W6/NC-379 Taylor Mountain

Taylor Mountain is a low mountain that overlooks the city of Santa Rosa. The north face of the mountain is in the Taylor Mountain Regional Park which has trails that run to the summit. This was the second summit of the day, after Hood Mountain. I started at the Kawana Terrace entrance and took the East Trail, more or less, to the summit. There are trail markers, but there are also a lot of paths the cows and other people make, so following the official trail was difficult in places.

Some picturesque cows.

The eastern route is not particularly hard, with only one steep section about halfway up. It was a lovely day to be walking through the open fields with the flowers and cows. There were a lot of other people in the park enjoying themselves. Below the summit the trail goes through a wooded area before coming out into the open at the top. The actual summit is on private property and well fenced and signed. The area outside the fence, though, was very nice for operating.

Sitting amongst the poppies.

I used the fence to support my pole, and got on the air, careful not to break the antenna wires at the ends. I sent out a spot for 30, and slowly got four contacts. I tried 20 for a while, but the band was even more dead than before. Forty meters got two more contacts. As I was watching other spots, I got a summit to summit with N7LP in Arizona. I tried VHF, but only got a contact with AA0BV, who probably could have shouted from his back yard to make the contact.

Looking towards the ocean, covered in fog.

Having worked everyone, I packed up and retraced my steps back down to the car. Showering at home I discovered a tick on my knee which had started to bite. Remember to check yourself after hiking!

Trailhead: Kawana Terrace entrance.
Website: SOTA Site. Taylor Mountain Park
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Eastern Route.
Red Tape: None.

Antenna setup. I think that's Bald Mountain in the background.