Mountains are changeable. From a technical perspective, a route may be an easy ascent in the winter season, and a heinous, bush-filled scramble in the summer. Or, of course, it’s possible that winter adds more treachery to a route that’s a simple scramble in the summer. It’s probably because of this …
Jagged Mountain: Grovelling in the Gully
[insert snappy introduction] I love mountaineering in the Sutton Range because the peaks offer a sense of exploration I don’t always find in more popular regions. I attribute this feeling to the relative isolation of the peaks: they are a long way from the major population centres of Vancouver Island, …
Mount Grey : Under the Atomic Sky
Back in January 2017, I was part of a group that Phil led to summit Mount Grey. That trip failed because of poor route-finding choices, less-than-amazing snow conditions, and a short winter day, but it left us wanting for this summit. It wasn’t again until August 6 2017, that we …
Octavia’s First Multi Day Kayak Trip: A Splash of Adventure
This letter was a long time coming; it’s been well over a year already since this trip! I suppose it’s a symptom of how we live our lives. Between raising you kids and my club adventures, I’ve been busy living and not stuck at a keyboard typing. Still, it’s good …
Big Interior Mountain: A Failed Attempt of Nine Peaks
View PostMount Judson from Saunders Mainline
Strathcona Park is a jewel nestled among many of the island’s tallest peaks. In many places, the long mountain ridges are the natural boundaries that define the shape of the park. All around the park, and sometimes within it, is evidence of industry: logging and mining change the landscape, and …
Mount Heber: worth the squeeze?
View PostWild Side Trail:
Dear Hemingway, We did it! We survived our first father-and-son backpacking adventure. I’m happily writing the trip down as a success! We picked the perfect location, Flores Island’s Wild Side Trail, and lucked into a spate of great weather. Of course, our adventure companions helped us enjoy the trip all the more. We …
Meares Island : Lone Cone & Big Tree Trail
To early European explorers, the western edge of North America must have been an overwhelming place to visit. We humans navigate by landmarks, known places with names; explorers applied names to many places, making them easier to identify on maps. At some point, it must have been really overwhelming to …