Beaufort Range Snowshoe trip to Mount Irwin over Mount Hal

–text by Brian Fleming
–images by Brian, Jes Garceau and Matthew Lettington
Somewhere around 23km, 1510m elevation gain.

What a day. This one kicked my butt a bit. I went on this trip with the Island Mountain Ramblers. A few of the people from my first club trip were here again, so it was nice to have some familiar faces.

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Springtime in Tahsis: A snowshoe near Malaspina Peak

–submitted by Matthew Lettington; originally published on Explorington.com
Spring’s late-onset has done no great favour for mountaineering. A Cool April and May allowed late-season snow to add to an abundant snowpack, enabling cornices to persist beyond their normal range. Our quartet faced this when we set out to summit Malaspina Peak on May 22, 2022.
Our route
Malaspina Peak is one of the mountains that is low on most people’s radar. It’s way out there, and at an elevation of just around 1550 metres, most people don’t give it the time of day. But it’s on our list.
Alava-Bate Sanctuary

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Congratulations Mary on your 20 Hikes Achievement!

Congratulations to Mary Hof who has just claimed her 20 hikes achievement!

Mary offered these words: 

I guess like others, I don’t look at the website too often to see the different awards and challenges the Ramblers put on. But I guess my favourite 20 hikes that I have led or participated in are: Mt. Prevost, Mt Richards, Marys Peak, Mt Horne/ Westley Ridge Traverse, Maple Mountain, Mt. Moriarty, Mt Arrowsmith, Crest Mountain, Gowland Ramble, Three Bears Sooke Hills, Mt. Tzouhalem, Empress Mountain, Minnas/Pea Ridge, Mt. Cokely, Mt. Elma, Mt. Benson, Green Mountain, Bald Mountain, Cowichan River, Mt Quimper and Ragged Mountain.

As many of you know I lead for other clubs as well, and if I can, I encourage you all to lead a hike; it’s only by doing so that our club becomes stronger. You only have to look at social media on the hiking sites to see how many want to hike. I keep telling them to join a club, but that is only good if we have leaders to lead. No hike is too short or boring. Thanks to those leaders that have shown me the way on hikes. Your dedication is appreciated. 

Mary Hof

If you’d like more info on leading trips, the IMR has this information for leaders. 

Mount Manuel Quimper, Thunderbird Mountain, Ragged Mountain return on the flowline

On January 29, 2022, we finally caught a break. After what seemed like weeks of rain, it relented for a Saturday of hiking through the Sooke bumps. I relied heavily on the beta provided by a friend who frequents the area in planning the trip. I trusted he would provide us with some good routes to highlight some of the best features. He didn’t disappoint!

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