Capturing the Art of Nature
Mount Newton Take Two
An easy activation while traveling to the Ferry
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2021
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It was our day to return home and I wanted to activate a summit that would be convenient to fit between breakfast at the hotel and boarding the Ferry. Mount Newton is right between the two and as it is almost a drive-up it was an excellent choice for the day. Last time when I visited the mountain, we were blanketed in smoke from all the wildfires. This year we are rapidly approaching the same point. That year the gate at the start of the park was closed and car traffic was banned due to fire hazards. That year, I had to walk from the park boundary to the summit through smoke that obscured things not all that far away. This year the gate was open and we were able to drive to the end where we could park.
Once parked I donned my packs and started up the final road section that is behind a locked gate, open only for service vehicles. I got about 50m along the road when I noticed I had forgotten my cell phone, so I returned to the car to get it and then started over. There is a trail alongside the road for the first section but the road is shorter and not overly steep, so I chose to stay to the road and I made my way to the area next to the radio towers where there is a wooden structure to aid in seeing the views. Unfortunately, like so many viewpoints, trees below the spot slowly grow and eventually obscure the view. So it was for this viewing platform, not much view to see. I guess last time it wasn’t just the smoke that was blocking any sights.
I looked over the wooden platform and found a way to secure my pole in the railing which would give me a bit more elevation and a secure base for the yagi. So, I opted to operate from the platform. I set up the yagi on the railing and then set up the radio. During this time an older chap came by and was interested in the set up and what I was doing. He found it quite interesting. Once set up, I put out a call and soon had my first contacts. I worked a couple of club members back at home and another chap on a summit in Washington State. It was a quick series of contacts and then it just stopped. I tried calling for a few more minutes but heard no more. Since Carolyn was waiting in the car, I decided to just end it there having 15 contacts and since the clouds were spitting a bit and I didn’t want to get my equipment wet.
Once packed up I scouted the area for a few photos and the started back down the road. The walking section is only around 300m so it went quick and I was back at the car unloading the gear. Well, we still had lots of time before the ferry so we decided to head to the town of Sidney for a bite and there we explored the beach area for a short while until it was time to head to the ferry.
Mount Newton is a fairly easy location to reach but the radio towers and activity may cause some major interference for certain types of radios. I have a strong band-pass filter for my 2m set up which makes these RF dense areas easy to handle. If you come with 2m only you should be prepared to handle the commercial activity.