W6/CT-170 Kagel Mountain

 On my way back to the airport I stopped for some SOTA fun. This time Kagel Mountain was the destination. This peak is used as a take off spot for hang gliding and such. There is a road to the summit, but it is gated. The easiest trailhead seems to be at Dillon Divide on Little Tujunga Canyon Road. Across from the gate there was enough space for a few cars to park. The road to the summit was gated.

Gate at the start.

It was pretty warm out, but there was a nice breeze blowing. Luckily, the hike is not very hard. The road is well graded, if exposed. The first part loses a bit of elevation before a steady climb up to the ridge. 

Looking over at Fernando 2 Benchmark.

Up on the ridge I got some great views of the LA area. The ridge is fairly flat, and the activation zone is fairly long. However, it is worth going to the high point. 

Summit of Kagel Mountain.

On the summit there are picnic tables, perfect for operating from. I sat at the wooden one, thinking it might not be as hot after sitting in the sun. There were some bushes conveniently placed to hold up the pole. Since it was Field Day, I only did 17m and 30m. I got a handful of contacts on HF, then decided to see how VHF was.

Paraglider launch point.

This was a good decision. There were a lot of people on 2m and 70cm, and I filled up the log. It was actually easier on 70cm, since the frequency wasn't as jammed with people. After handing out some points, I packed up and headed back down. As I descended, two cars full of people drove up, to take off I assume. Back at the car I opened everything up to try and cool it down before driving to the airport.

Trailhead: Dillon Divide, Little Tujunga Canyon Road
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Walk up the access road to the summit. Enjoy the picnic table for some comfortable operating
Red Tape: None.
Video: ham_bitious YouTube