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Crossing Canada - Part XII

© Carly Svamvour

I CLIMB MOUNT DOUGLAS!

What a feat, eh? Well, anyone who has been to Victoria knows that Mount Douglas is merely a 'mount'.

According to Word Web, 'a mount is a land mass that projects well above its surroundings - it is higher than a hill'.

It does, however, give the same definition for the word 'mountain'. My electronic MS Encarta and the Merriam Webster give the same explanation.

What is the difference? Anyone know? I'm sure there must be some way of ascertaining that. Perhaps a mountain has to be a certain height and anything under a certain elevation is a mount. That's how I've always thought of it, anyway.

Well, this explains something:

I'm quoting from British Columbia Parks & Trails.

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/ParksAndT...

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When Capt. G.H. Richards was syandardizing the local geographic nomenclature, he called any rise under one thousand feet a hill, and any above, a mountain. He made an exception for Mount Douglas, as he did not wish to 'lower' the governor and, as he explained, "Douglas Hill does not sound well.."

Unquote

No matter - climbing Mount Douglas on foot would be a big deal had I truly climbed it without vehicular assistance. The summit elevation of Mount Douglas is 213 meters.

There are 39.37 inches to a meter, so that would make it a little over a yard a meter - that works out to almost 700 feet (which is 87 times the height of your average apartment). Seeing as how I have a problem walking three blocks without stopping to rest, I don't think I'd make it on my own steam - especially uphill.

Nicole, my good friend who lives on the island, insisted that I visit this wonderful park and mount. I was pleased to learn that we weren't going to try taking the trail to the top on foot.

We drove up to the lookout where Nicole told us that when the mist lifted, we would see the Usa Mountains. It took me a while to catch on to that one.

While Dev and I watched the mountains emerge from the mist on the American side of the border, Nicole was kind enough to climb the last 25 yards or so to the top where she photographed a rabbit I saw with my Samsung camera.

She returned from her climb and promptly made her way up the other side of the clearing to the rocks. I watched and noticed a very wierdly shaped, but beautiful tree; its bark was red, as if it was bleeding and its limbs sprawled across the other foliage as far as the drop.

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