W6/SC-047 Peak 4850

Rex, KE6MT, and I had been trying to do a joint activation for a while. Eventually we decided to go to the San Benito high peaks region after he volunteer the use of his SUV. We met up before sunrise for the long drive down. There are some rough roads in the area, much more than a regular car could do. Armed with some maps and the combination for the gate, we set out.

Driving in.

This unnamed peak is a few miles north of Santa Rita Peak in the high peaks region of San Benito County. There is a narrow road that leaves the main road a short distance below Santa Rita Peak. The original plan was to drive the road, but it was too narrow for the SUV, so we walked it. It was a nice walk, about two and a quarter miles to the ridge that the peak was on. Here the road turned to the east, and we left it for a bushwhack to the summit.

View of 4850 from the parking spot.

This started out fine. There were some herd paths that we could connect easily, and we made good progress down to the col. Here the brush became nearly impassable. We spent quite a bit of time fighting through it. Having a machete or clippers would have made this section much easier.

Me, crawling through the brush. I think this picture sums up the bushwhack experience. (Photo by KE6MT)

Eventually we made it to the sub-peak. This had a clear area, and was high enough to be in the activation zone, so we decided to stop and do the activation from here. We might still be bushwhacking out there if we hadn't stopped.

Rex fighting his way up.

We set up our antennas, and got on the air. We quickly discovered that they were way to close to each other, and whenever one of us transmitted it would be too much for the other rig. We eventually found a pair of bands we could work simultaneously with an acceptable amount of interference. I worked stations on 40, 17, and 2 meters while Rex did 30. Having both activated the peak, we packed up for the journey back. At home I received a reception report from AL7JK in Alaska. He could hear me just above the noise, but I couldn't hear him. It would have been neat to get him in the log.

Santa Rita Peak, our next destination.

Going downhill though thick brush is always easier, and this was no exception. Eventually we made it back to the "trails"we had taken earlier, and then to the road. This is a hike with a "V" profile, so it was down then up to get back to the car. At the car we had a snack, then drove up to Santa Rita Peak.

Trailhead: Jeep trail that leaves to the left, a short distance below Santa Rita Peak.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map. Overview Map. I printed out the USGS Quad, which was good enough.
Route: Walk down the road, then up to the ridge. Where the trail turns to the east, bushwhack west to the summit. Very, very dense, impenetrable brush.
Red Tape: Inside the Serpentine ACEC of the Clear Creek Management Unit. There are old asbestos mines in the area. The permit allows you to spend one day in the ACEC. The permit is free, but there is a $10 online reservation fee. I would recommend going after a rain, so there is less asbestos dust in the air. A vehicle permit is also required, but can be purchased (cash) on the way in to avoid the $10 online fee. If you want to drive up, call the BLM office to get gate codes, etc.

A very old Pepsi can we found.