This afternoon I set out for my
usual loop on Rattlesnake Mountain, but continued for another half hour up the nasty climb and made it to the mountain's peak for the first time. Pushing my bike for most of the last parts wasn't much fun, but the ride down was outstanding. From the top, there's a sheer cliff down into Garnett Valley, with sweeping views...the backside of Cartwright Mountain to the west, the lake and Okanagan Mountain Park to the east, Summerland and Giant's Head to the south, and Wildhorse Mountain to the north.
Along the way I got within a couple of hundred metres of the herd of
mountain goats (amazing animals) we've been seeing north of town for a few weeks, and followed a herd of 24 deer at one point (do they actually have herds that large?). Laurie, one of the great people I've met in Summerland was up there last week and
saw a lot more wildlife -- I'll have to pay closer attention next time.