W6/NC-343 Wragg Ridge

Wragg Ridge is a relatively low mountain south of Lake Berryessa. It was the third peak I climbed that day, after Peak 1972 and Junior Benchmark. I started at the same place as Junior BM, a pullout on the side of CA 128. From here it is a very steep 250 foot climb, followed by a pleasant ridge walk.

Almost at the top of the steep section.

Across the street from the pullout I found a gap in the fence. Above this is a gully that is fairly open. I climbed up the side of the erosion gully. It was steep, like the final push up Junior Benchmark, but not as long. At the top of the ridge the terrain levels off. Here there are some old roads from when there was talk of building houses up here. There are lots of markers along the way.

Lot number 15.

The trees are sparse enough that there were views as I climbed up. There are a few paths running along the top of the ridge. I took the left fork at every intersection I came to. From the satellite view, it appears either direction would be fine. The summit was a short distance above the road.

Mt Vaca (I think).

On top I put my pole against a tree branch, then strung out the antenna and got on the air. There was decent cell service, not as strong as on the other two peaks, but I had no problem filling the log. Around the time I got to the summit, the sun came out. This made it more pleasant to sit on top and play radio. The hike back was quick, since I no long had to fight gravity.

On the way back down the steep section. 

Trailhead: Pullout on CA 128.
Website: SOTA Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map
Route: Cross the road and fence, and find a way up the steep slope to the top of the ridge. Follow one of the old roads up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

Following the road down the ridge.

W6/NC-254 Junior Benchmark

The hike up to Junior Benchmark was interesting. I came here after climbing Peak 1972, a few miles north. I started from a pullout along CA 128, just before it makes a U-turn around the end of Wragg Ridge. From here it was a short walk to the start of the ranch road. The road climbs over a small hill, then descends at a gentle grade through a picturesque valley.

Top of the valley. Mt Diablo to the left of the tree.

 The road was quite muddy after the recent rains, and the proximity to a stream did not help. There were a number of cows, but they ran of as I approached. I continued down the road until I found a ridge that looked like it would offer good access to the summit.

Walking through the muddy valley.

I started up the ridge. It was a pleasant walk, through open forest with lots of green grass. Partway up I found what looked like a very faint ranch road, and started to follow it. It turns out, there is an abandoned road that runs all the way up to the col north of the summit.

Abandoned ranch road.

In a few places I did see signs that it had been driven recently, but I didn't see or hear any other humans while I was out. The road continued up, past some small ponds that seemed to be man-made. Shortly after the last pond, the road crossed a fence on a ridge coming down from the summit. Here I turned and started to follow the fence up the hill. Eventually I found the road again on the other side of the fence.

It is hard to capture how unpleasantly steep this part was.

This was also the start of the steep section. The road went straight up the hill. From the contour lines, I could see that this was the least steep part of the summit cone, but it was still steep. It was the sort of climb that makes you question why you are out doing this. It does, however, get to the summit eventually.

Panorama, near the summit. Mt Vaca in the center. Summit on the right. The trail comes up the center.

I found a convenient tree to put my antenna in, and got on the air. There was good cell coverage on the top part of the mountain. Like usual, 30 meters got the most contacts. They were coming in fast enough that I had trouble keeping up at points. Twenty and 40 meters were not as busy. After I had finished operating, I packed up and went up to the highest point to take a look around. The views were even better up there.

Looking south to Mt Diablo. I believe that is Marsh BM to the left.

The hike down was much quicker. The rains had softened the ground enough that the footing on the steep sections was very secure. It had gotten very overcast on the way down, and I was concerned it might rain, but a quick check of the weather said there was a 0% chance, so back at the road I continued up to Wragg Ridge.

Trailhead: Pullout on CA 128.
Website: SOTA Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map
Route: Follow the road down to the ridge, then follow the old ranch road and go cross country up to the summit. Road is not visible in satellite imagery.

Forest near the top.

W6/NC-279

This peak is at the south end of Lake Berryessa, and provides great views of the entire Berryessa area. The best trailhead seems to be on Steele Canyon Road, at a pullout at the south end of the lake. From the pullout, cross the road and climb down the embankment to the stream. Cross the stream, and find a way up the embankment on the other side. This was the hardest part of the hike, getting across the deep gully.

Halfway down the embankment, looking back at the road.

On the other side is an old ranch road which goes all the way to the top. It first climbs over a smill ridge and into Negro Canyon. Near the head of the canyon it turns right and crosses the stream. There is quite a bit of discarded junk in this area. This is where the climb starts. The road climbs steeply up to the summit. It seems like it was used as a fire break, or access to a fire break, in the recent Napa fires. There were a lot of fresh tracks.

Summit still in the clouds.

It was cloudy and overcast when I started, but the clouds lifted at about the same rate as I climbed, so I was never socked in. The recent rains also made the hike more pleasant, softening the ground and making the footing better on the steep sections. This was particularly nice during the descent. After about an hour of hiking, I made it to the summit. There is a wide road running over the high point, and the fires had burned the area.

Burned area at the summit.

I strapped my pole to a burned bush, and got on the air. There was good service at the top, so no problem spotting. I made contacts on the usual bands, and didn't make any notable contacts. Since I had two other summits planned for the day, I didn't linger.

Berryessa Peak across the lake.

The hike down was fine, except I missed a turn and didn't realized it until I had descended a few hundred feet. The mountain is covered in dense chapparal, so the easiest way to get back on track was to hike up to the junction, then down the correct path. This mountain would be very difficult to hike if the fire breaks and ranch roads weren't there.

Cedar Roughs on the left, with some abandoned equipment. 

Back at the car I drove over to the trailhead for Junior Benchmark, my next peak of the day.

Trailhead: Pullout on Steele Canyon Road, near south end of the lake.
Website: SOTA Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map
Route: Cross the stream, down then up the embankment, then follow the ranch road on the other side up to the summit.
Red Tape: None. Summit appears to be on BLM land.

Looking South. Mt Vaca on the left. Mt Diablo was visible in the distance.

W6/NC-350 Loma Alta

This weekend was the January VHF contest, and I was eager to participate. I decided I could kill two birds with one stone by operating from a SOTA summit. The first challenge was finding a suitable summit. I was looking for a peak with good line of sight to the Bay Area and Central Valley, and one that didn't have any towers on the summit. I've found that the best VHF summits already have towers on top, and there is generally too much RF for my radios. Eventually I decided on Loma Alta in Marin County.

View down Lucas Valley, from near the trailhead. San Pedro Mtn to the right of center.

This summit is bare on top, except for a fence to keep the cows in the correct pasture. I was, however, concerned that Mt Tam would block my signals to the south and I wouldn't be able to reach anyone on the peninsula. It turns out the map in my head was slightly off, and I had clear views of San Francisco and points south. The areas blocked by Mt Tam are sparsely populated.

Mt Diablo and North Peak is the double summit on the left.

I decided to hike up from the Big Rock Trailhead, unlike last time. My impression was that this trail is less steep and a more pleasant hike. This could be because last time I hiked up in the mid afternoon in June, and it was very hot then. The trail to the top is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, and crosses an easement. The rancher passed me a few times riding up and down on his four-wheeler. When I got near the top, the wind really started to pick up, and didn't relent until I descended later.

Almost at the top.

At the summit I wasted no time in putting on warmer clothes and jackets. Having done this, I began to set up my antennas. I had my trusty doublet for 6m, an Arrow 2/70 satellite antenna for 2m and 70cm, and a new Arrow yagi for 220. I had ordered a Ukrainian transverter for 220, but it didn't arrive in time (and hasn't arrived at the time of writing). I brought up both of my fishing poles. I used the shorter, thinner one to hold up the doublet, strapping it to the fence.

Setup, looking to the north-east. Big Rock Ridge on the left. Maybe Berryessa Peak in the center?

I guyed out my other pole, then had to figure out how to attach the yagis. I had one mounting bracket, but the pole was to skinny except at the bottom section to attach it, so I used it for the 220 antenna. I only had to disassemble the yagi twice in order to get the bracket on the pole and in the proper polarisation. For the 2/70 yagi, I used some giant twist-ties I got from REI. This works, but is not a good solution. In June, I'll have more mounting brackets. Somehow, one of the element-center screws had gotten lost, so I only had a 6 element yagi on 70.

Mid afternoon, some cows came over to say hi.

By the time I had finished putting up the antennas and connecting all the rigs and transverters, it was 10:57. Just enough time to rest for a moment before the contest started. I had assumed that there would be a lot of activity on 6 meters, but I didn't hear anyone there at the start. It turns out that 2m sideband was the place to be. After moving up, I began making contacts. For the next five hours I switched modes and bands, trying to get as many contacts as I could.

Sunset, just before starting my hike down.

In the end I made 75 contacts with 15 multipliers for a claimed score of 1425. My antennas almost blew over once, but I was able to catch the mast and avoid any catasrophies. Partway through I decided to take a break from all the SSB, so I went down to 30 meters and put out a spot. This brought in contacts at a faster rate than in the contest, at least for a few minutes. At the UTC day rollover I decided that I was getting cold and I wanted to be down before dark, so I went QRT and packed up.

The big rock at the trailhead.

I was surprised to pass a few groups heading up so late in the day. After dropping below the ridge, the wind was dramatically reduced, and I began to warm up quickly. At home, I started the tedious process of typing in all the contacts so I could submit my score. Overall, I think the contest went well for me. Next time I think I will try to find a mountain with a better view of the central valley. I also hope to have one antenna and feedline per band, as it will make QSYing much easier. I will also fix the mounting brackets so I can use them higher up on the mast.

Trailhead: Big Rock Trailhead, height of land on Lucas Valley Road.
Website: SOTA Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map
Route: Take the trail to the summit. There is only one from this side, and all junctions are onto private land, and clearly signed.
Red Tape: Stay on the trail, it passes through an easement.

Sunset is the best time to be outside in California. Mt Diablo in the distance.

W6/SC-458 Loma Alta (Jack's Peak)

Nobody can seem to agree on the name of this peak. Whether it is Loma Alta or Jack's Peak, it is a low hill outside of Monterey and Carmel. It is almost a drive up, the parking lot is a few feet too low to be in the activation zone. I came over after activating Pinyon Peak. To get here, drive up Jack's Peak Road, pay the entrance fee at the booth, then follow the road to the right to its end.

Kiosk at the trailhead.

From here it is about a quarter mile with less than 100' to get to the summit. I took the Jacks Peak Trail, but there were many unsigned trails in the area. After a few minutes walk, I was at the high point. There were many trees and no view. I found a branch, and threw my rope over it. However, I hadn't let out enough slack, so the weight couldn't pull the rope down. I tried pulling it back over, but I snapped my rope. Luckily I had my pole with me, and I was able to poke the weight out of the tree.

Antenna in a tree.

A second attempt was successful, and I proceded to string up the legs of the dipole. However, I put too much tension on one side, and broke the wire. After tying a quick sheet bend, the antenna was up and I was on the air. I made a number of contacts on 30 and 20. After a CQ on 40, W6JL answered me, and we had a long talk. He was sending right at the limit of what I can head copy, so it was a challenge to keep up. He is definetely a great CW op. After having my brain melted, I tried VHF. Not receiving any answers, and getting cold, I packed up and headed home.

Compact setup. The pine needles were very comfortable for sitting.

Trailhead: End of Jacks Peak Road.
Website: SOTA Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map. Jacks Peak Park
Route: Pick a trail. They all go through the AZ.
Red Tape: None.