W6/NC-298 Vollmer Peak

I activated this peak shortly after Abrott Benchmark. I drove up to the parking lot, and sat in my car for a while to let the heaviest rain showers pass. Once they seemed to be over, I headed up. When I activated the peak in December last year, I took the trails to the top. This time, because of the rain and mud, I opted to take the paved fire road. Having done both, I recommend the trails (Vollmer Peak Trail, starts at same place).
Once at the top I looked around for somewhere sheltered to set up. The building at the far end of the summit has a covered entryway, so I set up there. In December I sat at the edge of the gravel area, looking out over the bay. I made 5 QSOs on 20 meters. As I was taking down the HF antenna, the rain stopped, so I took out my HT and made a number of contacts on 2m. K6EL was on, and we talked about my route for a different peak. He also tried to convince some of the other ops I worked to go out and do some activations. K6EL is usually the first person to answer my CQs on HF, so it was nice to actually talk to him. When I started to get cold, I packed up and headed back the way I came.

The view on a sunny, December day.

Trailhead: Put "Redwood Valley Railroad" into your GPS. The trailhead parking is just past the train parking, off of Grizzly Peak Blvd.
Website: Sota Page. Park page.
Maps: EB Parks map. KB1KXL SOTA Hikes map
Route: From the parking lot, either follow the paved road (Seaview Trail) to the top, or take the Vollmer Peak Trail to the Seaview Trail. For a longer hike, start at a different trailhead in Tilden Park. There are a number of nice trails that wind through the hills.
Red Tape: None