W6/NC-367

I decided to activate this peak as I was already in the park for an orienteering meet. After having a good run on the course, I took a short break to eat some food, and then drove to the end of the road and parked by the dam. The lake seemed to be lower than when I was there in November activating Nesbit Ridge. I finish putting my things in the bag, then set off up the trail.

Getting close to peak green, the prettiest time of the year.

The wide trail climbs up a short distance in the trees, then breaks out into a wide open meadow. There were still a few orienteers running their courses as I headed up the hill. I took the wide trail up to the col, then turned right onto a faint trail that made its way up to the summit. There were plenty of switchbacks, so the climb was pleasant, even on my tired legs. There was also much less mud than last time, which made the walking easier.

View to the south. Fremont Peak on the left. Peaks on the right are the north end of the Santa Lucia Range. Gilroy BM out of view on the right.

At the summit I decided to take the easy setup route and just strap my pole to the fence on the north side. This is also the park boundary. The hills around me blocked most of the views while I operated, but there were still good views to the west. As I was operating a few people walked by, but no one stopped or said anything.

View of Nesbit Ridge. The trail across the meadow by the river is clearly visible, as are some of the switchbacks farther up.

I had brought my KX3, so I started on 60 meters and worked my way up the bands. I made contacts on each band I tried except 17. Thirty meters was surprisingly full of signals, and I had to tune around a bit to find an open frequency. After working the bands, and trying VHF, I decided to go back to 30 and answer some CQs. I had a nice conversation with a portable station in San Francisco, near the bay.

Taking a break from calling CQ.

By this point I was getting cool and tired, so I packed up. To get down I continued around on the same trail, making a loop. My legs and feet were tired, and I had twisted my ankle, so the descent took longer than the ascent. There were a few muddy patches on the shaded, east-facing slope, and I saw a herd of deer. Back at the car I got as much mud as I could off my boots and drove home.

Black Tailed Deer.

Trailhead: Dam parking lot, north end of Coyote Lake Harvey Bear Ranch Park. (what a mouthful)
Website: SOTA Site. Park Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map
Route: Take the Harvey Bear trail to the Ed Wilson Trail.
Red Tape: None.

Loma Prieta and Mt Um.