W6/NC-197 Mt Misery

I didn't have any plans for Thanksgiving, so I decided to go do an activation. The peak I chose was Mt Misery, a peak on the west side of the Diablo Range, near San Jose. The trailhead I used is in The Villages, a 55+ community in the south of San Jose. There is a manned gate at the entrance along The Villages Parkway. I stopped, and told the attendant that I was here to see my grandparents. He asked their names, looked a a computer, then let me in. I don't know if my grandparents have common names, or he was just expecting a lot of visitors since it was Thanksgiving.

Parking area by the stables. Pool visible below.

I drove through the community to Fruit Barn Lane, where there is a small parking lot by a pool. Just up the hill are the stables, and there are some parking spots there as well. I parked, and started walking up the hill. There is an unlocked gate past the stables, with a sign outlining the rules for hiking in the hills. The Rawhide Trail, which I took up to the ridge, follows the stream bed up to the top. It was in the trees the entire time, and would be nicely shaded during the warmer months.

Somewhere along the Rawhide Trail.

There were a few trail junctions, but they were all signed. The trail I took is not marked on the USGS quad. At the top I crossed over a fence and walked along the ridge to the summit. The ridge walk was relatively flat, and the biggest drop was avoided by following a herd path around the top of the bowl. The summit was bare, with quite a few cow patties. I set up my antenna and got on the air.

Antenna QRV.

There were great views into the Bay Area, and south down into northern San Benito County. Mt Umunhum and Loma Prieta were prominent across the valley, and Mt Hamilton and Mt Isabel on the other side. I started on 15 meters, and worked my way down to 40. I made contacts on each band, with the majority on 30. Something about 30 seems to work well for SOTA. After working the HF bands I got out the HT to try VHF/UHF. Calls on 2 meters and 70 cms didn't get any responses, but after a few calls on 220, KD6SOK came back.

Looking to the south. Fremont Peak, El Toro, West Twin Peaks, 1509, Nesbit Ridge, and many more were visible. 

Fred wanted to try all the VHF bands, so we made contact on 50, 144, 223, and 440, all the VHF+ bands I had available. After having a nice conversation with him, I went back to the 10 meter band, where I made one more contact. By this point I had been on the summit for two hours, and the wind was picking up, so I packed up. I retraced my steps on the way back. The downhill sections seemed steeper than on the way up, and my legs were glad when I got to the level section at the very beginning.

I think there's a ham shack by the stables. 

Trailhead: Pool parking lot on Fruit Barn Lane, The Villages, San Jose.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk up the hill past the stables. Take the Rawhide trail up to the ridge. Follow the ridge to the right (South) until you get to the summit.

Red Tape: None, if you can get past the entrance.

On the summit with Mt Hamilton and Mt Isabel.