Capturing the Art of Nature
Mount Douglas
A pleasant little summit to enjoy while waiting for the hotel
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2021
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It has been two years since I was last in Victoria. I would have been here sooner but covid got in the way. Now that we were finally able to venture forth I quickly booked a visit to Victoria. This year I decided to spend the time waiting for check-in doing an activation rather than just biding time in a restaurant. So once done with lunch I set out for Mt Doug.
The nice thing with this summit is that after 12 noon one can drive up to almost the summit. There is small parking area near the top and from there a paved walk to the summit. It is popular and I am always worried that the lot will be full. Fortunately, when we arrived there were 3 spots open and I pulled into the one closest to the path. I then put on my backpack which had my radio gear ready to go. Meanwhile my wife Carolyn, opted to head for a close by bench where she could enjoy the view. I started up the short walkway and soon arrived at the summit.
Once at the summit I started to scout out a spot to set up. Now there are two challenges to this site. One is the strong cell tower to the south, the second is the solid rock surface which comprises the summit area. One cannot jam their pole into firm dirt to support it. I looked for a gap in the rock and managed to place my pole against the rock and use my pack to hold it in place. It worked fairly well and soon I had my antenna in place and ready to turn on the radio. As soon as I had the radio on, I heard my friend Ralph call me on the band! Well, that made for a quick start and I logged his contact. I soon had the requisite four and felt good about the adventure. Soon after I had a number more contacts as they came in quick order.
I was doing well but I had Carolyn waiting for me at the car so I decided 14 radio contacts would be enough for today and I closed down. While packing up I ended up chatting with a couple that came by about ham radio. They were quite interested in the activity. My final contact was also with a chap who was very interested in getting started in SOTA. There is a lot of interest out there when one is operating from a summit. I walked back to the car and we headed for the hotel, it was ready for us.
Even though Mt Doug a small easy summit in the scale of BC peaks, it has its place for getting on the air quickly when one needs to space out ones activities. The view from the summit is also very lovely and I recommend it for all visiting Victoria.