In Search of Superb Mountain

In Search of Superb Mountain, originally uploaded by macatay.

The Octopus Islands, BC
N50°14.67
W125°10.83
We are heading toward Superb Mountain. Maybe we should explain. Among the impressive mountain ranges of both the British Columbia mainland and of Vancouver Island, there are a handful of distinctive peaks shaped like the Matterhorn, and sufficiently separate from their neighbors to draw attention. As we travel over the water, these unusual mountain tops come into view and then disappear behind some closer range or headland.
I've sketched them often while we were underway and from anchorages, and wanted to put a name to each peak. So we have gotten out maps, charts, compass, dividers, and plotter and tried to figure out which distant mountain was which. This is tricky, and we end up guessing. Compass direction (based on magnetic north) is different by about 21 degrees from map direction (based on true north), and land based maps don't ever fit quite right with water based charts. But Superb Mountain is one name found on both map and chart. And we discovered that we can travel by water forty miles up the Bute Inlet right to the base of Superb Mountain, so we figure we have some chance of getting a good look at it.
So now we are hanging out in the rain in the Octopus Islands, poised for a trip up Bute Inlet, which we will make the first day the skies clear. Life seems richer when you are on a quest.