W6/ND-231 Fremont Peak

I had just climbed Frankish Peak, and the rental company had given me a Jeep, so I drove over to the desert to try it out on some dirt roads. My goal was Fremont Peak. This pointy mountain is easy to see as you drive 395, probably on your way to or from the Sierra. 

Looking up at the summit.

The peak is at the end of a long dirt road, aptly called Fremont Peak Road. The turnoff from 395 is not marked, so be careful not to miss it. The flat part of the road was in decent shape, and a sedan could likely drive a few miles in before the road got too rough. It was super easy in the jeep.

Looking at one of the many dry lake beds in the Mojave.

Eventually the road begins bearing right and going up the hill. It becomes much rougher here as well. I drove up, parked, and started to walk, then realized it wasn't so bad. So I got back in the car and drove up to the end of the road. There were some abandoned structures here, just below a col, and the path from here got much steeper. On a dirt bike you could get a lot farther up. Or maybe if you were a better off road driver than I am.

Summit area.

I followed the dirt bike trail up to its high point, about 200 feet below the summit. From here I just went straight up. It was steep and rocky, but I was able to easily find ways around any big rocks. No climbing required. The summit area is flat and open, and bigger than I expected. There was a small antenna and solar panel from some unknown organization, and a register. I signed it and put up my antenna. 

Enjoying desert views while I operate.

I had good cell service, so spotting wasn't a problem. Twenty meters was open to Europe. While I was on 40m, the UTC rollover happened, so I worked a bunch of chasers twice. Always nice to be able to give out extra points. I took the same route back down, more or less. I just picked what looked like the best way through the rocks until I got to the open desert slope below. From the path it was a quick jog back to the car. It seemed like a long drive back to 395, but I was just glad I didn't have to walk it.

Trailhead: As far up Fremont Peak Road as you can/will drive.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Follow the road/bike trail up as high as it goes, then go straight up to the summit.

Red Tape: None.

Video: Coming Soon!

W6/CT-151 Frankish Peak

 Frankish Peak is one of those peaks that doesn't look too bad on the map. Real life, however, is different. The trailhead for this peak is easily accessible, a large dirt pullout on N Mountain Ave. This is across the street from what appears to be a large dam. Probably to prevent floods when it rains and snows in the mountains. From here there is an unmaintained trail that heads up the hill.

Steep and dry.

The trail up to the ridge is steep. Very steep. Most of it is just regular steep hiking, but there were a few sections that were class 2 or even class 3. Not the most fun hike I've ever done, but I made it up.

Enjoying views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The views do get better as you climb. There are a few short sections along jeep trails, but mostly it is narrow, overgrown single track. The final road section is just below the summit. On the summit ridge, the closer peak is a little lower, but the trail continues across to the high point. This is marked with a sign and a large open area covered in broken glass. I'd like to know how all that glass got up there.

QRV!

I did not have cell service on top, at least where I was sitting. I may have been able to find it by walking around, but RBNhole does a good job putting up spots, so I didn't try. I worked people on 20m, but surprisingly no one on 40m. On VHF I got a few people as I expected, looking down a such a large populated area.

The hike down was nearly as bad as the way up. Steep and loose in places. Badly defined trail. I nearly went down the wrong ridge, but caught myself before I got too far. That would've been bad, since hiking up in the dense chaparral would have been terrible. Back at the car I had a drink and headed across the mountains into the desert to my next goal, Fremont Peak.

Trailhead: Side of N Mountain Ave, across from the reservoir.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Take the extremely steep use trail up the ridge. Be careful, both of the steepness and of going the wrong way!

Red Tape: None, hike is in Angeles or San Bernardino NF.

Video: Coming Soon!

W7I/SR-138

 This is a fairly easy peak near Mountain Home. From the freeway, drive north on US 20, uphill and into the foothills. A few miles up, turn left onto Anderson Dam Road. This road is paved. Drive down the road until you cross a cattle guard and the pavement ends. There is a large pullout here you can park in at the base of this mountain, on the dirt side of the road. 

Looking at the summit.

Since I didn't want to crawl under the barbed wire fence, I crossed the cattle grate and started up the hill. The route to the top was pretty easy to see, just follow the ridge up. There are some big embankments lower down, but they are easy to avoid. I wouldn't be surprised if people used this area for shooting.

Enjoying the beautiful day.

It was about a mile up to the summit, and it didn't take me too long. The first half is flatter, but much more brush to navigate around. After crossing what appears to be a power line access road, the steepness goes up. The views got better as I climbed which was nice, but the wind also picked up. It was, however, one of those beautiful fall days where everything is just perfect.

One of the embankments near the bottom.

On the summit there is the remnants of a fence. I used a conveniently located post to hold up my antenna pole, and was quickly on the air. I had good cell service for spotting, and the QSOs started rolling in. It was the Arizona 10 point madness day, but none of the AZ stations came to work me summit-to-summit. I was a little disappointed, but there were plenty of other S2S contacts.

One happy hiker.

Since I had to get back to Boise and the airport for my flight home, I couldn't spend too long on top. It was a pity, since it was so nice out. Oh well, there'll be nice days at home soon enough. I retraced my steps back to the car for the drive back to the capitol.

 

Trailhead: Where the pavement ends on Anderson Dam Road.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Cross the cattle guard to get around the fence, then follow the ridge up to the summit.

Red Tape: None.

Video: Coming soon!

W7I/CI-082 Celaya Benchmark

 It was a rainy day, but I was tired of sitting in my hotel room, so I headed out for an activation. I figured a peak with more driving than hiking would be a good choice for a day like this, so Celaya Benchmark was my choice. From Twin Falls I headed south on US93 to Rogerson. In town I turned west and drove down Three Creek Road. This crosses the Salmon Falls Dam, which is not suitable for large vehicles or trailers. Next, head south on Monument Springs Road. This dirt road was well graded, and the little sedan I had made it all the way to the trailhead.

Jeep trail hiking.

I found a wide area to park in, north of the summit at about (42.06432, -114.91910). There is a jeep trail that heads away from the main road here, and I followed it. A short distance down there is a gate. This one was a bit easier to get through since there was a chain you could use to get some mechanical advantage while shutting it.

MTR 3B on the summit.

From here the trail continues up onto the main ridge. I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't as windy on the ridge as I feared. Follow the road until you're near the summit. The road goes around the summit, so at some point you'll need to step off to get to the high point. I did this shortly before some higher brush.

Radiating that RF.

It was an open field sort of bushwhack to the summit. In the fog I just followed the sharp drop off to my left. The summit is broad and open, and since it was so cloudy I had to use the GPS to make sure I was at the high point. 

I wanted to try and get out of the wind, so I went a few feet down the east side of the summit, with the cliff. Turns out there are plenty of bushes to hold your pole here, and some nice shelter from the weather. It was quite pleasant sitting and making contacts. I had pretty good cell service on the summit.

Enjoying the outdoors.

I took the same route back down, but it was much less pleasant. The rain had started and the wind picked up. First, only the left side of my pants was wet, then all my legs were wet. But since it was a short hike, I wasn't too worried. At the car I got out of the rain and turned up the heat for the drive back to Twin Falls.

Trailhead: Along Monument Springs Road, at about (42.06432, -114.91910).

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: From the location above, follow the rough jeep trail to just below the summit, then bushwhack.

Red Tape: None, but watch for cattle on the open range.

Video: Coming soon!

W7O/CN-050 Multorpor Mountain

 We were in Government Camp for a few days, so of course a SOTA peak or two needed to be done. We had done some hiking in the morning, so I picked an easy one for the afternoon. Multorpor Mountain is a relatively easy hike from Government Camp. 

From our room at the Huckleberry Inn, I walked down the road to the east end of town. It was a bit scary crossing the highway, but traffic was light enough I made it across with a little patience. Just east of the main road is a dirt road that heads into the forest. I didn't see any signs on the road, so I'm not sure if it has a name or number.

Along the jeep trail.

The road heads into the woods. After a turn or two there is an unmarked trail near the top of a hill. Pay attention, I nearly missed it. This trail heads up the mountain, somewhat steeply. It was a nice change from the dry, open forest I'm used to in California. All the rhododendron made me feel like I was back on the AT.

Damp trail heading up the hill.

At the summit it gets steeper as you scramble up the rock outcropping. I was surprised to have a decent view. The north side is dominated by Mt Hood, but to the south there is a nice one. I set up and sat looking south. I had cell service on the summit, and spotting was no problem. Since the weather was a bit iffy, a few showers rolled through while I was on the summit. 

Looking South.

After working the chasers, it started getting darker and cooler. I assumed some rain was coming in, so I packed up and started heading down. It didn't rain, but I was glad I didn't take the chance. 

Trailhead: Park somewhere in Government Camp.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: From Government Camp, walk up the jeep trail to the single track.

Red Tape: You probably need a pass in the winter.

Video: Coming soon!

W7O/WV-099 Cooper Mountain

 This mountain west of Portland is an easy activation. There are a few places you can activate from. The traditional spot is at the Winkelman dog park on SW175th Ave in Beaverton. But the Cooper Mountain Nature Park on SW Kemmer Road is also in the activation zone, and this is where I chose to set up. See the video linked at the bottom for a longer exploration of the actual activation zone.

Not the greatest view, but at least I was in the shade.

There was plenty of parking on the Thursday afternoon I stopped by. There wasn't much shade in the parking lot, though, so I walked a few meters down the trail to a picnic table under a tree. I wasn't in the mood for setting up HF, so I only brought my HT and did 2m. The hill is in the middle of the Portland metro area, so there were plenty of chasers. Most people were on 58, but I did get one random person on 52. There was a bit of interference from something, so I was glad to have the band pass filter with me.

Getting those QSOs.

After I had made half a dozen contacts, N7KOM took his dog up to the park, and I drove over to have an eyeball QSO. It is always nice to meet SOTA people from other areas. It was hot, and I was getting tired, so after talking a while I headed back to the city.

Trailhead: Winkelman Park or Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Both parking lots are in the AZ, so find somewhere comfortable to set up.

Red Tape: Dogs are not welcome at the nature park, and I wonder if they really want people stringing wire antennas around there. I had no issues doing VHF only.  

Video: ham_bitious YouTube