A new day, a new Burn Benchmark. The previous day I had activated the other one, and now it was time to complete the set. I drove to height of land on San Francisquito Canyon Road, where the Leona Divide road crosses. On the south side of the road there is space for a few cars to park, so I did.
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| Town of Green Valley. |
My planned route was to take the fire road as close as I could, then find a way up to the high point. There was a big rut near the start of the road, so I decided to just walk, since I only had a sedan. As it turns out, the road was in excellent condition, and I probably could have driven.
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| Transverse ranges wilderness. |
Either way, it was a nice morning for a walk, so I set off up the road. The sun was low enough the hills provided some shade, which was welcome. Part way up I saw a snake sunning itself on the side of the road. We looked at each other as I passed.
The fire road doesn't go over the summit. When I got close, I started looking for places to go up to the top. I found a section clear of brush, and hopped over a fence to follow it up. I was surprised to find an OHV trail running along the ridge top. My guess is that I could have found a way up that avoided the bushwhacking.
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| Setup on the summit. |
There was a register under a pile of rocks, which I signed before setting up. I had good cell service. I did 17m, 20m, and 40m. I tried VHF, but there wasn't anyone there. The views down into the Antelope Valley were quite nice, if a bit hazy. Once I was done, I packed up and retraced my steps. It had warmed noticeably, and I was glad to be going down. Back at the car I crossed the road and drove up to Grass Mountain for a second summit.
Trailhead: Junction of Leona Divide Fire Road and San Francisquito Canyon Road
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk or drive up the road to near the summit, then find an opening in the brush up to the top.
Red Tape: None.
Video: ham_bitious YouTube
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