Continue reading “An Island Mountain Ramblers’ outing to Keeha Bay and Tapaltos – June 16-20, 2026”
An Island Mountain Ramblers’ outing to Keeha Bay and Tapaltos – June 16-20, 2026
Mount Mitchell via NW Ridge
–submitted by Su Castle
We car pooled along the Oyster River Main and spur until a large rock and tree fall at about 900m.The trail through the clear cut and the forest to the survey marker is becoming an almost followable trail.
 We were happy to have Matt’s track to follow to the summit. We maneuvered our way through so many different terrains- open rock, very large boulders (affectionately named by us the “BBB’s” or “Triple B’s”). We were lucky to walk on some soft yet solid snow, and managed a tricky corner higher up by using a short belay off a tree. We traversed some loose rocky gullies and some short scramble sections.
Appleton Creek to Rieveley Pond
–submitted Lisa G.
Inland Lake Campout was June 5-7, 2026 and there were several hikes happening throughout the weekend. I chose to lead the Appleton Creek Trail to Rieveley Pond section on June 6, 2026 as I had heard about how nice the waterfalls are in this section of the Sunshine Coast Trail. We planned for rain but ended up having a fairly dry day…but unfortunately not swimming weather. I planned it for HK1P1 so everyone could have a chance to take photos of the waterfalls and old growth trees. There were 7 hikers in total and we hiked out and back with a total distance of 8.2 km with an elevation gain of 245m.
Mt. Richards, Fox Gloves
–submitted by Mary Hof
What a beautiful hike on Mt. Richard’s in the Cowichan Valley, with the Fox gloves. 10 of us had a wonderful day. I gave them an overview of the beautiful trail system, reaching all the nice views. 13km, 4.5 hours on a nice day in June.
Heather Mountain
April 5, 2026
~ submitted by Nick Fisch
Snowshoes on, then off, then on, then off again…. and again.. and again. It was one of those days.
Four of us set out on Easter Sunday to tackle Heather Mountain from the little Shaw gate. It was a bluebird 20 degree spring day. We began at around 9:30am from the locked gate for a very long slog of an approach up the logging road. We hit snow at around 3100ft and dawned the snowshoes. The going was slow.
Early-Season Snowshoeing at Battleship Lake
December 28, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
We had nearly a full group out for this early-season snowshoe trip, thanks in part to a recent snowfall that piled up just enough snow to make snowshoes worthwhile. In many spots, the snow was only about five inches deep—shallow enough that the picnic benches were still visible. If we’d wanted to, we could have stopped for a proper sit-down break!
Mount Elma – A Family Day Consolation
February 17, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
Family Day weekend was originally reserved for a multi-day adventure, but the rainy forecast forced a change of plans. Instead, we made a smaller but still rewarding trip to Mount Elma, taking advantage of the best weather window—and what a day it turned out to be!
East Sooke Park Trail – Alyard to Cabin Point
Our group of ten (nine club members and one guest) enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, clear day along the coast, even glimpsing a pod of orcas heading north.
Continue reading “East Sooke Park Trail – Alyard to Cabin Point”
Gemini Mountain
November 2, 2024
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
We had a glorious trip planned up Sadie Peak from the west (Nitnat) side. A week earlier, Phil and I explored this approach and discovered that the old road was drivable to nearly 1000 metres, provided that one doesn’t care a lick about their paint. I was primed to do this peak again without the long, busier approach from the Nitnat-Nanaimo Lakes pass. Things didn’t go as expected.
Just 2 kilometres from my house, my water pump decided to give up, drenching the Jeep’s cooling system and killing my power steering. It was a challenging journey back home, with the vehicle on the brink of overheating. But I was not alone in this. I called Chris, who kindly agreed to pick me up, showing the true spirit of friendship. With our camaraderie, we set out to create a new plan, undeterred by the unexpected turn of events.
Continue reading “Gemini Mountain”Mt Tzouhalem
October 12, 2024
~ submitted by Mary Hof
With a beautiful sunny 21 degree weather day we were all wondering why we didn’t wear shorts. We did a short car shuttle and started our hike at the cave trailhead.
We hiked Maret Way named after a good friend who loved bushwhacking so this trail probably would not be found without a track. We made our way to the ridge and down Mad Dog. We came out at Genoa Bay.
I loved our group and they were very appreciative of the hike. It was a beautiful day.Â
