Mount Matheson

I was still recovering from my hike up Mount Finlayson, so a simple drive up activation was what best fit my agenda for the day. I wanted to activate another new to me summit but really didn’t want a long hike as I was still stiff from the steep climb up Finlayson. So I selected Matheson as my destination for the day. As it was a drive-up, Carolyn decided to join me for the drive. We left a bit before 10am and made for the highway and the way towards Sooke. The day was overcast but still bright and fairly warm so it was a nice day for driving.

We made good time to the Sooke area and then started along some minor roads, these also went smoothly. Finally we were onto the Mt. Matheson road that made its way up the western side of the mountain towards the summit. It didn’t take long to gain the upper ridge line where the houses all had lovely views of Victoria off in the distance. We arrived at the end of the top road as planned through Google Maps and Street view. I parked the car along the side of the road and looked to find the way to the actual summit. A worn path led in the direction desired so I followed it.

The path lead to a rock covered summit area that required a tiny amount of scrambling between some big rocks. In all the trail was about 75m long and gained about 10m elevation. Just enough to make the summit distinct from the road-end. The top had some dirt and plant filled crevices which worked well for supporting my walking pole and antenna. I quickly got my gear set up and sent a text to Ralph. He was immediately heard on the radio and I had my first contact. Over the next 45 minutes I completed 6 more, some in Vancouver others across the strait in Port Angeles. So it was a successful activation.