Living the best adventure life, since 1958
February 15, 2020
~ submitted by Phil Jackson
There was a good showing of members on the easy, though brisk, hike around Whisky Lake.
By day’s end, the 10 of us covered 13.5 kilometres and 390 metres elevation gain. Though we didn’t have blue skies, we managed a few peek-a-boo views of the strait and lots of clouds.
There are lots of trails to explore; I’m sure we’ll be back.
July 21st, 2019
~ submitted by Phil Jackson
With clear skies, cool breeze, and warm –yet not scorching– weather we had high hopes of reaching the summit of The Cats Ear. We had intended to approach via Highway 4 but when we arrived at the head of the “road”, we had a good laugh at the dense bush and changed our plan.
June 9th, 2019
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
We started up the climber’s trail under overcast skies. The forest was warm and muggy, but the ground was dry, allowing us to move over the complex terrain quickly. At every step, we watched our footing, ensuring the roots, rock, moss and other debris didn’t cause us to lose our footing.
As we climbed above 500 m, we met two men and a dog. They had overnighted at a muddy tarn and were on their way back down. After some conversation, they wished us well, and we continued our climb.
Congratulations are in order for Phil Jackson. Phil has completed 10 of the 20 Lifetime Climbing Objectives and has earned the Bronze Award. Phil will receive his award at the Fall meeting.
Mt Arrowsmith Aug 23 2009 Kenton Lionel Continue reading “Achievement Unlocked: Bronze Level Lifetime Climbing Objective”
–submitted by Phil Jackson
In the early mornign, 15 Nanaimo hikers met at Harewood Mall Starbucks, under threatening skies and proceeded to Nanaimo Lakes on our way to hike up Gemini Mountain. Hitting the trail after 9am we proceeded through old growth forest and within 45minutes summited the first summit under rainy skies.
Early Saturday morning Rick and I met Rishi at the Mt Cain turnoff and proceeded up Nimpkish Rd. till we hit Vernon camp. There we proceeded up Stuart main till we hit an area of the road that was no longer drivable(1100M). We then proceeded down the rest of the road(.5 km) where we found a lightly booted route through the logging slash.
–submitted by Phil Jackson
Leaving Nanaimo at 5:30am Phil and Matt proceeded to Campbell River where we picked up Mary then proceeded to where Palmerston Rd meets Eve River main. Rishi was there waiting for us, Rick and Lisa weren’t to far behind.
–submitted by Matthew Lettington
Read the full report on his blog
In search of what is sure to be our final snowshoe trip of the season, I set out on a mission with three other Island Mountain Ramblers. We braved a long logging road approach up Buttle Bluffs Mainline to reach camp for our summit of Alexandra Peak the next day. Alexandra sits outside the official Strathcona Park boundary; it’s in the range of peaks to the northeast of the commonly-hiked Mount Albert-Edward, across the Oyster River. Phil and I had attempted this peak earlier in the season, but the trip was ill-fated: the weather turned on us, the snow condition was terrible, and we turned back before even reaching the end of the Buttle Bluffs Mainline. We approached this second attempt with stern resolve – we would not be turned back.
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| The cirque below the Alexandra Ridge |
–Submitted by Matthew Lettington, read the full report on his blog Boring Art, Boring Life
Nothing screams “winter break” more than an overnighter in Vancouver Island’s Alpine. Complete with camping on snow, and a longish logging road approach to the start of the route, this trip will remain in my memory for a long time.
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| Rick and Rishi, on the southwest ridge. Photo by Phil Jackson |
It is a long-standing Island Mountain Ramblers’ tradition to make the most of New Year’s Day, celebrating with a winter hike up Mt. Arrowsmith’s Judges Route, a semi-annual trip we call Katzenjammer. This year, though, I attended a different trip; Phil Jackson hosted a Ramblers trip to Pinder Peak, a seldom-visited peak in the Province Range. It sees few ascents, let alone winter ascents! Four participants enjoyed cold weather camping and fair snowshoe conditions, attempting this summit.
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| Pinder Peak Map and GPS Route with photographs |
Total Distance: 15.8 kilometres
Starting Elevation: 357 m
Maximum Elevation: 1531 m
Total Elevation Gain: 1254 m
Read the full report on his blog Boring Art, Boring Life
It’s been two long years but it’s finally here: winter! Last year, I had big aspirations for winter: snowshoeing, skiing, alpine ski touring, and winter mountaineering. Of course, winter never arrived. Like many other Vancouver Islanders, I have photographs taken on the summits of mountains that are bald! I remember a particular hike up 5040, when Phil and I sat on the summit sunning ourselves in shorts and t-shirts – in February. Even Cobalt Lake had only a thin crust of ice on it, and a few crazy girls were swimming in it! Regardless, winter is here now, and we found it in Strathcona Park.
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| Ramblers snaking up the hill |
Continuing through my long list of mountaineering ambitions, Crest Mountain was the goal for December 20th. By all accounts, it’s easy and commonly hiked. It features a well-developed and marked route with signs in a few key places, and the trailhead is on the side of the highway. The trail does have a few steep sections before attaining the summit ridge around 1400 metres, and then an ambling ridge walk to the main summit. However, meteorological conditions prevented us from achieving our goal.
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| Crest Mountain Map |
Total Distance: 8.4 km
Starting Elevation: 338 m
Maximum Elevation: 1216 m
Total Elevation Gain: 934 m
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Read the full report on his blog, Boring Art, Boring Life