W7I/CI-094 Deadline Ridge North

It was a cold morning, but I decided to head out to get some activations in. My targets today were Deadline Ridge North and Pike Mountain. From the Magic Mountain Ski Area I drove up Forest Road 541 to its intersection with Road 647. This is an easy to drive dirt road, and the sedan had no problems getting up. There was a pullout on 647 just past the intersection where I parked.

Looking back at my parking space.

The thermometer in the car said it was 28 degrees out, so I set out at a brisk walk. By the time I got to the summit I had warmed up a bit. To get there I simply followed Forest Road 647, then went cross country to get to the true highest point. I bushwhacked through the trees at the summit, but one could easily go around if they wanted to. It was just as cold and windy at the summit, so I found a place to setup that was out of the wind.

Rock that I set up on.

I didn't have cell service on the drive up, but at the summit I had a few bars of 4G service, so I sent out a spot and got on the air. Thirty meters brought in the usual chasers. As I was sending out my last CQs, W9CBT decided to be a lid and start calling on the frequency without checking. I was cold, so I packed up rather than fight with him. This was also the first summit I've been to in Idaho that has trees in the activation zone that could be used to support an antenna.

I believe that is Pike Mountain.

The walk back took the same amount of time as the walk over, about 20 minutes. The car had warmed up nicely sitting in the sun, and I gladly got in to defrost myself on the drive over to Pike Mountain.

Trailhead: Intersection of Forest Roads 541 and 647. There are quite a few roads and trails int the area, and a longer hike would be easy to plan.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take Forest Road 647 to near the top, the bushwhack up to the highest point. Copse is avoidable if desired.
Red Tape: None.

Is that a smile because I'm outside, or a grimace because its so cold?