W6/NC-489 Gibson Hill

After activating Bally Peak I headed back up rout 20 to get Gibson Hill. I parked at the pullout before Walker Ridge Road, where there is a big sign alerting you that it is the next intersection. There is a deep gully here that I followed up a short distance before climbing out of it.

Open forest on the side of Gibson Hill.

I then followed the spur on the right up to the top of the hill. There were some dense areas, but nothing difficult. The top of the hill is flat and open. The bigger flat part is below the activation zone, so I walked over to the peak.

On the plateau below the summit.

There seemed to be some old tracks in this area, and what appeared to be an earth dam. If it was, there was no water behind it. There were a fair number of trees on top, but they were sparse enough to offer views in a few directions. I setup where there was a north facing view. Again, I had service on top. I tried working K6ARK for a summit-to-summit, but he was doing sideband and had to QRT before he could try CW again.

Mt Konocti in all its glory.

I didn't get as many contacts here, but I did have a nice chat on 2m with a guy up near Chico. The sun seemed to be permanently out, and it was nice to have it on my back to take the edge off the wind. After taking a bunch more photos on the summit. I retraced my steps to get back down.

The view to the South.

I stayed closer to the gully, and the brush seemed thicker here, but still not impassible. Back at the car I drove home, stopping at the casino to fill up with cheap reservation gas

This is where it looked like there was a dam.

Trailhead: CA 20 eastbound, just before Walker Ridge Road.
Website: SOTA Site. BLM Site
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the gully or ridge up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

Enjoying the beautiful day.