Category: mountaineering

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Sutton Peak via Harrison Lake: A Long Day Done Right

April 11, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

It had been a long time since a 3 a.m. alarm dictated the start of my day. There’s something nostalgic about that kind of alpine start—the quiet house, the groggy coffee, the slow realization that you’re about to commit to something big. It felt good to be back in that rhythm.

Our objective was Sutton Peak, this time opting for the Harrison Lake approach rather than the long ridge. It’s a trade-off: less ridge travel, but a nearly five-hour drive each way. The kind of day where the effort begins well before you lace up your boots.

The logging road in was mostly cooperative, though one small washout forced us to stop, fill it in, and coax the vehicle through. We parked at around 800 metres and continued on foot, quickly encountering the first patches of snow near the end of the road. With a big day ahead, we didn’t waste time. As soon as we were sinking more than about eight inches, the snowshoes went on.

That decision came with some entertainment value—most notably a short, awkward scramble down with snowshoes still attached. Not graceful, but effective.

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Mount Arrowsmith via Brugger’s Gully

March 21, 2026

~ submitted by Evan Martin

This was suppose to be a report on a ski trip of the Forbidden Plateau Traverse.  However, after a week of heavy rain and cooling temperatures nobody was excited about the potential for boot packing, icy ski conditions, and washed out stream beds.  So what could I get people excited about?  Sunny weather; low-low-low avalanche conditions; sounds like a day for gully climbing.  I had been curious about Brugger’s Gully on Arrowsmith ever since we accidentally started it instead of the Main Gully a few years ago.  So the plans switched and off we went.

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Argus Mountain, Mount Harmston, and the Red Pillar

–sbumitted by Jain Alcock-White

A fire on the Malahat on Friday evening delayed our South Island participant’s arrival in Nanaimo, where we had planned to transfer gear and the canoe from my vehicle to his. This also meant we picked up our third participant slightly later than hoped on Saturday morning. Fortunately, the drive from Nanaimo to Port Alberni went smoothly. We picked up the Mosaic gate key without issue and made it to the beach at Oshinow Lake in good time – though it did take all three of us to figure out how to get the key to open the gate.

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Nine Peaks

June 21, 2025

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

The Trip: Nine Peaks

I’ve been to Nine Peaks before. It’s a relatively straightforward third-class scramble — if you’re on route and the environment cooperates. But when I picked this location months ago, I had no idea what conditions we’d face. I chose the longest day of the year and planned a four-day itinerary to give everyone a fair shot at summiting. In the days leading up to departure, I nervously checked four different forecast models twice a day, trying to build a reliable picture of what we’d face. Even as we departed, I was still holding my breath.

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Septimus X-Gully

May 31, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

Three Ramblers headed out from Bedwell Lake trailhead towards mount Septimus.  We drove through torrential rain from Victoria, feeling pretty pessimistic about the forecast.  However, the forecast was true to its word, and we departed the trailhead at 12:30 with clear sky’s.  We began to encounter snow just prior to Baby Bedwell.  It was patchy and generally supportive, but we had to be extra careful getting on and off staircases, crossing small streams, etc.  the snow disappeared again as we crested and started descending into Bedwell Lake, but we reentered it again prior to arriving at the Bedwell Lake campsite at 3:30.

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Mount Arrowsmith via Lost Gully

April 27, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

The group met in Nanaimo before driving to the Cameron Main gate. The drive gave us a chance to get to know each other, review group safety gear, and align expectations before hitting the trailhead. We arrived at the gate at 8:20 a.m. and found two other cars waiting. From a past trip, I knew the gate is “unlocked” rather than “opened” at 8:00, so we pulled around and Evan hopped out to open it — earning some surprised looks from the other drivers.

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Canoe Peak

April 12, 2025

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

I’ve been up Canoe Peak a few times now, and this marks my third successful summit of this rugged beauty. Every time I go, I’m reminded that it’s probably more grueling than I remembered. Yet somehow, I forget all the bushwhacking, steep gullies, and exposed slopes. There’s just something magical about the view that keeps me coming back.

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Mount Cokely Winter Mountaineering

March 15, 2025

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

Well, at the very least, we can say it was a day in the mountains.

One common issue when planning a day of learning is that the weather doesn’t really care about your plans. While we had hoped for a multiday steep-angle adventure, the forecast had us adjusting our expectations, turning the trip into a single-day learning experience.

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