A Romp up Mount Finlayson

I have hiked up to the summit of Mt Finlayson a number of times during my trips to Victoria. It isn’t overly long but still a good workout for me. I walk the northern access trail as it is sheltered from the sun by the lovely mature trees unlike the shorter steeper southern trail which is fully exposed for much of the trail. I left the hotel around 10:20 and set out for the northern trailhead on Finlayson Arm Road. The navcom reported a 35-minute drive through Victoria and the highway to the location. I made good time on the roads and soon was at the trailhead. I made a U-turn and parked the car; there was only one other car there.

I swapped my shoes for the hiking boots and donned my backpack and camera. The backpack seemed heavy, I haven’t been conditioning myself this year and so I was a bit uncertain as to how I would do on the trail. Well, one can only find out by doing it and so I locked up the car and started out. The first thing I noticed was the sign saying that there was cougar in the area! I wasn’t too excited about that but I could tell that the trail was being travelled and so I felt that any wild animals were far off. I soon met a dog walker coming towards me and so felt a little less concerned.

I made reasonable time along the trail, not quite as fast as my previous trip but today was much hotter and I really slow down in the heat. The trees at least helped reduce the amount of sun and heating as I made my way to the summit. The summit itself is fully exposed but by then all the elevation gain is done. There were a few people coming down as I neared the summit area and on top there was just one other hiker. A quiet day for the mountain. I crossed over the summit area to a shaded spot on the North-east corner that I used previously. There I set up my radio and started making a few calls. 

My first contact was with a chap in the Victoria area who is a regular SOTA activator. He gave me a good report. Next came Bob from back home, followed by Paul, Joe and Fred – all club members. I next worked a regular chaser of mine from Abbotsford followed by my friend Ralph. It was a fun reunion of club members. Next was a chap from Camano Island and a chap activating a peak east of Mt Rainier. A couple more contacts finishing with a station directly below me in Langford. That station was likely only a couple kilometers away. I had thirteen in the log, enough for SOTA and POTA and so I shutdown the radio and ate my lunch.

Done eating, I packed up and crossed back over the summit. I spotted a senior lady sitting there admiring the view and I stopped to visit. She is a local and does the hike up the steep side regularly to keep fit. She, Laura, uses the hike to confirm she is still doing well. She enjoys listening and identifying birds. Noticing my camera, she shared a photo of an interesting tree she had taken on her walk up. I shared my belief that there are so many beautiful things to see all over if we just stop to look. I then resumed my walk back to the car. The temperature had risen and I was feeling it more on the return walk bit at least it is mostly down not up. I met a few others on the trail as I made my way back to the car. It had been a good walk, not overly taxing but I definitely had had enough for the day, my legs will be complaining tomorrow. The view is certainly worth the effort. The area is so lovely to be in.