–submitted by Adrian Houle
Successful trip to ammonite falls. The waterfall had large amounts of ice with water cutting through it.
Ammonite Falls
Mount Tzouhalem, Muni trail off Neville Drive
–submitted by Mary Hof
What a day for a hike, 4 us started from the Muni trail off Neville drive for( Mt Tzouhalem). I am not familiar from that area, so I bet we took in trails that took us all over the place, but I did make it to the Awesome trail but came out much lower down then the bench. We then did Field of Dreams then the summit of Tzouhalem then to the cross and made our way to the Muni trail and back to the cars. 4 hours, 14km. Great views and great people. I know this hike was late notice, only on the schedule couple days. FB page is also nice as some saw it there.
Mount Benson, a Snowy Day
–submitted by Bil Derby
On a foggy damp Sunday morning, the six of us met at the Witchcraft Trail Head, made introductions, tidied up the necessary paperwork, and offered our hopes to the weather gods before getting underway at 08:10. Veering right away from the “tourist route” at the first trail junction we climbed upwards to cross McGarrigle Creek at 460 meters, more or less, to follow the Outer Route. A brisk uphill from there led us to a brief stop at the first bluffy viewpoint just above the climbing wall. From here on the trail gets a bit bushy and there may have been a word or two about the use of hiking partners as dewatering tools for the salal.
Maple Mountain Ramble
–submitted by Mary Hoff
Jan 14, was a nice weather day to hike Maple Mountain. Before our 9:30 departure, I had arranged two cars to be left on Chilco Rd. 11 of us started at the Osbourne Bay trailhead, we started on main bike trails and soon left for the off trails that not many people use. The views toward Mt Brenton, and Mt Benson were beautiful with the fog below, and the blue sky above. We stopped at Mary view, 2004, (sign still there) for a wonderful view of Mt Prevost. We made our way to the lake, some ice still on it, and the sun was beautiful so we had our snack there. We then may our way to the tower using bike and hiking trails. At the summit we had nice sunshine. Ray took a group photo. We made our way down the pink trail, and then turned off using the old Chilco road trail. The hike was 5 hours, 13k. Everyone enjoyed it and it was a wonderful group all keeping the same pace.
Mary Hof, leader
A leg stretcher: Copley Ridge
— submitted by Matthew Lettington
We had high hopes for the day, but not all plans come to fruition. Canoe Peak was a lofty goal for any day, but we were adding to the challenge by attempting a winter ascent. On our way through Sutton Pass (230 m) snow was falling fast and accumulating so fast that vehicle tracks were being obscured within minutes and within 15 minutes there was an inch of fresh snow on the road.
Thistle Mine Christy Falls Ramble
–submitted by Ken Warren
Well the weather forecast was accurate, but six of us zipped up our rain gear for our ramble north of Ladysmith. There was a bit of snow on the ground so we missed the trail into Camas Ridges but had no trouble finding the Old Thistle mine. We had a good look through the 1904 mine workings, but couldn’t see the ore seam as it was too wet. Bush Creek was in full flow and both lower and upper Christie Falls were quite impressive. A great day for this hike and thanks to all for your company.
Karzenjammer Lite/The Hordelski Mt Benson
–submitted by Ken Warren
We weren’t the first to set out to hike Benson from Witchcraft Lake, but close to it. Eight of us went on tthis new year’s expedition for various reasons, but in part it was to remember our friend and club member Mike Hordelski who died hiking Benson in 2017. Mike loved Mt Benson and hiked it many times by many routes.
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Forbidden Plateau to Mt. Washington – Sept. 30, 2017
Wow! What colors! I’ve never been so dazzled by fall colors as I was yesterday on our Island Mountain Ramblers’ hike from Forbidden Plateau to Mt. Washington.
We started our 27 k. hike at 8:20 under cloudy skies, with showers in the forecast We headed up the old ski area, and although going from this end meant we had more elevation gain than starting from Mt. Washington, I was glad we got this part over first, as it wasn’t ‘t scenic at all. Thanks to our leader, John Robertson, for arranging our car shuttles and deciding to start from the old Wood Mountain (Forbidden Plateau) Ski Area.
Continue reading “Forbidden Plateau to Mt. Washington – Sept. 30, 2017”
Wood Mountain to Paradise Meadows
–Submitted by John Robertson
Five hikers set out in 2 vehicles from north Nanaimo at 6am. By 8:20, we had dropped a vehicle off at the Mount Washington trailhead, and backtracked in the other, to the old Wood mountain ski area. Drizzle and cold wind greeted us as we shouldered packs, but with the initial climb up the old ski hill, we worked off any potential chill quickly.We stopped for lunch at McKenzie Lake. By that time, the wind had died to nothing, and the sun was doing battle with the clouds (although the clouds ultimately won the day). After lunch, we continued on our way, in a light rain. From this point, the trail became a bit more grown in, and we took turns in the lead position, filling our boots as we knocked accumulated water off the blueberry bushes that hung over the trail.The GPS recorded 27.7 kilometers, and we were all quite satisfied with our day. It’s a good hike, when, as soon as the pack comes off, the talk is about the next opportunity to do it again.
5040 Spy Mission
–Submitted by Clarke Gourlay
Wet day (first of the summer for some of us!) and windy at the summit, but it cleared up enough in the afternoon for a quick swim in the lake on the return trip.
Great big team working hard in the rain at the new nut location, and very fun to see the project enroute. There is a long way to go, potential volunteers, but the resulting hut is going to be huge and very solid, in a beautiful place. Many more trips to 5040 in the future!
