Timberline Tales

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Wesley Ridge (Ridge Ramble)

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

December 15, 2019

We pushed the limits of a B rating on our sunny, December trip along Wesley Ridge. We had an excellent day on the ridge. The leisurely pace helped with this as it allowed for in-depth conversation on a diverse range of topics. 

The most challenging effort of the day was gaining the ridge. To ease the transition from sitting to hiking, we took our sweet time. Once we gained the hill, we found ourselves first walking in hoar frost, and eventually the lightest dusting of fresh snow. Though the first highpoint was mired in a fog that obscured any meaningful view, it didn’t last long. By the time we were halfway along our route, the cloud dissipated and the sun shone down. 

Though it remained cold throughout the day, we kept ourselves warm by maintaining a consistent though relaxed pace to cover the 1000 meters of elevation gain and 14.4km. 

So did we make it in under 6 hours? No, we needed an extra 15 minutes. We might have made the 6 hours mark but for the blowdown along the ridgetop and missteps at the very beginning of the day. I heard no complaints over the smiles on people’s faces as we finished up this Ridge Ramble!

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Mount Richards

~ submitted by Mary Hof

December 14, 2019

It was a week of cancelations and additions – I always say organizing the hike is much harder than leading the hike. Really I didn’t know the exact number till I headed off Lol.

At 9:30 I had 11, and my cell phone wasn’t ringing so we left. It said a small amount of rain in the forecast but we got none, in fact we had sun for a little while.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the hike, with the scenery, lush greenery, mushrooms, forest, and a wonderful group. There is new logging which because I reccee it on Wednesday I was able to lead the group around some of it. We finished 4.5 hours later.

Thanks group for your pictures you shared with me.

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Maple Mountain

~ submitted by Quinn Park

November 24, 2019

Lovely vistas of a waterfall or two, flora, and good views of Saltspring on the ascent plus with a lunch on the summit – not much to look at up there aside from a large cell tower.

The return route back featured a lovely ocean side views – not a bad day out!
About 15 km long – via Blue trail, pink trail to the summer, return on the yellow trail.

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Mount Horne (A Wander in the Clouds)

~ submitted by Phil Dol

November 10th, 2019

The six of us started at the Cathedral Grove parking lot. We followed the cabin road to the start of the trail, from there it is a steep hike up to the deteriorating railroad tracks. After a short wander along the tracks it was time for more uphill hiking until we reached the logging road followed by the last uphill section to the summit for lunch.

Even though all the weather forecasts predicted clearing  around mid-day, it wasn’t until we were back at Cameron Lake that the sun broke through.

When we returned to our vehicles, what had been an empty parking lot was now full of noisy vehicles and people, a stark contrast to the peaceful hike we had just completed.

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Maple Mountain (and not Richards)

~ submitted by John Robertson

November 11, 2019

The original plan was 2 mountains in one day. Summit Maple first, then Mount Richards in the afternoon. Time commitments for a few members of our group prevented them from committing to Richards. So, as we got our gear together in the Osborne Bay Road parking lot, we dropped Richards from the plan, and decided to explore Maple Mountain only.

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Mook Peak, Or What Happens When You Go Biking With Phil

–submitted by Matthew Lettington, originally published on explorington.com

We did it! We finally summited Mook Peak! Sure, it may have taken seven scheduled attempts, but we only set foot on the mountain twice. So often it appeared on the schedule, that it became a running joke between my hiking buddies and I. However, it was on the second attempt that we reached the summit.

Looking back on the summit of Mook Peak from the central bump

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Westwood Ridges Before the Club Meeting

October 27, 2019

~ submitted by Matthew Lettington

It was a horrible day for a club meeting. The sun was shining, birds singing, and a light breeze chilled the air to keep us from overheating.

Our group of seven spent a little over three hours exploring the first two ridges. By the time we arrived back at the parking lot, we had completed a 10.5 km loop with just about 400 meters elevation gain. 


It was a perfect pre-meeting hike!

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Mount Benson Project — Trail Work

–submitted by Matthew Lettington

The Mount Benson Project continues to roll along. During the summer, we spent our time diverting water and shoring up the eroding bank. Since then, we have been reluctant to do any work that relies on the integrity of the work previously done. When the fall rains arrived, we examined the results of the work, and it appears that most of the water is being diverted off the trail. Though there is still more work to be done in this area, we are ready to move into some other areas of work.

Dustin, using the hammer drill to create a socket for rebar.

On Wednesday, October 30, Dustin and Matthew loaded their backpacks and set out with adhesive, rebar, and hammer drill do work that added steps in a few key places within our section.

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