Originally published at: https://accvi.ca/events/sooke-hills-extravaganza/
Meeting place: Charters River (just below the Salmon Enhancement area at 2895B Sooke River Rd, Sooke, BC)
Required gear: Good hiking boots, pole(s), lunch/snacks & water, appropriate layers of hiking clothes. Also bring your energy and good spirits!! Swim suits optional.
For this longer Sooke Hills hike, we’ll ensure there are plenty of swim opportunities available. We’ll start at the Charters River parking along Sooke River Road, then hike along the river for about an hour, and turn right and gain “Mike Ridge” for the high view route to Sheilds Lake. We may make a detour to Pleasant Peak above the lake on the way, if things are going well. There are two beaches available for us at the lake, and eager swimmers can swim between them. Then we hike to the north and east of the lake, and gain “Mike Ridge” via the east route, with its various viewpoints along the way. After some steep scrambling, we’ll visit Dumbell and Bowflex/Puzzle peaks, and come back down near Grass Lake. Many will need a swim at Grass Lake to cool off at this point. Depending on the time, we may scramble up to Monument Ridge on the way back, secure in the knowledge that we still have Roger Pool available for a 3rd swim, time permitting.
The whole hike may be up to 8+ hours of moving time, so we’ll start at 8:30 am at Charters parking, and be back around 6 pm, or later, so fixed supper plans are not advised.
Leaders: Mike Whitney & Peggy Taylor
Email Peggy Taylor to sign up: peggyhiking@gmail.com