W4C/EP-007 Shepherd Mountain

Shepherd Mountain is the lowest SOTA peak in the W4C association, and an easy peak to activate. The peak is on land owned by the Mt Shepherd Retreat Center, part of the United Methodist Church. Before activating, call the office to make sure it is OK to hike up. I called on Saturday morning, a few hours before heading over, and had no problem getting permission. I was told to bring water and a cell phone, which I was going to do anyway, and to have a nice hike.

Start of the trail.

The trailhead is between the office building and the dumpster. The first part of the trail, down to the lake is wide and well groomed, with clear sides. At the bottom of the hill, it crosses a small bridge, and goes by the big cross on the shore of the lake. From here it begins to climb up to the summit. Follow the signs for the lookout or tower.

On the way up. It was hot (90's) and humid.

The tread was faint in places, but not difficult to follow. There were some switchbacks making the ascent easier. It has been a few years since I've gone hiking in the east, and I had forgotten how lush and humid it can get. After about 20 minutes of hiking, I reached the lookout tower at the top. According to peakbagger, the other summit with the communication towers is slightly higher, but both are well in the AZ.

Lookout tower. Probably very good views from the top.

I setup on a small log near a fire ring by the lookout tower. I started on 30 meters, and got enough contacts to get the points. Twenty was not as fruitful, nor was 40. While calling CQ on 40 I noticed some spots asking me to go down to 60 so the locals could work me. This was the first time I've ever been asked to got to 60 meters. I QSYed, and made another half dozen contacts with NC and TN stations. I hadn't melted in the humidity yet, so I figured I'd give 17 a try. AB6SO and KI6DS responded after a few CQs. I assume they were operating from their usual place in the Baylands Park in Palo Alto, CA, and I had no problem copying their QRP signals.

Me with my operating position.

I made one contact on 2 meters, though he had trouble hearing my signal. I did find one tick crawling on my pants, making me glad I had worn them. Since I had some afternoon plans, I packed up and hiked down. It was nice to get into the air conditioned car again!

Almost back at the lake.

Trailhead: Parking lot, Mt Shepherd Retreat Center.
Website: SOTA Site. Mt Shepherd Retreat Center
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the trail to the summit. The signs pointing towards the tower are the ones to follow.
Red Tape: Call to get permission before hiking.