The highlight of my week is Sunday, when I’m adventuring in Vancouver Island’s alpine. Planning a weekly trip is an involved process that takes considerable planning. In many ways, these trips shape all the activities in my weekly schedule. There’s research, route-planning and plotting, communication with participants, weather-watching, and drafting …
Maitland Range Exploration: a day in the bush
I often wonder how my blog posts are perceived by those who read them. While the website is a vanity site, it’s never been my intent to brag; rather, I’ve always been interested in sharing first-hand experiences gained in Vancouver Island’s diverse backcountry. However, over the past few months, I’ve come to …
Waring Peak: Striking Back
Have you ever struggled to achieve an objective, and been turned back? I have–a lot! Waring Peak in the Sutton Range is among several peaks that we failed to summit last winter. My first attempt came to a premature end, with the group looking longingly at the base of the …
Big Den Mountain: The Land of the Little Sticks
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 …