Capturing the Art of Nature
Sumas for two
A great day for hiking and so Carolyn and I set out for Sumas Peak to enjoy our lunch with a view.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
Summits on the Air
2017
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Now that the weather is getting better, it is easier to have a good Saturday for hiking some of the local hills. Still too early in the season for the real mountains but there are still some decent hikes that are free of snow. So today we decided to drive to the end of the Sumas mountain forestry road and hike the rest of the way to the summit and the eastern viewpoint.
Our adventure began with packing up our gear and checking that we did indeed have everything as it had been quite a while since out last outing. Once we had triple checked our equipment we were off and only 10 minutes later than our planned time of 9:30AM. The first stop was the traditional one at Starbucks followed by an extra stop at Safeway in Aldergrove for some Cashews for Carolyn, then food for the truck. The brakes were working well this trip so that was one concern removed from my mind. We made quick time to the road that travels up Sumas Mountain. It always seems to go on longer than expected before one turns off the main road and on to the side road which leads to the gravel route to the summit.
As we approached the start of the gravel we were stopped by a person directing vehicles for a major running event taking place on the trails. We explained our plans and destination which was fortunately compatible with the event so we were allowed to continue up the road to the far end. All the parking areas including the one near the top were in use for the ‘Run for Water’ event. But we didn’t want a parking lot, only the end of the road with a wide spot to park in. Carefully making our way up the road we soon found ourselves at the locked gate and our parking spot. We quickly got ready and started up the rest of the road.
About 300m in I discovered I had left my trail snack s in the truck so I dropped gear and jogged back to the truck to retrieve it and then a slower walk back up to where Carolyn was waiting for me. So with a few extra steps added, we continued up the road to just before the repeaters where we take a side trail that leads to the viewpoint and our destination. So far the hike had been very pleasant and despite all the runners on the trails we saw very few people. The viewpoint was empty when we arrived and while there only a few people came by. I think most had been scared off by the event. Carolyn was quite pleased with the view and immediately set about taking some photos to send to some of her on-line buddies.
After a short rest I got my 2m radio gear out and the antenna setup. Today I tried a different configuration for the antenna and this worked much better than last time. My first contact was with a camper far up Harrison Lake at 20 mile bay. We had a longer chat as he was out gathering some firewood for the evening. Next I was able to make contact with some stations down in the Puget Sound area but the signal was weak and scratchy. In order to improve the signal I repositioned my antenna closer to the cliff edge. Moving a few feet can make a huge difference in signal strength in the hills, and this move gave me a contact that was nice and clear. So I had my needed 4 contacts and I could stop to eat some lunch. It felt good getting the summit in the books again this year but now I needed some of the juice I had carried up here.
After lunch I tried a few more calls but nothing was heard so I packed up and we started back down. I had noticed on the map that there is a trail that parallels the road so we decided to follow it rather than the actual road. It may be a more pleasant environment but I found the trail hard to follow in places and definitely harder on the legs. But it was fun and though we missed out exit side trail and had to backtrack 250m, it was still a pleasant alternative to the road. Once back to the truck we were able to change out of our wet clothes and start down the road. The upper view lot was now empty and we stopped for a view of the western Fraser Valley. Unfortunately we couldn’t see it due to haze and smog! A really clear picture of why the air is so hard on Carolyn.
The drive down the gravel road went quickly but the jarring proved harder on Carolyn than the actual hike! I am quite used to it but it does explain why driving the back country can be exhausting. Once on the pavement the rest of the drive went quite quickly as the traffic was quite light all the way to home. So we both felt it was a great adventure and we enjoyed a good day in the fresher air. On to a longer adventure next trip.