October 23rd, 2020
~ submitted by Dustin Hirschfeld
Due to the overnight temperatures we decided to cut the trip short and our Castlecrag Circuit trip was amended to an Albert Edward summit.
Mount Albert Edward
Mt Arrowsmith – Judges Route
August 9th, 2020
~ submitted by Jes Garceau; photography by Linda Fynes
How dare I! My first hike as a trip leader and almost three months later I am writing not only the trip report but handing in the participant list to the club for the records. Well, I suppose this year everyone has a built-in excuse for anything that has gone awry, right? As most club members are familiar with this hike I will spare the details of the route as it is well travelled and documented. What I would like to write about is what this first year of being a Rambler’s member has meant to me and how this was portrayed in my first leadership role. I realize this may sound like too big of a deal for the Judge’s Route, but for me this opportunity was a big deal. Organizing and leading an activity is a new experience for me and an area I would like to gain confidence in.
I was given the opportunity to lead my first hike when due to popular demand, Matthew’s group for Mt Arrowsmith became full. This opportunity gave me the chance to lead while having the safety net of an experienced leader along with me. As forewarned in an informative and light course of trip leading taught by Matthew, the biggest part of
trip leading is the extensive pre-communication required about trip details as well as finalizing the ever-changing participant list. This club course gives you access to all of Matthew’s highly touted organizational tricks, tips and habits to help you succeed as a trip leader. After everything, the two full groups ended up Matthew’s and my family units and 4 additional club members.
A Halloween Howler on Mt. Moriarty — Oct. 31,2020
–SUBMITTED BY JOHN YOUNG; ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JOHN’S BLOG
A longish drive with a short hike up to the ridge and then fabulous views!
We started off with a short hike through the logging slash
before going through the forest
Continue reading “A Halloween Howler on Mt. Moriarty — Oct. 31,2020”
Green Mountain: Winter Wonderland
–submitted by Matthew Lettington; additional photography by Dorothy Benneke, and Sherry Durnford
It was a chilly mid-morning start for the club trip up Green Mountain. With the popularity of the trip, we hiked as three groups, departing several minutes apart. The well-worn boot track was easy to follow even though it was covered in a skiff of snow.
Alberni Inlet Trail – Stage I
October 17th, 2020
~ submitted by Ken Warren
Six of us set off from the Ships Creek trailhead on a cool and overcast Saturday morning. The trail is in excellent condition and is still quite dry. We paused at the first lookout which can give views stretching from Mount Marks to the Comox Glacier, but the clouds had dropped low enough to conceal any mountain presence.
Continue reading “Alberni Inlet Trail – Stage I”King’s Peak
October 5th, 2020
~ submitted by Sherry Durnford
Monday dawned overcast with some rain but was forecasted to clear in the afternoon with Tuesday and Wednesday being cloudy with sunny periods.
Arrived at King’s Peak parking area at 12:30 pm Monday and enjoyed cool weather to hike the 1000 meters to the Meadow. Very peaceful as 3 groups came down, seemingly leaving me alone on the mountain.  Interesting route finding in spots and washed out banks by the creek made for some interesting water sport. Getting across the mudslide just before the Meadow is a challenge. Helicopters provided background music in the late afternoon. Â
Continue reading “King’s Peak”Merry Widow Mountain and Mount Russell
| October 3rd, 2020 |
This was a 4 day trip up island for some car camping, hiking, and exploring. On our second day we left one vehicle at Atluck Lake campground and proceeded to Merry Widow Mtn on the backroads, coming at it from the South instead of the more common route via Port McNeil. (We wanted to find the Vanishing and Reappearing Rivers on the way. We only found the Vanishing but it was impressive!) Previous reports had said the climb up the hill on Merry Trail Main was deactivated, and in fact the sign saying so is still at the bottom. We quickly discovered a nicely graded road, and after a quick chat with a couple guys in a Western Forest Products pickup we discovered there is currently active logging both right at and beyond the trailhead. This is good for an easier drive up the road, but we were slightly more concerned at meeting a loaded truck, and the soundtrack to our hike consisted of chainsaws and machinery noises.
Mount Drabble
October 3rd, 2020
~ submitted by Christine Rivers
After many comings and goings of people on the trip list, all of the waitlist people were also invited and we ended up with 5 of us on the hike. It was a beautiful, somewhat smoke hazy day. The road is a bit rough, needing high clearance and 4×4.
Continue reading “Mount Drabble”Christie Falls, Thistle Mine, and Camas Ridge
September 26, 2020
~ submitted by John Robertson
We left our departure point under partly clear skies. From the sound coming from Bush Creek, we were quick to realize that the recent rain had increased its flow. Our first stop was the old cabin, still kept in great shape by the Ladysmith Sportsmen’s Club.
Continue reading “Christie Falls, Thistle Mine, and Camas Ridge”Mt Washington to Old Forbidden Plateau Ski Area Traverse
September 26th, 2020
~ submitted by Bil Derby
The logistics of this trip demand vehicle shuttles or two groups, each starting at opposite ends. With John Young leading (and planning) it is a simple task to co-lead from the opposite end.
With our trip planned to start at the Wood Mountain trail head and John’s trip to start at the Mt Washington trail head all participants met at Piercy Road at 08.00 for a vehicle swap – a great plan by John as it put each of our respective vehicles at the place where we would end the day.
A quick drive to the TH and we were off by 08.40. The direct route up from the parking lot through the old ski hill area is a fine, and hearth thumping, way to “warm up”. There was some good natured commentary about how much longer it would take John’s group to warm up on the flatter Paradise Meadows trails but we looked forward to end with a good leg stretch on kind trails.
Continue reading “Mt Washington to Old Forbidden Plateau Ski Area Traverse”