Finding Your Favourite Hike In Your Local Area - Mount Manuel Quimper, Sooke, BC
I’m a pretty passive person when it comes to hikes.
I usually let other people pick them. My main hiking buddy often picks our hikes and so it was she who picked Manuel Quimper originally.
I only started hiking in 2020 as a pandemic hobby. I wanted to do something with my best friend, get outside for some fresh air and feel a sense of peace and normalcy in the heart of a fairly crazy time
The first time we hiked Mount Manuel Quimper was March 21st, 2020 (actually I think that was our first hike period) and after that, it became my absolute favourite hike. Whenever people ask what hike I’d like to do I suggest that one… I’m running out of people who want to do it with me.
Sarah standing in front of a beautiful ocean view at the top of Mount Manuel Quimper
Taken by my Friend Raven McCallum on the iPhone XR
I don’t know how I did it but I did all our first hikes with my pink Nike Free running shoes which I would not recommend to be your hiking shoe of choice. It was flat with no grip and I slipped and slide all the way up the mountain.
Out of all of the hikes I’ve taken why is this particular hike my favourite?
First, there is something so special about your first hike that makes you fall in love with hiking. You either love it or you don’t. If you don’t fall absolutely, head-over-heels in love with hiking your first time out, chances are you won’t be so keen to do it again. But if you do happen to unlock your next-level obsession, that first hike often means a lot to you.
I felt free, I felt wild, I felt like I was where I wanted to be, where I needed to be.
Sarah sitting at the top of Manuel Quimper preparing food
Taken by my friend Raven McCallum
Also, it’s the right amount of hard versus pay-off.
You know when you go on a hike and it’s so stinking hard and the scenery sucks on the way up but you remain hopeful for that gorgeous view at the top but when you get there… It is a huge let-down?
Yes, those hikes we don’t repeat again.
But Manuel Quimper is a good amount of challenge (not the hardest so you can take fairly beginner adults up) with beautiful scenery on the way up and a spectacular view.
As you’re hiking up it’s fairly wet and swamp-like so I suggest good waterproof shoes… Especially if you’re hiking in the winter (as I did on New Year’s Day this year and it was pretty much completely flooded). It decent amount of elevation but it’s consistent as you descend up the mountain for about 5-6km’s so it’s not as difficult.
You get absolutely beautiful forest views (I’m a sucker for exploring the woods!) but as you get higher you get little sneak peeks of the ocean view.
Taken on iPhone 12 (second and third photo converted to long exposure)
Once you reach the top there is a little house that you can go and sit in (it protects you a little bit from the cold and elements).
The little house was previously a fire lookout tower built in the 1920s (and has since had repairs done so it’s completely safe to go up into) back when Mount Manuel Quimper was named Mount Shepherd. In 1939 it was renamed Mount Manuel Quimper. For more details on this story check out the Sooke News Mirror.
The best part about this little house is on gross days you can have your mandatory top-of-mountain meal (we often like to either have miso soup or a Mr. Noodles variety that we can make using our JetBoil stove) and of course a cup of tea.
There is also a guest book to sign if you’re interested!
First photo of the fire lookout tower taken by West Coast Hikes. Photos 2 and 3 taken on the iPhone 12
But let’s be real…
The main judge of whether a hike is a good one you’ll do again or a flop is the view at the top.
I love a mixed view. I don’t want just water but I don’t want just forest. I love when one shot can get me both.
Mount Manuel Quimper provides both. I love that for a lot of the upper part, the water peeks out of the trees playfully as if it’s inviting and encouraging you to continue onwards; a little tease of what’s coming. Honestly, those are some of my favourite shots to get.
On Vancouver Island, I feel that we’re quite lucky in terms of beautiful views and amazing hikes and Manuel Quimper definitely does not disappoint.
At the top, there are many spots where you can sit and take in the whole view. What I love the most about Quimper is the vastness of the view. You sit on the rocks and just take it all in while you’re having a snack on a nice day. On New Year’s, my hike resulted in immense fog at the top but it made it feel like an entirely different hike.
First two photos taken by Raven McCallum, third photo taken on iPhone 12
Choosing your favourite hike can be a trial-and-error process and something you’ll just feel when you do it. I was lucky to find my favourite hike on my first one but you might need to do a few.
Just think about what your favourite elements are in a hike, what you like to see and experience and just try a few different ones.
If you do one hike and didn’t particularly love it, don’t give up. Try another one, get recommendations from people who are more avid hikers or in a hiking community/app, try going during different times of the year, different weather, etc.
After a while, you will find your favourite and then it will become the one you default to and your friends will become sick of you asking to do the same hike repeatedly.
Happy hiking friends!
