In early February, the southern half of Vancouver Island found itself in the grasp of a polar vortex. After the incredibly mild winter, and possibly because a couple of famous rodents promised an early spring, the dramatic fury caught residents off-guard. The temperatures fell sharply, reaching near double digits (to …
Mount Elma with Octavia
Dear Octavia, We don’t often get a whole day together for just the two of us. Typically, the entire family goes on our adventures, or at the very least it’s you, Hemingway, and me. In fact, that was the original arrangement, for you both to come with me –and 12 …
Patlicant Mountain: Really, Just Checking This One Off
If I take a moment to assess the remaining objectives on my Island Alpine Quest, I have no doubt that many of them will be challenging. Some require grueling multi-day bushwhacks, canoe/kayak approaches, or fly-ins, and some of them will require roped-up climbing. Patlicant Mountain, however, requires none of these things. …
Big Tree Peak
Since beginning my project to summit all the peaks in Island Alpine, I’ve spent more time exploring the various unknown peaks and ranges of Vancouver Island than I ever spent hiking more well-known objectives. Sometimes, when I think about the time I’ve spent hiking, driving, and reporting– it’s become very time-consuming– I …
Stevens Peak, A Mountain of False Summits
View PostHeather Mountain Hustle
When the weather turned to crap on October 28th, we abandoned our plan to summit Steven Peak in the Tlupana Range and turned our eyes to something much closer to home: Heather Mountain. You may be surprised to read that I haven’t done this common south island hike, but the …
Gemini Mountain: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
On my journey to summit all the peaks on my Island Alpine Quest, I don’t often find time to hike a mountain more than once, but when I do, it’s because I’m hiking with my children. On October 27, I led a group of ten that included Hemingway and Octavia …
Mount Roberts
Winter 2018 took its sweet time arriving on Vancouver Island. Many Vancouver Islanders eagerly watched the forecast as they tuned their skis and took stock of their winter gear. I too anticipated a beautiful winter pursuing adventure in the white stuff. Yet, by late October we were still waiting for …
Tsitika Mountain: Up the Crack
View PostGreen Mountain: A Fall Hike Near Nanaimo
On October 14th, I led a small group of Island Mountain Ramblers on a relaxed hike to Green Mountain. Octavia (25 months old) and Hemingway (5 years old) came with us to enjoy the day, and they were the primary reason for the pace. The weather was perfect. The frost from …