Category: Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District

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Mount Klitsa via Brooke George Trail

–submitted by Matthew Lettington

Mount Klitsa is a somewhat uncharacteristic mountain along the Highway 4 corridor. While many of Vancouver Island’s most iconic peaks are in this area, they often come with sketchy approaches, long bushwhacks, thousands of tourists, or actual climbing. The lengthy logging-road approach to Klitsa tends to keep people at bay.

I wish I had a vehicle with more passenger space, but what can I do with only three spots for passengers? We do what we can. Thanks to the two other drivers who offered up their vehicles. In total, we managed to get 9 members out on September 20th.

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Steamboat Mountain Ruminations

–submitted by Matthew Lettington

Steamboat Mountain falls inside the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. A donation was made to the Tribal Park Guardians as a Responsible Users Fee.

I approached this trail with some trepidation. Recent online trail reports described the route as being in horrible condition, with several reports mentioning extensive windfall and a trail that was nearly impossible to follow. But I’m stubborn, and I had a few friends who had yet to make it to the summit of this gorgeous mountain. Seven of us, including Hemingway, set our intention: summit or bust!

Is this the crux?

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Nahmint Mountain from North East Ridge

May 9th, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

For years, Nahmint Mountain was one of those peaks lingering on my bucket list that I never quite got around to climbing. It’s not even an especially long drive — just over two hours from home. Maybe it was the horror stories people share about the heinous bushwhack. Truthfully, though, it had more to do with my hiking partners. My usual partners had already climbed it, and I never seemed able to find people brazen enough to face down the bush.

And yet, this trip marked my fourth ascent of the peak in just two years.

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5040 via Cobalt Lake Overnight

May 5, 2026

~ submitted by Melanie Yu

5040 is one of those hikes that, in my opinion, offers some of the best panoramic mountain views for the relatively short effort required to reach the summit. It’s a mountain that is attainable for most hikers. 

When you’re first getting into hiking, this hike can feel like the hardest hike in the world, but the rewards at the top makes every step worth it. To find better views than 5040, you usually have to commit to objectives well over 1000 m of elevation gain.

Although I’ve done this hike four times, I have never stayed at the hut. Every time I passed by on a day hike, I wished I could stop and spend the night there. Booking the hut in May was also a gamble.  I knew there was a chance we’d get absolutely no views as I was also booking almost 2 months in advance but was willing to take the risk.

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Mount Adder – A Different Kind of Winter Day

March 22, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

It’s been a strange winter. Every time I plan a day out, the weather seems to turn, and my hopes for skiing have been repeatedly dashed. I’ll admit, there’s also a growing unease about what this lack of snow might mean for the summer ahead.

But if there’s a silver lining, it’s this: the poor snowshoe and ski conditions have opened the door to some incredible early spring travel—conditions we usually don’t see until much later in the season.

Our recent trip to Mount Adder was a perfect example. We left the snowshoes at home.

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Mount Arrowsmith via Brugger’s Gully

March 21, 2026

~ submitted by Evan Martin

This was suppose to be a report on a ski trip of the Forbidden Plateau Traverse.  However, after a week of heavy rain and cooling temperatures nobody was excited about the potential for boot packing, icy ski conditions, and washed out stream beds.  So what could I get people excited about?  Sunny weather; low-low-low avalanche conditions; sounds like a day for gully climbing.  I had been curious about Brugger’s Gully on Arrowsmith ever since we accidentally started it instead of the Main Gully a few years ago.  So the plans switched and off we went.

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5040 Winter Waiting to Happen

January 25, 2026

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

If I could describe a perfect day in the mountains, it would look a lot like the club’s recent trip to 5040 Peak. It was the kind of day that begins with a light chill but never truly feels cold; snow that’s firm underfoot and never collapses beneath your boots; blazing sunshine that warms without scorching; and, of course, good friends to keep you moving upward.

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