comox Glacier Trail, from the bottom of the creek right up to the Strathcona Park boundary. This will happen next year in 2008. The flagging tape will go up this fall (2007) marking out the cut block and the new road location. This will "wipe out" the current trail, and make the hike to the comox glacier and hot one in the sun. Right now the trail goes thru Timberwest land, into Strathcona Park. We did have a short meeting with Stan Hagen who is the local ministry of the area. He did not say much. We have written letters to Barry Penner, with no luck. We did have a good report in the Globe and Mail in March. The local paper (Comox Valley Echo) did a report on the trail with pictures in April. The trail was 1st. scouted out in 1961 by two CDMC members. In 1963 the CDMC started to work on the trail. In 1989 a Gov't. grant was given out to upgrade the trail to parks standard. 2 BC Parks members helped out in laying out the new trail. This trail is 45 yrs. old, and brings in around 100 people each year that hike to the top, or beyond, or go into Century Sam Lake. The "land owners" since the E & N land grant days are: Comox Logging and Railway, Crown Zellerback, Crown Forest, Flecter Challenge, and now Timberwest. Timberwest has agreed to "walk the trail" when the snow melts this year. We will be talking to them then. I have invited the media to come along with us.

-- KenRodonets - 08 Jun 2007