Living the best adventure life, since 1958
April 12, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
I’ve been up Canoe Peak a few times now, and this marks my third successful summit of this rugged beauty. Every time I go, I’m reminded that it’s probably more grueling than I remembered. Yet somehow, I forget all the bushwhacking, steep gullies, and exposed slopes. There’s just something magical about the view that keeps me coming back.
March 22, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating—when there’s too much snow in the mountains, the Sooke Hills offer a fantastic alternative for logging kilometres and racking up elevation gain! With their dense, mossy hills, beautiful glades, and a network of trails ranging from well-maintained paths to forgotten routes, these hills are a playground for adventurous hikers looking to stay conditioned through the shoulder season.
March 29, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
Throughout Paradise Meadows, signs of winter’s slow demise are everywhere. Though over two meters of snow still blankets much of the landscape, evidence of the coming summer is undeniable. Patches of open water are appearing along the edges of the lakes, and in some places, we could see water nearly twelve inches below the snow’s surface.
This was my first time tackling this route in winter. Typically, snowshoers take a direct path across the frozen lakes, but with the increasing melt, we opted to follow the shoreline instead. It was the safer choice.
March 30, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
It’s been many years since I last visited the Westwood Ridges—probably before COVID-19. This time, I had the pleasure of hosting a relaxed ramble and brought my family along for the adventure. The day could not have been more perfect: cool, crisp air with just the lightest breeze, making for an ideal hiking atmosphere.
Continue reading “Westwood Ridges Ridge Ramble”
March 15, 2025
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
Well, at the very least, we can say it was a day in the mountains.
One common issue when planning a day of learning is that the weather doesn’t really care about your plans. While we had hoped for a multiday steep-angle adventure, the forecast had us adjusting our expectations, turning the trip into a single-day learning experience.
Continue reading “Mount Cokely Winter Mountaineering”November 2, 2024
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
We had a glorious trip planned up Sadie Peak from the west (Nitnat) side. A week earlier, Phil and I explored this approach and discovered that the old road was drivable to nearly 1000 metres, provided that one doesn’t care a lick about their paint. I was primed to do this peak again without the long, busier approach from the Nitnat-Nanaimo Lakes pass. Things didn’t go as expected.
Just 2 kilometres from my house, my water pump decided to give up, drenching the Jeep’s cooling system and killing my power steering. It was a challenging journey back home, with the vehicle on the brink of overheating. But I was not alone in this. I called Chris, who kindly agreed to pick me up, showing the true spirit of friendship. With our camaraderie, we set out to create a new plan, undeterred by the unexpected turn of events.
Continue reading “Gemini Mountain”December 16, 2024
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
Another day in paradise! I’m sure that’s definitely true for some parts of the island, but it sure wasn’t on the summit!
Continue reading “Mount Apps Snowshoe Trek”
October 6, 2024
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
While the trip was open to more people, only nine members joined us on the hike up Green Mountain (around 15 people dropped off just days before the trip). Regardless, the group was amazing!
Nahmint Mountain has been on my bucket list for a long time, but there always seem to be bigger and more important mountains to tackle than this peak. The main issue is that the trip reports I’ve read discuss how long the trip is, and it’s difficult to find people who are interested in doing exceptionally long days. I’m happy to report that we used a route that got us back to the vehicle within eight hours.
What an amazing day on Mount Klitsa! Nine of us hiked the Brooke George trail and reached the summit on this beautiful day. We drove on the rough road to the trailhead, which made returning to the vehicles even more satisfying. Many thanks to the AVOC volunteers for creating the turnaround!
Continue reading “Mount Klitsa via Brooke Geroge Trail — Lifetime Objective”