Living the best adventure life, since 1958
–submitted by Mary Hof
November 1, a great beautiful day on Mt. Tzouhalem, leading a Rambler hike. We did a car shuttle to Genoa Bay and started on the Mad Dog trail continued to the Bench where we enjoyed a snack. We stopped to recognize Daniel who died on the trail in 2025. It was nice to see his memorial and share with the others how life can change so fast.
When I posted this hike I had hopes of a snow free trail and sunny views from the summit. A weekend of snow and changing weather forecasts made me consider cancelling, but optimism took charge, and the enthusiasm of the hikers, and we went ahead. We hit the first snow within 15 minutes and were spiked up within 35. We had overcast skies, drifting fog, and occasional blue sky.
The Island Mountain Ramblers has been my home for hiking since sometime in 2011. In that time, I’ve had the joy of exploring many far-flung places. Some are tucked away on the outer edges of the coast, some high in the hills, and others are places that simply can’t be shared. Over the years, I’ve also had plenty of time to consider the club’s various hiking and climbing objectives.
I’ve answered many questions from members about who chose these objectives and why. Some choices are obvious, while others leave us scratching our heads. The reality is that access has changed considerably over the years. What once took several days of trekking to reach might now be a two-hour jaunt. A route that was once the standard approach might now take you well out of your way. Even the best routes and trails change as time marches on, whether through windfall, erosion, or other natural forces.
Continue reading “The Mystery of the Upper Cowichan River Trail”
It was around 3 degrees when we hit the Raven Lodge trailhead, but it only took minutes on the trail before the temperature dropped below zero. There was frost on the boardwalks and the ponds were iced over. However it was a beautiful clear day that quickly warmed up, reaching 18 degrees around 2 pm. We saw few people on the trails and none past Kwai Lake. Mariwood Lake and Lake Beautiful were still and beautiful, and the views of Castlecrag and Comox Glacier were outstanding. The return trip was uneventful and we had a great day. Thanks to my hiking companions for their part in my enjoyment.
Hemingway has been in Scouting since he was five. Now that he’s turned 13, it’s fair to say he’s committed to the many goals and achievements that Scouting encourages.
Last summer, he attended a five-day angling school in Tahsis. Since then, he’s headed out to the local lake a few times to fish on his own. More recently, he started working on his Hobby Badge, setting five goals, several of which involved fishing.
Tlatlos Peak was pretty much as expected: a steep logging road drive, some bushwhacking, a bit of route finding, and a beautiful summit on a lovely fall day.
I was very grateful for the day we all shared on Tlatlos Peak. I organized this exploratory trip to a North Island peak after a club member recommended nearby Peak 5800, often mistakenly called Tsitika Peak, which is quite different from Tsitika Mountain. I would have loved to explore Peak 5800 via the newly punched-in roads along its north ridge, but rumours suggested that active work in the area meant the roads were gated. No worries! After some discussion, we settled on neighbouring Tlatlos Peak instead. It wasn’t on my personal peak list, but it was new to me, and I’m always happy to get out and explore somewhere different.
Continue reading “Tlatlos Peak: A Fall Day on the North Island”
The Forbidden Plateau Traverse Trail is a section of one of the club’s “Lifetime Hiking Objectives”. It can be done in either direction; and as a day trip or an overnight. It is about 28 kilometres long.
Three keen members took advantage of the great fall day, and did it as a day hike, in the more downhill direction from Raven Lodge to the Wood Mountain end, finishing at the bottom of the old ski hill; which also serves as the trailhead for the Mt. Becher hike.
Continue reading “Forbidden Plateau Traverse trail (Raven Lodge to Wood Mountain)”
Mount Klitsa is a somewhat uncharacteristic mountain along the Highway 4 corridor. While many of Vancouver Island’s most iconic peaks are in this area, they often come with sketchy approaches, long bushwhacks, thousands of tourists, or actual climbing. The lengthy logging-road approach to Klitsa tends to keep people at bay.
I wish I had a vehicle with more passenger space, but what can I do with only three spots for passengers? We do what we can. Thanks to the two other drivers who offered up their vehicles. In total, we managed to get 9 members out on September 20th.
Steamboat Mountain falls inside the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. A donation was made to the Tribal Park Guardians as a Responsible Users Fee.
I approached this trail with some trepidation. Recent online trail reports described the route as being in horrible condition, with several reports mentioning extensive windfall and a trail that was nearly impossible to follow. But I’m stubborn, and I had a few friends who had yet to make it to the summit of this gorgeous mountain. Seven of us, including Hemingway, set our intention: summit or bust!
