Mt. Douglas Park 10/42 weeks

Congratulations on Sunday to us and all of our hiking friends; this was our 10th hike of 2010. It represents twenty percent of the year and we have 42 hikes to experience yet. Today Mark and I were joined by Wayne and Pauline, Marlen, Hillary, Jessica and Andrea.
We decided that we might be ready for Mt. Doug park overlooking Cordova Bay.
According to local geographic tradition, Mt. Doug needs an elevation of over 1000 feet to be classified as a mountain. Anything less, such as this elevation of around 650 feet, is considered a hill.

An exception was made because the park is named after James Douglas , past governor and 'Father of British Columbia'. Douglas Hill doesnt sound as respectful for the man who kept BC from becoming a corridor of the United States during the 1850s Fraser Canyon gold rush. An indicator of the respect held for this man on a local level is evidenced by the number of places named either James or Douglas.

The elevation is enough though for stunning views of the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the mountains of Washington state beyond. This picture of Cormorant Point shows off the San Juan islands of Washington state just across the water. Early in its days as a park a tourist road was added with a parking lot at the top. A short climb from there will land you at the summit. This was my first time hiking to the summit of Mt Doug and I thought it was a moderate hike. The last third of the trail, close to the top, got a bit more challenging but we were rewarded all the way with these fantastic postcard outlooks over Oak Bay and Saanich. It seems like you need to get your head out of the trees to remember where we are; a location of unparalleled beauty.

Mt. Doug is obviously a well loved park. There were many groups hiking the trails and walking up the hard top road that winds to the summit. One of the things I love about British Columbia is the
comfortable feeling in a crowd. Perhaps because the population of Canada is so low compared to the United States.





There is a prevailing sense of abundance and even being in a crowd feels wide open here. We know there is enough room to go around. Remember here in Victoria we share a park space with only 19 others.
Next week: Dominion Brook park