We left Victoria very early in the morning for Mt. Arrowsmith Regional Park (both in Port Alberni and Nanaimo regional districts) and enjoyed the typical gorgeous views from the Malahat.

The road to the trailhead is pretty smooth, though there are sections further down the mountain that I wouldn’t want to do in 2WD.

The trail up the old ski area is horrendous for footing, with apple-sized rocks making up the trail. I’m too invested in the fragility of the surrounding vegetation to risk leaving the trail for better footing.

The trail is continiuously interesting, it’s not a boring hike through a clearcut by any measure.

Despite being through a former skihill (and therefore a large clearcut) the vegetation is slowly making a comeback and beautiful views are to be had by all on the way up. If you do get desperate for water on the way up, fill up. There is no water near the summit.

The view looking up towards the scramble. This was my girlfriend’s first scramble with a heavier pack on, and I think it went pretty well. Going down was a lot harder. There was one 5 foot vertical that proved to be a challenge for someone who is also 5 foot tall.

Beginning our ascent after the small ponds towards the summit of Cokely. This shot is right before the scramble begins.

Looking down the actual scramble. We chose well, the other approach to Cokely is almost 600 feet of vertical scramble steeper than this.

The view from our campsite. Yes, you are highly exposed at the summit, but the views are some of the best on Southern Vancouver Island. Apparently you can hike down to that lake and go for a swim. It would likely be a good place for camping, though being on the East side of the mountain you miss out on the sunset spectacle. The sunrise would be killer though. The cliff drops off about five feet in front of where I was standing for several hundred feet. Pins and needles kind of a spot. The valley floor was probably over a thousand feet down from where I was standing.

A campsite to rival the best. If you head up there, this is a perfectly flat, well drained (yes, both) area in the small dip between the false summit and the true summit.

A view from the tower of the campsite. It’s as sheltered as you can get up here, and it was pretty good.

I like me some urban exploration, even if you’re a long way from the urban. It’s not a very tall tower – probably less that twenty feet – but it still gives you a whole different perspective. You also get some perspective on the fact that this little tower is just perched on the side of a thousand foot drop.

One of the best places I have ever watched the sunset from, with only a light haze on the Clayoquot Plateau in the distance.

Got up to shoot the stars, but the moon was out and Vancouver is visible from here, meaning light pollution abounds. Night hiking would be splendid around here.

Bonus stop for lunch on the way back to Victoria: the old E&N Alberni subdivision. Please travel carefully here, this railway is actually becoming active again and the organization in charge of it is working hard to bring an active railway back to the South Island. Don’t make their life difficult.