Day 1 San Josef Bay
Our trip began late Friday night. Myself, Lisa and Adrian hiked into San Josef Bay by moonlight arriving by 11pm. 2km
Cape Scott Trip To The Lighthouse
Mount Palmerston
–submitted by Phil Jackson
Leaving Nanaimo at 5:30am Phil and Matt proceeded to Campbell River where we picked up Mary then proceeded to where Palmerston Rd meets Eve River main. Rishi was there waiting for us, Rick and Lisa weren’t to far behind.
Westwood Ridges
A slight departure from the scheduled route, an extra leg was added to the hike to extend the day trip.
Four of us started out from the N. end of Westwood L. following the standard ridges route with a first stop at Ridge 1 overlooking the lake. After a brief snack it was on to Ridge 2 for lunch, complete with views to Mt. Benson, Robert’s Roost and Ladysmith inlet. We concluded our hike with a brief tour of a couple of trails in Morrell: the Rocky Knoll trail (not to be missed), and the Beaver Pond.
Good weather, good group, and a nice woodsy ramble fit for anyone with average physical fitness.
Mount De Cosmos & Wine Tasting
A short, stiff hike up from Second Lake on the Nanaimo Lakes circuit. We leftHarewood Mall at 0700 and arrived at the base of the logging road 1150 metres below the summit. Stop about 400 metres before the main 2nd Lake Gate which is the gate just after the lake cottages. There is a small road to the right climbing up with an old,low gate which may be locked. It does not matter. We parked on the main logging road.From here it was a quick walk up from the lake to the end of the road at about 480metres.
Keeha Bay Backpacking Experience – May 13-15, 2016
–submitted by John Young, read it on his blog
Ah, Keeha Bay, one of my favourite destinations on the Island, and this year it didn’t disappoint. Whales in the bay, eagles aloft, bears scrounging along the shore, seals afloat, sea caves, shell fish, flowers, lichen, fungi . . . . Oh, this area is teeming with life!
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Wandering About Mount Benson
–submitted by Ken Warren
Nine of us set off from Morrell Sanctuary to hike Mount Benson from the south. Clear skies and warm sun were promised and delivered. Logging activities have made the original trail somewhat more difficult, but a bike trail allowed us to bypass the damaged section.
We missed our intended trail, which turned out to be a recurring theme that day, and found ourselves on the eastern side of the ridge on a new trail that is only partially complete. We managed to intersect our intended trail only to wander off on several newer and similarly marked trails. We did eventually find the summit and enjoyed the views and the sunshine. The return leg of the loop was uneventful, without the trail exploration that marked our ascent.
High Rigger : More Than Just Light Bush
–submitted by Phil Jackson
We started off at 5:30 AM from Nanaimo. Drove up Stowe Creek main and parked part way along. We were off from the vehicle at 8:30AM and into bushwhacking almost immediately. After a quick crossing of Stowe Creek we followed an Alder choked road till we decide we’d take our chances with the forest and take the direct line up. With a minor amount of rock scrambling and some B4 bush we were up yo the snow in no time. After a short break to take in the view we headed up the lower ridge to the lower snow bowl. After climbing a snow chute we headed along the upper ridge to the upper bowl and the summit from there. We arrived at the summit at 1:30 and sat around for half an hour soaking in the spectacular view before heading back for the jeep.
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| A handsom looking group of Island Mountain Ramblers! |
Snow School: The Best Way to Slip Slide to Safety
–Submitted by Matthew Lettington
The sun blazed down on the abandoned alpine ski runs at Mount Washington. We organized ourselves in the parking lot under blue bird skies.
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Rappel Workshop
We all congregated in the parking lot of Pipers Lagoon at 6pm. The sky was dark, threatening rain. But we were lucky and avoided any moisture. The cool air made us eager to get active and get our gear on.
We covered the basics needed for rappelling safely. We started tied to the bench and worked our way up to the small ledge, rappeling safely off the tree. To top everything off we set a line down the face into the cove, at Pippers Lagoon. I think a few folks were very nervous when we started the evening but by the end of the night, everyone was very confident in their own abilities. Three cheers for teamwork. We hope to host another event soon, likely focusing on belay technique to do some top roping at the local crags.
Mount Tzouhalem – Spring Flower Frolic
–submitted by John Young.
A wonderful excursion on Mount Tzouhalem today. Although the forecast was for rain, the 13 of us lucked out and even enjoyed a little sun. A profusion of flowers – including shooting stars, sea blush, and camas. We spent a leisurely 10 minutes admiring the flowers in the reserve, and then wandered along the ridge to the cross, enjoying wonderful views along the way. Although the parking lot was full, we didn’t see many other people along the way. We had lunch near the summit, before heading down, taking a more inland route back to the car. A most enjoyable nearly three hour jaunt.
