Category: Hiking

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Klitsa Mountain

July 13, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

My wife and son left Saturday to visit their family, so I was looking to get out of the house for the weekend.  With so many mountains on the island, I sometimes run into decision paralysis in trying to decide where to go. This is when I often turn to lists like the Lifetime Climbing Objectives for inspiration. Although most of these objectives are larger objectives that take a bit of planning, Klitsa Mountain seemed like a bit of an outlier and a low hanging fruit.  Noting that there were no other day hikes happening, I made a last minute decision to add it to the schedule.

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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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Mount Joan, Squarehead Mountain, Mount Curran Loop

June 29, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

I was a little disappointed when I failed to bag Mount Joan this winter.  My first attempt was in March this year.  We turned around after 5 hours prior to making the ridge.  I was expecting this to be a big day, and was waiting for an opportunity to give it another attempt.  So when a free weekend came up early this summer, it became an obvious objective.  

I posted the trip with little expectations.  Although not officially a long weekend, I figured many people would be taking the Monday off and taking summer trips.  However, I ended up with two Ramblers joining me.  

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Mount Geoffrey (Hornby Island)

June 10, 2025

~ submitted by Dorothy Benneke

7 of us had one of those perfect Gulf Island days for Mount Geoffrey on Hornby Island…it was a new hike for a few of the group.  We enjoyed the Middle Bench and Ridge Trails with spectacular views over Lambert Channel.  

For the lunch spot, a local biker directed us to a bench which offered great views (but also added on a few extra kms!). On the return trip, the busy Denman ferry was running shuttle sailing mode, but an ice cream stand made the wait time a bit sweeter.

My track showed 17.5km with 585m accumulated elevation.

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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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Heather Mountain

June 6, 2025

~ submitted by Su Castle

It was a hot day up Heather Mountain. The snow had mostly melted; luckily there were a few patches to cool down with.

It was one member’s first hike both on Vancouver Island and with the IMR.  We had a 12 km round trip as we were able to drive most of the way up.

Great company, big views. We took it slow and steady, made time for rest stops and a little exploring.

Elapsed time: 6 hours. Elevation gain: 750m.

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Marmot Mountain via the South Ridge – again

May 25, 2025

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

Just a few weeks ago, I led a club trip to Marmot Mountain. Thanks to a recommendation from one of the participants, we took a chance and approached via the south ridge. The gamble paid off — we were treated to a lovely ridge walk and even spotted a marmot sunning itself!

With my wife and daughter away at a weekend-long Scout camp, I had the perfect opportunity to head out hiking with my son. We decided to do a double-feature: Gemini and Marmot — doubling his chances of seeing a marmot in the wild!

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Marmot Mountain from the South: Easier, Quicker, Better?

May 10, 2025

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

Our Marmot Mountain adventure turned out quite different from what we expected.

In past visits, I’ve always approached the summit from the Nanaimo Lakes side — a route that plunges into steep, brush-choked terrain. That was our original plan again this time, but when fewer than five people expressed interest, I reconsidered. It didn’t seem worth dragging a group through that notoriously rough route unless it was absolutely necessary.

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