Living the best adventure life, since 1958
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.
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.
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!
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!
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”
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”
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
A smooth ride to Rugged Point on July 8th
Continue reading “A beaut of a Beachcomb on the Tatchu Peninsula”
This report recounts a story from a less-visited location, although it is not about a club trip.
I have been fascinated by the Brooks Peninsula for some time. Geographically it is significant as it sticks out quite prominently on the west side of the island near the northern tip. It is rumoured to have its own weather system and significant hazards for boaters and kayakers rounding its western point. There are some very hard to reach mountains on the peninsula as well, one called Mount Doom that has a great mystique by name and remoteness. Up in those mountains contain some interesting flora and fauna as this part of the island may have not been covered by snow and ice during the ice age, resulting in some prehistoric plants still living to this day.
