Last month I spent three days on the Howe Sound Crest Trail near Vancouver, BC, with a friend. The weather was fabulous, if a little hot, and the VHF action was good. Together we trekked 34 km, climbed over 4000m, summited 8 peaks and activated 5 of them (3 for the first time,) and swatted our own weight in bugs.
We went light and fast on this trip so my HF rig had to stay behind**, so I just brought my 5W 2m/70cm portable with me. Despite that I was able to set a personal best for distance into Washington State at 185 Km with just a 1/4 wave whip and a some favorable conditions. I also had my first experience with aircraft scatter on this trip when VA7NX popped out of nowhere while I was on Deeks Peak (VE7/SL-027), which I thought was pretty cool.
The trail itself is a lot of up and down. Despite the July heat there were still patches of snow as low as 700m. Getting up some of the summits required a bit of 4th class scrambling, but fortunately the rock was dry and we were able to get through it without needing a rope.
Thanks to everyone who tuned in during our trip!
Here’s the full trip report (lots of pictures): Three Days on the Howe Sound Crest Trail; or, How to Earn 20 Points in VE7 | Summits and Radios