Category: Club

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Gowlland Todd: A Ridge Ramble

—submitted by Mary Hof

January 23rd, I led 6 Island Mountain Ramblers, and 6 Outdoor Club of Victoria members, (I am a member of both); to a hike in the Gowlland Range.

The Gowlland Range is just east of Saanich Inlet and south of Brentwood Bay. I started at the Emma Dickson trailhead. We started in fog and even had some hail dropping on us, at times we got some sun. We were above the cloud, which made for beautiful views. I usually don’t take this many people, but I knew that on some of the trails I would take, we would not see anyone on them. It all worked out well.

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Mt Elma Snowshoe

–Submitted by Ken Warren

January 8, 2022

After a flurry of early morning communications and a change in leader, five of us headed for Mt Elma on snowshoes from Raven Lodge. Although the parking lot was full, the trails were quiet. Fortunately someone had the same destination in mind and kindly broke trail for us. Conditions were ok with the temperature around minus 4, light snow, and light wind. The snow is quite deep and loose so it took some effort to get up to the summit ridge. Visibility was almost nil, but the windrifted snow and the mantled trees made the trip worthwhile.

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A Mt. Benson Ramble–November 21, 2021

–submitted by John Young; originally published on his blog

Just enough snow to make it more beautiful, but not so much to make it a laborious hike. We took the trail to the far right of the main parking lot, crossed the creek below the waterfalls, and up to the west ridge. A steep trail at times, but well-marked and with some great views.

Crossing McGarrigle Creek

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A steep trail at times

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A Blast to the Past on Alberni Inlet 2 Trail

–submitted by John Young; originally published on his blog.

After a short walk along a logging spur road, we branched off along a trail and down to Underwood Cove with this fish farm. 

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Much of this trail follows the northernmost remnant of an ambitious plan to build a second railway between Victoria and Port Alberni, and north to Campbell River and Nootka Sound. It started in 1911,  but by 1914 the money was running  out and the start of WWI hastened its demise.  There are remnants of the construction, such as this culvert. 

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Mount Apps

–submitted by Matthew Lettington; originally posted on explorington.com

Most folks will agree that it’s more enjoyable to hike under clear skies than cloudy, but sometimes it rains. Let me make a case for the dreary day adventure. Though the views from the top of a mountain may be vast on sunny days, those sunbathed landscapes lack the drama and character that appear –like fitful apparitions– when the clouds descend. The wind ripping through the trees goes unseen unless clouds and fog come with it. And the sea of hills blends into each other unless cloud pours through the valleys, billowing around features allowing only the top of the peak to emerge from the top. And even in a whiteout, one must marvel at our own insignificance in the scope of the situation.

all by herself

On September 26, we all had a chance to witness these unique –but otherwise dreary– characteristics on our short hike to the marked summit at Mount Apps.

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Marmot Mountain

–SUBMITTED BY MATTHEW LETTINGTON; ORIGINALLY POSTED ON EXPLORINGTON.COM

When I posted Marmot Mountain to the club schedule, I enticed members with the promise, “Participants should be willing to participate in moderate bushwhacking to get through the lower areas of this route, and a few of the upper areas… and why not some more in the middle too?”. The trip lived up to my promise.

some of the ol’ cut block standards. There are three people in this photo
Marmot Mountain Route

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