Living the best adventure life, since 1958
October 27, 2019
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
It was a horrible day for a club meeting. The sun was shining, birds singing, and a light breeze chilled the air to keep us from overheating.
Our group of seven spent a little over three hours exploring the first two ridges. By the time we arrived back at the parking lot, we had completed a 10.5 km loop with just about 400 meters elevation gain.
It was a perfect pre-meeting hike!
The Mount Benson Project continues to roll along. During the summer, we spent our time diverting water and shoring up the eroding bank. Since then, we have been reluctant to do any work that relies on the integrity of the work previously done. When the fall rains arrived, we examined the results of the work, and it appears that most of the water is being diverted off the trail. Though there is still more work to be done in this area, we are ready to move into some other areas of work.
On Wednesday, October 30, Dustin and Matthew loaded their backpacks and set out with adhesive, rebar, and hammer drill do work that added steps in a few key places within our section.
October 5, 2019
~ submitted by Christine Rivers
12 people enjoyed a mellow rambling hike to Mt. Drabble. The access was from 8km of logging road, off the second chain up area on the Mt. Washington road.
–submitted by Matthew Lettington
The hike to Green Mountain is always popular. Before the trip, I was turning way interested members as I already had 18 participants and a healthy waitlist. But as the forecast turned, participants started cancelling. By the time the day arrived, we were left with just seven hikers.
September 28, 2019
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
On Saturday, October 28th, I led a group of 9 –including a 13-month-old—to the summit of Mount Apps. The sun may have been shining but that did not offer much reprieve from the biting cold and bitter wind.
Continue reading “Mount Apps from Buckley Bay Side”
Our late September trip to Pinder Peak was fantastic! The combination of a dry, cool day on a snow-free route filled with plenty of alpine berries reminded me why I (sometimes) love fall hiking! This trip was very different from my first trip to Pinder Peak.
If you’ve ever driven along by Atluk Lake, you’ve probably spotted the Pinder massif out your window. It rises from the wooded shores of the lake as a rocky tower that begs the mountaineer to climb it. The summit massif is marked by two prominent features, either of which is a worthy objective, though the subpeak is probably more of a challenge.
Total Distance: 14.0 km
Starting Elevation: 360 m
Maximum Elevation: 1550 m
Total Elevation Gain: 1223 m
Total Time: 7 hours
August 24, 2019
~ trip report by Mick Bailey
Mt Cokely sounded like an interesting destination. I had read about the trip on the Island Mountain Ramblers page several weeks before, and though at first it was fully booked, I managed to latch on when a few people cancelled. The plan, for our group of ten, was to ascend the Saddle Trail, scramble up to the ridge of Cokely, and then further on to the summit. On the return trip, we’d return to the ridge, find the Rosseau Trail, and return to the vehicles via that route. This would be my first visit to the Mt Arrowsmith Biosphere Region, and I was looking forward to the views!
The lightest of rains and low clouds followed us as we made our way from Nanaimo on the Island Highway toward Highway 4. By the time we passed through MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove) and turned onto Summit Main, the rain had begun to fade. Next came more logging roads, as we followed Cameron Main and Pass Main to the trailhead high above, at roughly 1000m in elevation.
Continue reading “Mount Cokely from the Arrowsmith Saddle”
September 21, 2019
~ submitted by Karen Armitage
The predicted ‘sunny breaks’ did not materialize, but we enjoyed our hike nonetheless.
Leaving Raven Lodge at 9:00 am, we hiked the loop in a clockwise direction. We stopped at Kwai Lake for lunch, but decided not to swing out to Cruikshank Canyon as we could barely even see Kwai Lake.
September 11, 2019
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
That moment when you stand on the end of a cliff, a rope both ahead of you and dangling over the cliff, when you make the conscious decision to step over the edge is the hardest. If it’s your first time or the 100th time rappelling down a rock face, it’s a thrilling feeling.
I’m a prisoner to my work schedule, and my summer vacation kicks off in the final weekend of June. However, since meeting Phil, I’ve come to participate in an annual pre-summer trip known as the Birthday Hike. This annual prelude-to-summer trip has brought us to some of the best places on Vancouver Island.
For two days, starting June 22, 2019, we set our sights on the three peaks which rise high along the ridge, on the west side of the Elk River Trail. The ridge is among the best Island Alpine I’ve had the pleasure of hiking; its near-pristine nature is protected by the awful bushwhack of Butterwort Creek on one end and a gnarly few steps on the other. It’s the type of terrain that is only visited by the crazy few who would seek out these diminutive objectives over the many giants of the Elk River Valley.
Total Distance 28.6 km
Starting Elevation: 312 m
Maximum Elevation: 1826 m
Total Elevation Gain: 2421 m