Capturing the Art of Nature
Black Mountain in Colour
A lovely fall day to be hiking a local summit
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2018
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My friend Ralph recently purchased a new portable antenna and he wanted to hike a local summit that wouldn’t be overly taxing. After reviewing a few options we settled on Black Mountain for the adventure. Our day began at a nice leisurely 8:30 when Ralph arrived at my place and we set off for the summit. Normally we would be taking my wife’s Bolt for the drive but today it was my Volt. Earlier in the week my garden tractor took exception to the all-electric and shot out is rear window with a rock! So, after looking over the missing window one more time, we left in good form for a coffee stop and then it was off to the parking lot.
Our drive went quickly as traffic was light and we soon were driving in to the lot at the base of the ski-lifts. There were quite a few vehicles parked but still lots of room and we were able to get one close to where we wanted. Once parked, we got our gear on and noticed that it was fairly warm out and calm. The sky was overcast with rain expected later but for now it was very pleasant. We started out for the trail to the summit.
This trail is very well travelled and nicely maintained so it allowed us to make good time. With the cooler air we also didn’t need as many stops. As we ascended the slope I had to keep stopping to admire the fall colours that were out in full swing. I hadn’t given that any thought before the start but out here I was very nicely surprised by all the colour. I had many opportunities to capture some nice fall scenes. The small ponds along the trail really offset the colourful huckleberries and ash, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the trail that seemed to be missed by most of those zipping past us. Though we took our time up the trail, we soon arrived at the small lake at the saddle between the two summits. There were a fair number of people around but the cooler day had kept many off the trail so it wasn’t overly crowded.
After admiring the lake a bit and chatting with a group enjoying the scene we made our way the short distance to the north summit. We arrived at the summit around 11am an hour before our scheduled start. The trail went much faster than I had expected but this gave us time to relax and eat some lunch before setting up the radio gear. I took time to take a number of photos from the top, Mount Tantalus in the distance was particularly lovely this morning and the thick clouds cast a neat look to the Lions.
Once done, we lunch I set up my yagi and Ralph got his new Alexloop antenna assembled. Soon we were both putting out calls. I managed 10 into the local area while Ralph made 5 more distant contacts including two summit-to-summit. He was a bit disappointed in the lack of activity the antenna seemed to be having and wasn’t sure if it was an issue with the antenna or just poor conditions. So we set up his wire vertical to see what it would do. It did no better so it leaves us a bit unsure what to think about the loop at this point. By now the calm we enjoyed at the bottom was replaced with a brisk breeze at the summit. I also noticed some rain showers on the distant mountains that were slowly approaching. We did get a few drops on us so it was definitely time to pack up.
While we were on the summit operating and then packing a number of the groups that arrived were curious about our activities, I was able to explain the program to them and hand them a card explaining things. That card is really quite useful. Starting back down I stopped at a few spots to gather more photos but by now the distant showers were no longer distant and we were getting wet. So after one last capture of a colourful scene I packed the camera into my bag and we started back down the main trail in earnest. Fortunately, much of the trail is protected by trees so we didn’t get a lot of rain on us. It wasn’t raining that hard but we kept moving lest it pick up. We were damp but not overly wet by the time we reached the car. The one thing we both felt was a bit chilled so we decided to seek out some hot soup once we got off the summit. The drive down went quickly and we dropped in to the closest Safeway to pick up a few things in their deli area. The hot soup felt good and we were well set for the drive home.
So, the day finished with us successfully activating the summit, testing Ralph’s new antenna, as well as providing a nice short hike into some lovely scenery. The fall colours were a pleasant bonus and the radio contacts achieved our goal for the day. Now to plan the next one.