April 9, 2022
~ submitted by Mary Hof
Wow, just wow, what a day for a hike today. Joint trip with Island Mountain Ramblers and the OCV. We did 21.3km, 1103m, in the Sooke Hills.
Mount Empress
Mount Benson West Ridge
April 2, 2022
~ submitted by Greg Deabler
I always enjoy the west ridge of Benson. Even on a busy Saturday we didn’t see another soul until the summit.Â
We made excellent time, and were on the summit in 2.75 hours by 11:15 am for a quick snack and great views before heading down, taking a leisurely hour getting back down.Â
Except for the descent off the summit block there was very little snow left, even in the hollows and drainages on the way up.Â
An excellent day with excellent company.
Mount Wesley and Mount Horne
April 7, 2022
~ submitted by Greg Deabler
Trip was posted as both an IMR hike and AVOC hike.Â
Snow level was approx 800m, with about 10-15 cm on Wesley Summit, less on Horne. Excellent weather and a good pace.
2.5 hrs to Wesley Summit. 1 hr back to Saddle. 1 hr. to Horne summit, 1.5 hrs back to cars.  6 hrs. travel time. 1050m, 11.2 km
Bald Mountain
March 30, 2022
~ submitted by Mary Hof
5 of us enjoyed a wonderful day hiking Bald Mountain. 11km, 650m elevation gain.
We started off hiking near the lake shore above the new housing on Marble Bay Rd. Oh, man – the scotch broom is 6 feet high and covers the whole trail for a section. I believe this part might be on private property, the only way to get around it would be by boat.
Continue reading “Bald Mountain”Mount Benson North Ridge route
March 28, 2022
~ submitted by Ken Warren
When I posted this hike the forecast said sun … unfortunately that was not the case. However the rain was light and didn’t last too long.
The trail was mostly clear and we didn’t spike up until near the summit. The wind and fog kept us from lingering too long at the top.
We saw only five other people on the mountain making it the quietest day on Benson I’ve had in many years.
It was a good hike with good company and my first hike with Ravi. Welcome to the club and I hope to see more of you.
Three Lakes
March 27, 2022
~ submitted by John Robertson
Only 2 braved the gloomy weather for this trip, but in fact, rain was virtually nil.
Strata Mountain Snowshoe
February 26, 2022
~ submitted by Brian Flemming, photos by Brian Flemming and Matthew Lettington
I joined the Island Mountain Ramblers recently to branch out a bit, meet some new people, learn some new things and participate in some safe group activities and hopefully summit a few mountains I wouldn’t be able to do alone.
Today’s snowshoe was a good example of a hike that I wouldn’t have done alone because of the weather.
Continue reading “Strata Mountain Snowshoe”Mount Richards Grand Tour
–submitted by Mary Hof
Saturday Feb 26th was another wonderful day out for a hike. Rain was forecasted but we were very lucky and prepared. I had 8 people join in on my Mt Richard grand tour 15km 732m elevation. We stopped by Crofton Lake and Breen Lake and got to lots of view points, and to the summit of Mt Richards, where we had lunch.
Christie Falls, Thistle Mine, Camas Ridge
—submitted John Robertson
February 6, we opted for a circuitous route to Christie Falls, via the old railway, and Arroyo Road. Conversation made the kilometres pass quickly, and we were at the old cabin in three quarters of an hour. From there we continued to the falls. Several of the hikers had never seen them, and were suitably impressed.
We then continued to the abandoned Thistle mine. Those that wished to, entered and explored the mine. We had a snack, while idly searching the tailing pile for stray pieces of copper ore.
Next, we headed to the North end of Camas Ridge. The green of the moss was brilliant beyond words. As we continued along the ridge,the sun finally joined us, giving us bright warm sunbeams through the Arbutus trees.
On the way back to the cars, we diverted slightly, to the site of the old Regan resort, to explore what ruins remain.
Then we were back at the cars. We said our goodbyes and carried on with our Sunday.
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!
