The Pigeon Mountain VE6/jF-003 [2394 m 7855 ft, 4 points, elevation gain 990m (3,247 ft)], trail starts near Dead Man Flats just outside Canmore, Alberta. It follows the Skogan Pass trail (and power line) for 5km before turning left up the steep grassy slopes. Expect alpine flowers to carpet this alpine meadow from June through to late July. The trail is closed from December 1st through June 15 for Big Horn Sheep to create an undisturbed environment (except for the wolves, bears and coyotes). Ascent time under 3hours round-trip distance 15km.
Our day started with cold heavy rain and ominous thunder (last week a golfer was injured by lightning in Canmore). We decided to continue our hike with the expectation that we might manage to sneak an activation between storm fronts. The up-track was hot and steamy through a sauna of wet undergrowth and tree cover. We managed to gain the summit with plenty of time before the published alert. It was at this point I realized that I was missing a vital PL259-BNC connector! Fortunately as this was a joint activation I was able to piggyback off VE6IXD equipment. We started on 17m with a self spot and quickly gained the necessary QSOs for activation points. Due to the suspect weather and technical challenges we decided not to try other bands and headed down to a nearby coffee-shop to celebrate our success.