W6/SS-293

 We had a campsite in Yosemite Valley, so went out for a long weekend of fun. After exploring the valley a bit on Friday, we drove up Tioga road on Saturday. Our goal was an unactivated peak, Peak 9222. KN6REU had never done a first activation, and this seemed like the perfect one for her to get first. 

Nice view of Half Dome on the drive into the valley.

We started from Old Tioga Road, which is just past White Wolf. The road was gated, but there was a large pullout that we parked in. From here we walked up to the top of the hill along the road, the stepped into the woods. 

Marker explaining some history of the area.

The first part of the climb was a bit steep, but we quickly got to the first sub-peak. Here there is a flat section as you walk over to the base of the next climb. It is typical open Sierra forest, with plenty of big rocks scattered around.

Heading through the rocks and forest.

The second climb is a bit longer, but not any harder. The rocks are spaced enough that it was easy to find routes up or around them. As the terrain levels out on the ridge, the forest opens to some large meadows.

Head up the ridge.

There is another peak that is nearly as high as the main peak, but the col is a bit too deep, so it isn't in the activation zone. We crossed it, and continued into the AZ. There isn't much interesting at the summit, just a rock that's a bit higher than the others. Slightly down from there we set up in a clearing. 

The cell service was very marginal. We got a few spots out, but I wouldn't count on it. KN6REU got on the air first with the HT and whip. After a few minutes of calling CQ, there were no answers, so we put up the EDZ. With this in the air, the contacts started rolling in.

Views of the Yosemite wilderness.

AA6XA tried to get some HF contacts, but the FT-817 didn't seem to be putting out any power. This was disappointing, since it meant there would be no CW, and now QRO POTA later, but he was able to get his four contacts on 2m. By this point it was close to lunch time, so we packed up and retraced our steps back to the car.

Back at the car, we continued driving up to Olmstead Point for lunch, then continued to Tenaya Lake to enjoy the beauty. Back in the valley that evening, we walked over for some Curry Village pizza, then back to the site for s'mores, a critical part of every camping trip.

Half Dome from Curry Village.

Trailhead: Old Tioga Road, big pullout before the gate.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the ridge up to the summit.
Red Tape: None, just regular Yosemite rules.
Video: ham_bitious YouTube