W1/HA-199 Davis Hill

After getting nearby Wantastiquet Mountain I drove a few minutes over to the Kilbun Pond Trailhead in Pisgah State Forest to get Davis Hill. Note that the marker on Google maps is a bit north of where the parking lot is. Once I found the lot, I had to find the trail. I assumed it was the road heading into the woods at the end of the lot, but the Davis Hill Trail is actually closer to the highway.

Trailhead. Parking is just out of sight behind the sign.

 Once I was on the correct trail, it was an easy hike up the hill. The intersections are all well signed, and it appears that the area is open to snowmobiles in the winter. I hiked up to the highest point on the trail, before it starts heading down again. This is past the town border sign.

I came out of the woods here on my way back.

 At the high point, I found a place that didn't look too bad and headed off into the woods. The forest was generally open, but there were some stands of mountain laurel I had to push through. Overall, it was an easy bushwhack up to the summit. There was no obvious highest point, so I walked around a little until I found a good place to put up my antenna.

Bushwhacking through the mountain laurel.

 There was good cell service on top, and I quickly had a pileup. Once I had worked everyone, including a few European stations, I packed up and headed back. I mostly followed my footprints, but lost them. Since I knew where the trail was, I just took a beeline to it, coming out of the woods at the town border sign.

Misty winter forest.

 Back at the car I headed for home. I thought about getting another peak, but it was still threatening rain, and all my jackets were damp, so I decided against it.

Trailhead: Kilburn Trailhead, Pisgah State Forest on NH 63.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the Davis Hill Trail to the high point, then bushwhack to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

W1/HA-146 Wantastiquet Mountain

The forecast was not super great, but I had access to a car and so decided to go out and get some more peaks. This time I would head west to near the Vermont border. First was Wantastiquet Mountain. There appear to be two trailheads. One hikes up from the Connecticut River, and is probably really nice on a clear day.

Trailhead kiosk.

The other route starts in the Madame Sherri Forest on Gulf Road, and this is the one I took. The parking lot was spacious and plowed. It was overcast, and had sprinkled a bit on my drive out, but no precipitation to start. The trail was well worn, and the microspikes were helpful.

On the way.

The junctions were all very well signed, and it was easy to pick the right direction. The trail appeared to be much less used after Indian Pond. Someone had already gone through, so it was easy for me to just follow the footprints. It started to rain, so I stopped to put on my raincoat. I was glad I did, because everything was wet after that short shower.

Icy pine needles.

The summit of the mountain is a fairly broad plateau. There are some small ups and downs on the way over to what my map said is the highest point. I stopped in a large clearing near some towers to set up my antenna. It seemed to be just below the high point. There was good cell service on the summit. It was a short time operating, since I was getting wet in the dripping snow and rain.

The tower on one side of the clearing.

After working the initial pileup I just packed up and went back. It wasn't fun sitting in the cold rain waiting for more people. The descent was quick, following the same trail as the way up. At the car I turned on the heat and headed over to Davis Hill.

Trailhead: Madame Sherri Forest, Gulf Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the trail signs to Indian Pond then to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

On the way up.

W1/HA-147 Round Mountain

After activation Pitcher Mountain, we drove across Stoddard to get Round Mountain. The trailhead is off of Old Antrim Road, near the fire station. A mile or two down the road there is an old road with a gate, and just past it there was a trailhead sign to Bacon Ledge.

Parked in front of the gate, getting ready to go.

Sign on the gate saying hikers welcome!

My guess is that in the summer there is space to park at the trailhead sign, but it was very snowy there, so we parked at the gate. Heading down the old road, we soon joined the yellow-blazed trail that left from the sign. This trail took us all the way to Bacon Ledge.

Crossing an icy stream.

The first part of the trail is fairly flat, then in climbs up when it reaches the base of the hill. The trail seems to be routed to stay on public land, as it takes a rather roundabout route to get up on the ridge. On top of the ridge we lost the trail at Bacon Ledge. It appears that this is inside the activation zone, so we stopped here and I got set up.

Bacon Ledge view.

Sitting on the ledge I had some nice views back to Pitcher Mountain. There was no trouble getting chasers again, despite it being Christmas day. After about 15 minutes of setup and operating, we got cold, so we packed up and headed back. The drive back home was quick, since there was no one on the roads.

Just below Bacon Ledge.

Trailhead: Old Antrim Road, Stoddard, where the trailhead sign is. There is another road on the opposite side.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Head up the yellow blazed trail.
Red Tape: None.

W1/HA-152 Pitcher Mountain

One of my sisters had to work on Christmas, so my parents and I decided to go out for a hike on Christmas day. My mom is working on the NH firetowers list, so we picked out Pitcher Mountain. The trailhead is on NH123 west of Stoddard, and there is a small lot there.

Go up the right road, past the kiosk.

There are two options to get to the top, the road or a trail. They're about the same distance, both very short hikes. We made a loop, up the blue trail and down the road. It took about 15 minutes to walk up to the summit. I put on some more jackets, then got set up.

Lots of other RF on the summit.

There was some noise on 20m from the tower on top, but I was able to find a clear frequency. The interference moved in briefly, but not enough to cause me any trouble. There were plenty of European stations, which was fun. After working the pileup on 20, people were starting to get cold, so I packed up.

The fire tower.

On the way down, another sister called, so we stopped to talk to here, since there wasn't good service in the parking lot. Since it was such a short hike, we decided to go over and see if we could get up to Round Mountain on the other side of town.

Trailhead: Pitcher Mountain Trailhead, route 123, Stoddard.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Head up either trail. They're about the same distance and both very short.
Red Tape: None.

Making contacts on the summit.

W1/MV-002 Fort Mountain

It was the final peak of the day, after Saddleback Mountain. I followed W1DMH's directions to the trailhead on Mountain View Road. I didn't read them closely enough though, since I parked in the wrong place and started up the wrong road. After a quarter mile I realized my mistake and turned around to go the right way.

The correct road.

The correct road has power lines running up it, with an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign on one of the poles. There are a number of signs forbidding the use of ATVs and such, but the sign at the gate says hikers are welcome.

Nice to see that I'm welcome.

The hike is an easy walk up the road. It took me about 20 minutes to get up. There was a guy on top who had driven his 4-wheeler up, despite the signs. I said high, and he left a minute later. The views on top were awesome, at least compared to the other peaks I had done that day.

Looking one direction

I put up my antenna in a windy spot because there was a view, despite the cold. Getting contacts was easy, and once I started getting cold I packed up. I wish it had been a bit warmer so I could have stayed up and enjoyed the view a bit more. The hike down was quick, and back at the car I turned on the heat for the drive home.

Looking north, I think.

Trailhead: Mountain View Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk up to the road to the tower.
Red Tape: None. Don't drive past the sign.

Selfie time on the way up.

W1/MV-008 Saddleback Mountain

After activating Pawtuckaway Mountain I drove a few minutes north to get this peak. The easiest trailhead appears to be Saddleback Mountain Road off of NH 43. This is where I started. The road is dirt, and there is a fence with a sign about a half mile in saying cars are not allowed past this point. I turned around and parked there.

Park here.

The sign doesn't say anything about hikers, so I just walked up the road. There is a house near the top, and as I was heading up, they drove past. We waved, and both continued on our way.

Getting close to the summit.

There are a few towers on the summit at the end of the road, but the true summit is a bit higher and through the woods. At the top I found a spot where the forest looked thinner at the end of the road and started bushwhacking. You need to head mostly northeast to get to the high point. Others have said they found faint trails, but I didn't see anything and didn't look.

Not lost in the woods, yet.

It was easy to avoid the thick areas in the forest, and I soon found my way to the high point. I knew I was there when I found a register behind a log. I signed it then got my antenna set up in a clearing. It was close to noon, so not very many EU stations, but plenty of other chasers.

Nice clearing near the summit to operate from.

After working the pileup I packed up since it was chilly out. I followed my footprints back to the road, then headed down to the car. There was still plenty of daylight left, so I decided to go over to Fort Mountain for a final summit.

Trailhead: Saddleback Mountain Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk up to the road to the towers, then bushwhack over to the summit.
Red Tape: None. Don't drive past the sign.

Register on the summit.

W1/NL-019 Mt Pawtuckaway

Another day for some New Hampshire SOTA. I had to drop my dad off at work in order to use the car, so I decided to head east and get some peaks. First up was Mt Pawtuckaway North. This peak is in the northwest corner of Pawtuckaway State Park. The closest trailhead is on Reservoir Road, and this is where I started.

Starting up the trail.

There was parking for 4-5 cars, and it looked like it was a heavily used trailhead, even in the winter. There was no one else there when I started, and I didn't complain. The first half mile is a flat approach to the hill. Then there is a 500 foot climb, then a walk along the ridge.

About to start the climb up.

The only tricky part is at the junction, you have to go right then immediately left to go up to the summit. I took off the spikes when I started climbing since there was much less snow on the slope. It was an easy climb, but I took it slow since I didn't want to get too sweaty and freeze when I got to the top.

Big rock at the summit.

There were a few viewpoints along the ridge looking back into the park, and I stopped to enjoy them. The summit is a large, flat, glacial erratic boulder. I climbed up, then decided to sit up there to operate. I strung out my antenna and got on the air. Like on Monadnock the previous day, there were plenty of European chasers on 20m.

About to drop off the ridge.

Once I started getting cold I packed up and headed back to the car. The hike down was pretty easy, there wasn't enough ice to make it hard. At the car I had a snack and drove over to the start of Saddleback Mountain, my next goal of the day.

Trailhead: North Mountain Trailhead, Reservoir Road, Pawtuckaway SP
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the North Peak Trail up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

On the summit.

W1/HA-009 Grand Monadnock

I was back in NH to visit family for Christmas, so of course I needed to go out and get some peaks. I only had the car for a few hours, since my sister needed to go to work, so I picked a nearby peak to do. At the trailhead I talked to the ranger, and he said the White Dot Trail was the best way to the summit and that the other trails might require full crampons. I only had microspikes, so I took his advice.

Starting up the trail.

The trail was cold and snowy, but I quickly warmed up and had to take off a layer. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, and I quickly got to the base of the climb. Here I really started to heat up. There was only one other car in the parking lot, and I didn't see anyone else in the woods.

Still heading up.

The snow seemed to get thinner when I reached the open, rocky ledges, but there was still enough snow and ice that I left the spikes on. It also got very windy when I got out of the trees. I caught up to a couple near the summit, and they were wearing full crampons and had ice axes. I wondered why, it didn't seem that bad out there to me.

First view of the summit.

I tagged the high point, then retreated down a short distance to get out of the wind. I found a spot that was a bit calmer, and got set up. I was hoping to get a bunch of European stations, since it was still late morning. I wasn't disappointed. Nearly half of the people who chased me were in Europe, mostly Spain.

Only a little hazy.

I called a few times on 40, but didn't get many responses. I was getting cold in the wind, so I packed up and headed down. The temperature had increased, and the snow was very slushy, which made a few sections more interesting. I made it back to the car in plenty of time, and headed home.

View from my operating position.

Trailhead: Monadnock State Park.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: I took the White Dot Trail, but there are many many ways to get to the summit and back.
Red Tape: None.

W6/NC-154

This peak was the second of the day, continuing my loop from Lowery Benchmark. From the col between the two peaks, where the Fiske Creek Trail meets the road, I started hiking up the road. It had rained earlier in the week, and the mud was super sticky.

Such heavy mud.

I had to stop every few minutes to scrape the mud off. Really got my leg workout in. I also saw a number of mountain lion tracks, but no mountain lions.

Glad I didn't meet the maker.

It seemed like a long climb up, but I made it to the top of the ridge eventually. The views were great here, but blocked to the east by Blue Ridge. I turned right, and made my way to the summit.

Looking back at Blue Ridge.

There is a short spur road that goes over the summit. With lots of open space I picked a bush to hold my pole and got set up. Planning ahead I put on my puffy jacket when I stopped. I was disappointed with 20 and 30, but I got lots of contacts on 40. Still warm, I decided to try VHF, but didn't get any contacts. I would have spent more time on the summit, but some dark, ominous clouds appeared to be moving closer.

Dark clouds just outside the frame.

It was about seven miles back to the trailhead, mostly downhill. I ran most of them. A truck passed me right before I left the ridge, the only other humans I saw on the loop. The descent was the same vertical, but over twice the distance as the climb up to Blue Ridge. This made it a very pleasant jog down. The darkening sky certainly helped move me along too.

Blue Ridge across the valley.

I hadn't brought a raincoat since the forecasters had said it would be nice all day. I felt better once I got into the forest again. I was surprised to see tire tracks since the road is closed at the north end at Cache Creek.

Large barn near the trailhead.

A few moments after I got back to the car, it started raining. I couldn't have timed it any better. I got in, started the heater, and began the long drive back home.

My favorite road sign.

Trailhead: Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park (Fiske Trailhead). This is also where Road 40 turns off of CA 16
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take Road 40 up to the ridge, then head south to the summit. It is possible to drive to this summit with an appropriate vehicle.
Red Tape: None.

I don't think I'd want to drive over the bridge, but I'm glad its still open to pedestrians.

W6/NC-120 Lowery Benchmark (Blue Ridge)

The day after Thanksgiving was looking like it would be the only nice day of the week, so I took advantage of it and went for a hike. I chose a loop over two unactivated peaks in the Cache Creek area, in the Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument. First up was Lowery Benchmark.

Heading up. The lit peak is on the other side of the river.

My car said it was 28F when I pulled into the parking lot. The lot is the first one you pass, on the left, after entering the canyon on CA16. Plenty of parking, and a bathroom. I got moving quickly to try and warm up. After a mile or two of climbing I had gotten myself to a comfortable temperature. The trail was easy to follow, and I warmed up even more when the trail wound around to the east side of the ridge and I got some direct sunlight.

Cache Creek canyon, and the parking area.

After about 2300' of climbing I reached the ridge, and shortly after Fiske Benchmark. This seems to be the place where most people stop. I signed the register on top, then continued along.

On the summit of Fiske.

I quickly lost the trail and did a short but horrendous bushwhack to get back to the trail. I was worried the trail would be very bad and I wouldn't be able to get to Lowery in a reasonable amount of time. This wasn't a problem, and the trail was generally easy to follow, if overgrown.

This was the snowiest section of the hike.

The ridge was nice. There wasn't a breeze, so I stayed warm enough, and the views were excellent. A bit too hazy to see the Sierra, but I could see Mt Diablo to the south and the Snow Mountain area north of me. Plenty of snow on the higher peaks.

The high point there is 2798.

The benchmark was just off to the side of the trail. I stopped there and set up my antenna, sitting next to it. Propagation seemed decent, and I made plenty of contacts. I hadn't put on my warm coat, and after about 20 minutes of sitting still I was getting cold. I packed up and continued on to the crux of the route.

The Sutter Buttes were clearly visible.

There is a road network below Blue Ridge that I was planning to take up to Pk 2798, but no trail connecting the ridge to the road. From the satellite imagery it looked like there might be a break in the cliffs on the west side of the ridge, and I was hoping there would be a reasonable route down to the road. I was in luck.

The road below me as I stepped off the trail.

It turns out the Blue Ridge Trail switchbacks down to the end of the road. I stepped off the trail before the end, but I think if I had continued it would have been obvious the trail went down. As I was descending a steep but reasonable slope, I noticed something that looked like a trail below me. When I got down to it I could see it went towards the turnaround at the end of the road, so I took it. Saved me some difficult bushwhacking.

Trail sign at the road's end.

If you have a 4WD, high clearance car you could probably drive up to here and have a 1.5mi hike up to the summit. On the road I jogged down to the col, where the Fiske Creek Trail leaves to the north. I then started the long climb up to Peak 2798.

Mt St Helena.

Trailhead: Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park (Fiske Trailhead). This is also where Road 40 turns off of CA 16
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the Blue Ridge Trail up to the summit. Trail is overgrown south of Fiske BM.
Red Tape: None.