East Sooke Park – Coast Trail, return inland route (Lifetime Hiking Objective)

April 2, 2023

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

What a perfect day on the trail! When I scheduled the trip, I had high hopes for great weather. But, as the day approached, the forecast took a turn for the worst. We all expected a cold, drizzly day, with wet brush and slippery rock. We were in for a treat!

Seven club members met at Alyard Farm for a car shuffle that allowed some participants the luxury of doing the coast trail without the commitment of following the inland route back to the cars. We started our hike shortly after 8 AM. In the dim light of the morning and in the tall trees, we had no idea what would await us when we got to the coast. 

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East Sooke Trail return inland route (Lifetime Hiking Objective)

February 12, 2022

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

On Saturday, February 12, 2022, four of us hit the trail on what turned out to be one of the finest February days we could have hoped for. 

The East Sooke Coast trail is one of the club’s lifetime hiking objectives. Along with its incredible west coast character, it has a lot of ups and downs. My first time on the trail was in my first year with the club, 2011. At the time I was surprised about the elevation gain on the trail. I remember being amazed at how remote the hike felt. 

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10 Summit Challenge

May 14 & 15, 2022

~ submitted by Mary Hof

10 Summit Challenge Accomplished!

May 14 & 15 saw Island Mountain Ramblers and Outdoor Club of Victoria members hike 40km and 1900m elevation gain. These two days were in preparation for our one day 7 summit hike.

Even though many members signed up, I had lots of cancelations right up to the last minute. Car shuttles were made in advance which complicated things but happy to say it all worked out. Some who were planning to hike the two days, were done after the first day. Good to know people are aware of their limits.

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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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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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