May 23rd, 2026
~ submitted by Nicholas Fisch
On a partly cloudy Saturday in May, myself and another Rambler set out for Mount McQuillan from the trailhead at Father and Son Lake.
Continue reading “Mount McQuillan”Mount McQuillan
H’Kusam Mountain
May 16th, 2026
~ submitted by Su Castle
Four of us met in Sayward to drive up Stowe Main to access H’kusam mountain the shorter way. Half way to the trailhead we were met with “Active Blasting” signs. Disappointed, we had no choice but to re-route to the longer Bill’s Trail.
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.
Continue reading “Nahmint Mountain from North East Ridge”Mount Septimus
–A personal trip report submitted by Evan Martin
Ever since my failed attempt up Mount Septimus’ X-Gully last year I’ve been eyeing the Route 2 Variation. We were so close to the summit last year. All the technical parts of the route were complete – the gully proper, the glacier crossing, and the steep snow off the glacier. Hence, I still wanted to bag the summit, but wanted to do it via a fresh route. The standard “easy” rock route is 2V, which is rated 5.6, but requires multiple pitches and Phil Stone’s description in Island Alpine Climbing is “easy climbing but poor protection”. I was intimidated by the route, so wanted a solid partner. When Trevor, my climbing mentor from Newfoundland, asked me if he could come out in early May to do some climbing, I quickly narrowed in on 2V as our objective.
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.
Continue reading “5040 via Cobalt Lake Overnight”Triple Peak – Recon turned Summit trip
May 3, 2026
~ submitted by Evan Martin
Triple Peak is an iconic landmark on the southern part of the island. Hence it tends to be on every novice island mountaineers checklist. Having not checked it off myself, it was high on my list. However, between being early season and not having been in the mountains for a while, my expectations were low. Hence, I posted this as a reconnaissance trip rather than a summit attempt to keep expectations in check. Maybe that’s why I got very little interest. Either way just I and another Rambler headed out for the day with the sole purpose of getting out, but with a healthy amount of hope.
Continue reading “Triple Peak – Recon turned Summit trip”Century Sam Lake
May 2, 2026
~ submitted by Melanie Yu
Three of us were keen on checking out the trail on a clear sunny warm weekend. The warm and disappointing winter ski season we had got me questioning how soon Comox Glaciers would be feasible…I still have to check it off my bucket list. It felt like the perfect time to check out how much has melted up there, and a good opportunity to check out the road conditions. This was my third time doing this hike, and I was able to drive to the trail head in November and thought it was still attainable. It was shocking to find how much worse all the cross ditches/water bars were since I had last been up.
No vehicles today made it to the trail head. A stark difference from last season. A significant amount of rainfall and washouts seemed to have happened since, as even at the trailhead, a lot of foliage had disappeared and it was almost completely exposed. I deeply remember hiking up this road years ago when I did it the first time and remember finding relief at the shaded trail head. This is no longer the case!
Even with maximum clearance of 15 inches with one truck, the only thing that would have made making the trailhead with more confidence was a stronger approach angle and a short wheel base (though it wasn’t necessary to have short wheel base for this one). The cross ditches to the trail head felt worse than the ditches to Mount Joan.
Continue reading “Century Sam Lake”Sutton Peak via Harrison Lake: A Long Day Done Right
April 11, 2026
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
It had been a long time since a 3 a.m. alarm dictated the start of my day. There’s something nostalgic about that kind of alpine start—the quiet house, the groggy coffee, the slow realization that you’re about to commit to something big. It felt good to be back in that rhythm.
Our objective was Sutton Peak, this time opting for the Harrison Lake approach rather than the long ridge. It’s a trade-off: less ridge travel, but a nearly five-hour drive each way. The kind of day where the effort begins well before you lace up your boots.
The logging road in was mostly cooperative, though one small washout forced us to stop, fill it in, and coax the vehicle through. We parked at around 800 metres and continued on foot, quickly encountering the first patches of snow near the end of the road. With a big day ahead, we didn’t waste time. As soon as we were sinking more than about eight inches, the snowshoes went on.
That decision came with some entertainment value—most notably a short, awkward scramble down with snowshoes still attached. Not graceful, but effective.
Empress-Emperor Mountains Loop
March 22, 2026
~ submitted by Julianna Wells
Our group met at the Sooke Potholes Parking Lot #2 for greetings, info gathering, and route planning. It was decided then that we would head for Mount Empress first, then down and over to Emperor Mountain before heading back to the cars. We were on our way just after 9am and the forecast was perfect for a great day of hiking.
Crampon Self Arrest Workshop
April 12, 2026
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
This workshop was one that refused to sit still on the calendar. With spring weather and snowpack in constant negotiation, we shifted dates a few times before finally landing on a window that looked promising—and in the end, it paid off.
Continue reading “Crampon Self Arrest Workshop”