Category: Activity

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Gowlland Tod Park – Jocelyn Hill hike

February 22, 2026

~ submitted by Julianna Wells

Gowlland Tod Park is a beautiful South Island area with a myriad of trails.  The green moss, beautiful arbutus trees, view-point hills and bluffs make it a favorite place to explore, get lost, and find your way back in.

Our plan was to start at the Emma Dickson trailhead along Millstream road, then make our way out to Jocelyn Hill and back along various trails in a leisurely loop hike around 8kms long.  Although rain gear and pack covers were in the forecast, the warm February temperatures had everyone out in smiles for the day. 

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Green Mountain — On Being That Guy

March 7, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

I was lucky enough to join the fun on the club’s March 7 ski tour to Green Mountain. While this winter has fizzled more than it has popped, the lack of snow has given us unusually good opportunities to drive high into the mountains and start our recreation much farther up than we typically can. Earlier this year we attempted the same trip but had to start skiing around 400 m. This time we were able to drive to nearly 800 m before stepping out of the vehicles.

But I don’t want to start this story on the mountain. This is really a story about how I dropped the ball.

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Winter Ski Series – Overnight Ski Tour

February 21, 2026

~ submitted by Evan Martin

This was the second trip in the ski series that I’m organized this year.  In preparation for upcoming overnight tours, the intention of this trip was to test out our winter camping setups and learn what it feels like to ski with a heavy pack. This trip definitely served both purposes!  With over 30cm of snow leading up to this trip and a heavy snowfall warning the conditions were ideal.

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Winter kilometres on Mount Benson now, coastal kilometres later

February 15, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

Getting the family outdoors can be a real challenge. Between busy schedules and competing priorities, it’s often a matter of simply deciding to make it happen. This summer we have big ambitions: hiking the North Coast Trail together as a family. After my experience hiking the West Coast Trail with my son last year, I learned that success comes from putting in the hours ahead of time. Time on our feet matters. That’s what inspired this recent trip up Mount Benson.

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Green Mountain

February 15, 2026

~ submitted by Evan Martin

Four of us headed up Green Mountain for a look.  We arrived at the first gate just as it was being opened and proceeded to the mountain.  We drove to the snowline at the bend just before the parking area.  The road is in great shape up to the first trail, and littered with drainage ditches after that.  There’s also a washout that is navigable with a higher clearance 4×4.

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East Sooke Trail — A Fine Consolation

January 31, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

While we originally had a grand plan to camp overnight and summit Adder Mountain, a terrible forecast forced a change. Then more rain caused another adjustment… and when snow entered the forecast, it was time for a complete rethink. In the end, the ambitious alpine objective gave way to something far less epic — but still well worth doing.

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5040 Winter Waiting to Happen

January 25, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

If I could describe a perfect day in the mountains, it would look a lot like the club’s recent trip to 5040 Peak. It was the kind of day that begins with a light chill but never truly feels cold; snow that’s firm underfoot and never collapses beneath your boots; blazing sunshine that warms without scorching; and, of course, good friends to keep you moving upward.

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Horne Lake Hustle – Mount Mark

February 4, 2026

~ submitted by Melanie Yu

We all met and congregated at approximately 8:05am. Some members where familiar with each other but we all had not hiked with each other as a whole. One member expressed appreciating this hike because they were not interested in super long drives towards Port Alberni or beyond, and it was more of a summer thing for them to engage in.

We were blessed with being the only hiking group on the mountain. All of us except one had hiked the mountain on more than one occasion, and none of us had ever experienced hiking this mountain without passing by another group. We were so fortunate to have the mountain to ourselves! 

The entire hike was full of laughs and conversations. I guess being with a group made up of retired folks conjures up fonds memories when the leader is more than half their senior! Haha.

We experienced all the false summits and it provided the group natural break points to catch their breath. The summit registry had completely disappeared, it was the perfect opportunity for the trip leader to replace the registry and we were the first group to sign our names.

We were blessed with clear skies and beautiful bowls of cloud inversions. Before we set sails for our descent the horizon above the cloud inversion continued to evolve into a beautiful opalescent pink blue hue and we couldn’t stop taking photos of the evolving horizons at all the false summits.

The hike was posted as a P3 but it was a very comfortable p2 and we ended the hike around 14:30. Everyone resolved at the end that we enjoyed the company of each other and that we would all hike again in the near future.

A successful club hike in the books!