Sooke man reaches 100 Mt. Quimper summits by 65
Published 9:00 am Saturday, August 29, 2026
For Jon Erzinger, reaching his 65th birthday came with a milestone measured not in candles, but in summits.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Erzinger celebrated his birthday by completing his 100th climb of Mt. Quimper, joined by 13 hikers and two dogs.
The Sooke resident first climbed the mountain in 2022, shortly after moving to the community. What began as a way to stay active in retirement eventually became an ambitious personal goal: the goal of reaching the summit 100 times before turning 65.
“I just started going, well, let’s see how many I do,” Erzinger said. “I ended the first year with 20.”
The numbers continued to climb. By the end of last year, Erzinger had reached roughly 85 summits and realized the century mark was within reach.
“I’m like, oh, yeah, I can do this now,” he said.
Over his first 99 climbs, Erzinger estimates he covered about 841 kilometres and gained nearly 50,000 metres in elevation, using the mountain’s standard route as the basis for his calculations.
Erzinger said he kept track of every climb in a notebook and on an app, recording dates and other details along the way. According to him, June became his busiest month for climbing, with 22 ascents, while January was typically his quietest.
But for Erzinger, the accomplishment is more than numbers. A retired postal worker who spent 30 years working for Canada Post, Erzinger said he took up hiking as a retirement hobby after moving to Sooke in 2021.
“I wanted to stay fit and active and healthy,” he said. Mt. Quimper quickly became a favourite.
The mountain offers sweeping views toward Victoria, Mount Baker, the Olympic Peninsula and Sooke Basin. After 100 trips to the summit, Erzinger said the mountain has become less of a destination and more like an old friend.
“It’s like an old friend,” he said. “It’s become a part of the whole culture and mentality, my hiking.”
His hiking has also helped him build connections in his new community.
Erzinger is now the hiking director with the Juan de Fuca Community Trails Society, a coalition of hikers, cyclists and equestrians focused on creating and promoting a legacy of community trails in Sooke and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.
The society organizes community hikes on the first two Saturdays of each month. “The hikes are filled with laughter and good-natured banter,” he said. “It’s kind of like a family in some ways.”
Several members of the group joined him for his 100th climb. Erzinger said examples from older hikers have also helped motivate him to remain active. Members of the trails community in their 80s continue to get out on the trails, showing him that age does not have to be a barrier.
While Mt. Quimper remains the foundation of his hiking routine, Erzinger has explored plenty of other peaks and trails. Monument Mountain is among his favourites, along with the coastal trails in East Sooke Regional Park. He also counts a 24-kilometre hike up Old Glory Mountain in the Kootenays with his nephew among his most memorable adventures.
Now that he has reached 100 climbs, Erzinger has no plans to stop.
For now, though, his 100th summit marks a personal milestone and another chapter in a relationship with a mountain that began a few years ago from Sooke.
“Get out and enjoy this beautiful part of the world. It’s really, really special,” he said.