W6/ND-196 Dome Mountain

 I had just come down from the Almond Mountains and was in the wide, flat col separating those from Dome Mountain. I had picked out a ridge to go up while studying the map, and as I crossed the flat area I could see I had picked a good one. It was the least steep of the ways to get up.

The day is getting sunnier!

Like most climbs, it started out gently and got steeper as I got higher. There were a decent number of rocks which was nice to get out of the grass for a few moments. The grass really liked to leave seeds and other sharp things in my socks.
 

Halfway up the ridge, summit visible again.

It did get windy again as I climbed. The breeze was cool, but not as bad as on Almond Mountains since the sun had come out and warmed everything up a bit. There were a few small false summits that I went over or around as I desired, and I was soon at the summit. There is a USGS disk, and I nearly got knocked over by the wind when I stopped to take a picture of it.

A dangerous picture

The view north.

 I got out of the wind as best I could and got on the air. I had cell service for spotting. The bands seemed a little better than in the morning, I got more contacts including some DX. It felt like it was getting late, and I still had a long, unknown descent, so I didn't spend too long. 

Wide, flat valley on the way down.

 I left the summit heading west, following the ridge down to a wide, flat high valley. I turned south and followed the valley to its south end where there is a small east-west ridge. From the ridge I picked the best looking reentrant to descend. The choices were steep and very steep, so pick your poison. All the options end up in the same wash which heads south towards the road. I took the wash down until I reached the road. 

Last view before the descent.

 Back on the road it was a quick few miles back to the car. After a few stretches I drove back into town for a shower and some well-deserved dinner.

 

 

Trailhead: As far down Granite Wells Road as you can or will drive

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: From the road south of the peak, go up the wash to the ridge, the take the wide valley across the the last climb up the ridge.

Red Tape: None. 

W6/ND-235 Almond Mountains High Point

 It was a cool and overcast day in Ridgecrest as I left the hotel for the trailhead. The ground even appeared to be wet, and I quickly realized it had rained overnight. Not what I was expecting for the day. Just past Johannesburg I turned north onto Trona Road, then pulled off onto Granite Wells Road. There was some space to park on the dirt road. I left the car here, and started down the road. 

Dome Mountain, my second summit for the afternoon.

The road was in good condition, and my rental sedan could have made it a few miles down without any trouble. But I needed to get some miles in so I ran it. It was cool and overcast, and much more humid that you'd expect for the desert. Just strange weather conditions. About four miles from the road, after going over a small col, there was a turn off with a small trail to some petroglyphs. It seemed like a good spot to leave the road and head cross-country.

The Almond Mountains, looking ominous.

I needed to cross an open, mostly flat area to get to the base of the Almond Mountains. I knew where I wanted to aim for after studying the maps, but I kept an eye out in case I saw a better route on the way over.

The rain did make the flowers bloom.

The first half of the crossing was straightforward, but the second half was not. It had more erosion channels, getting worse as I got closer to the slopes. Nothing that couldn't be crossed, but annoying nonetheless. I tried staying in the bottom of the gullies, but that wasn't any easier and it made it harder to check I was still heading in the right direction. Eventually I made it to the base of the climb.

Almost on the ridge.

 I didn't see any route up the steep climb that was obviously better, so I just started up. The nature of the terrain encouraged me to drift away from the peak, but I didn't realize that until I got onto the ridge farther away from the summit than I had intended. No matter, it was easy going on the ridge. The wind had really picked up though. I was a bit concerned I'd freeze while trying to do the activation, but I was warm enough while moving. 

On the summit looking in the stormy direction.

On the summit looking in the sunny direction.

 I was a little surprised to find an ammo box with a register at the summit, which was at the far end of the ridge. I was getting blown around there, so I went down the lee side a little before getting on the air. I had cell service, and was able to spot and get my contacts. The view was excellent, but I was getting cold so I didn't spend too much time enjoying it. And there was another summit on the list for today. 

On the desert floor again.

 I retraced my steps back down the ridge, but went straight down towards Dome Mountain at the end. The descent was steep, and I warmed up quickly as I got out of the wind and the sun started to come out. Back on the desert floor, I made a beeline for Dome Mountain.

 

Trailhead: As far along Granite Wells Road as you can or will drive.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Head across the desert towards the base of the mountain. Pick a good place to climb on to the ridge, then follow the ridge around to the summit.

Red Tape: None. Don't wander into the nearby military base.

W6/ND-317

This peak is not much to look at from a distance, but was a nice hike. Red Rock Canyon State Park is just north of a small fault line, and it creates a stunning escarpment. This peak is the southernmost SOTA peak along the escarpment ridge. I wanted to get some miles in, so I parked across the park in an unmarked dirt lot on the side of Highway 14 at about 35.37715, -117.98062. This seems to be a real trailhead, and I saw other people parked here or starting their OHV drives when I got back later.

Starting up a wash.

The road parallels the highway for a little, then turns and starts up a canyon wash. The surface changes from constructed road to just sand and gravel here. Definitely something you need real OHV to drive. It was much nicer in the canyon away from the road, and I enjoyed my jog up. There was a small slot canyon to go through, so that was fun.
 

Some of the red rock canyon?

At the top of the canyon the road made a u-turn around a ridge to the south, then turned again to continue north through a parallel canyon. At the top of this climb was a nice view of the wide canyon in the middle of the park. I took in the view, then crossed the canyon. 

Summit finally in view.

On the ridge on the other side, the road got much rougher but it was still easy to follow. Up out of the canyons the wind started to pick up as well. It wasn't a hot day, but the breeze did feel nice. After traversing the ridge for a while I made it to the turn off spot. This was right below a sub-peak. I went around it on the south side then was on the summit. I didn't see any register, so I found a nice spot to set up to make some contacts.
 

Looking south, more or less.

 

The HF bands were good, but I didn't get anyone on VHF. I thought there would be people out and about in the desert since it was the weekend. Once I was done I packed up and took the same route back. This went well, until I made a wrong turn in the first canyon and ended up at the top of a large cliff. Thankfully it was a short backtrack to the correct branch of the canyon and back to the car.

Canyon walls.

There were some other people parked in the lot when I returned, and someone drove in to start there OHV adventure. I was a bit surprised since I hadn't seen anyone on my run.

Trailhead: At the dirt lot at (35.37715, -117.98062)

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Take the OHV trails through the canyons and up to the summit.

Red Tape: None. 

Not the way to go!

W6/SS-435

 I was on the summit of Noname Peak, and it seemed foolish not to tag this peak while I was on the ridge. It was a quick and steep descent to the small sub-peak on the ridge, then a short climb up to the top. I looked around, and noted my ascent to record in Peakbagger later.

Along the ridge.

There were a few cliffy areas to avoid on the way to the main col, but the cliff bands were short enough that it was easy to go around if they were too high to step over. I managed to arrive at the high point of the col to avoid extra climbing. I did stop, however, to empty the sand out of my shoes.

Near the summit.

 The climb up to the summit wasn't long or hard, but felt that way after the big climb up to Noname Peak. I was at the summit pretty quickly. On the air, band conditions seemed better, and I quickly got enough contacts. The weather, however, seemed to be getting worse. The breeze was cool, and it seemed like a storm front was making in. I wasn't in the mood to linger, so I packed up after a short time.

The descent was steep and sandy. I had to stop multiple times to empty the sand out of my shoes. I really was wishing for some gaiters. At the bottom is a small stream. It was a little tricky finding a place where I could jump across, since the brush was so thick along both sides. After crossing it was quick back to the car along a dirt road.

 

Trailhead: Nine Mile Canyon Road, at the LA aqueduct.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Use the access road to cross the canyon, then pick you own way to the top.

Red Tape: None.

 

W6/SS-433 Noname Peak

 Noname Peak might be officially un-named, but some places give it this name, so that's what I'll use. The peak is an unremarkable summit east of the Sierra crest near 9 Mile Canyon Road. I parked at an open area along the aqueduct service road. Google has a marker called "Los Angeles Aqueduct 1" near the spot I parked. The dirt road was rough, but short enough the rental sedan I had could make it. 

Aqueduct selfie.

From here I took the road down and across the creek, then back up. Where the acqueduct started following the contours I left the road and started going straight up the hill. It was steep and sandy, which made for slow hiking. I surprised a rattlesnake, and had to make a detour.

Leaving the road. 

Thankfully it was not hot, and there was enough breeze to make the hike up tolerable. It was a slog. Eventually I reached a ridge that lead to the summit, and followed that. It was nice to have some rocks and relatively flat ground to walk on. 

Looking towards the Sierra crest

The summit was broad, with a Joshua tree near the high point. It made a convenient support for my antenna wire. It was cool on top, and it looked like a storm system was moving in. It did actually rain that night. The radio conditions were terrible. It took a lot of work to get my four contacts.

Radio time.

I didn't realize it at the time, but this summit put me over 2000 points for my double goat. Not knowing, I didn't celebrate. Instead I packed up and headed across the ridge to Noname's slightly lower neighbor for another activating, praying the radio gods would be happier in an hour. 

 

Trailhead: Nine Mile Canyon Road, at the LA aqueduct.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Use the access road to cross the canyon, then pick you own way to the top.

Red Tape: None.