Tag: montreal

VE2/ES-009 Mont Sutton

On the last day of my trip to Montreal, I had the opportunity to drive around the Eastern Townships of Quebec to try for three peaks. First on the list was Mont Sutton, which Eric VA2EO recommended I try for its views of the Green Mountains of both Quebec and Vermont.

Nobody was present at the ticket booth to collect fees when I arrived early in the morning, so I’m not sure if an entry fee is normally required. The hike followed a one-way path that passed by a few beautiful mountain lakes, with separate trails for ascent and descent. The trail is well-maintained and there is plenty of signage to follow along to Round Top. Lake Vogel is a <0.1 mi detour that is well worth checking out!

This was a significant climb, with over 1400 feet of gain, with a round trip hike just under 5 miles. Close to the peak of Round Top, I crossed over into the Green Mountain Natural Reserve, POTA CA-2158. I was able to tie my mast to a fence post and set up my radio on a rocky vista point. The mosquitos were huge up here!

This was a great hike! I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area. I had a couple more hikes to go, so I hustled down the mountain to drive to the next spot: Mont Foster.

  • Trailhead/Parking: 45.09728, -72.54833 : Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton – PENS
  • Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
  • Route: 4.9 mile loop hike, including an out-and-back spur to the peak. About 1400 feet of gain.
  • POTA: CA-2158 Montagnes Vertes Nature Reserve

VE2/ML-004 Mont Royal

I was in Montreal for a conference and had some time to hike up to Mount Royal, which is something that I had always wanted to do, but did not have the chance when I first visited the city in 2011. A rather nasty heat wave was rolling over the east coast, so I made sure to take things slow. I brought my KX2 and AX1 loaded whip to keep the activation casual, since I assumed there would be a lot of people around.

I walked from my hotel in Chinatown to the edge of the Rue Peel steps, passing through McGill University on the way. From there, I took the famous stairs up. I guess it was about 400 steps, but there was plenty of tree cover so it was pleasant getting up.

At the top, I enjoyed the view for a time, then found the Olmstead Trail. I followed the trail until I found a bench within the activation zone. This gravel path was a bit out of the way from the heavy crowds at the café, so I could comfortably set up and operate for a while.

I had left my coax in the hotel room, so I had to connect the antenna directly to the radio and balance it next to me on the bench, letting the counterpoise hide along the plants off the trail. This ended up working just fine, though I had to stick around for a while to get my 10 contacts for the POTA credit. Shout out to Éric VA2EO who worked me on 40m and gave me advice on SOTA summits in the Montreal/Eastern Townships area that made this trip so successful! I also appreciate the duo WA3TVH and KA3JNU who chased me on 40m at the very end of the activation, and appear to be a POTA-chasing couple from eastern PA, much like the esteemed W0MNA and W0ERI beloved by SOTA activators.

  • Trailhead: 45.50455, -73.58182 : The steps at the intersection of Peel and Pine
  • Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
  • Route: 2.3 mile loop hike up the staircase and around the park, about 400 steps in the staircase.
  • POTA: CA-0511 Mont Royal Regional Park