W6/NS-077 Hiram Peak

 After a chilly night at the Highland Lakes campground we got an early start. The ambitious plan was to get both Hiram and Airola Peaks in a big loop. We were confident of Hiram, but Airola reportedly had some sketchy class 3 on the way. There is a trail from the top of the campground that leads up to the ridge, and we took this to start.

Heading up the trail.

We quickly got to near the ridge, where we found a good place to step off and go cross country. There was some brush, but nothing difficult to get through. It didn't take long to get to the base of the talus and scree.

Not too far from the peak.

The climb up the scree wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. It was generally stable, and there wasn't much sliding. Some smoke started blowing in, but it stayed in the valleys. It was a beautiful fall day, you could not have asked for a nicer one.

Small ponds at the base of the talus.

There are some use trails on the slope, but it is easy to find the way up. Just stay near the ridge. At the top is a flat section, before the summit cone. From a distance it looks steep, but when you get there you can see many easy ways up to the summit.

Looking back over at Folger Peak, yesterday's hike.

We setup an antenna on the summit and took turns on the air. I briefly had cell service, but it was not reliable. Nevertheless, we had no problem making contacts. We even managed to get two French stations and one Belgian! Since we had a lot of hiking left, we didn't stay too long. After packing up we went back down to the flat area below the summit, then descended the opposite side of the ridge.

Coming down the talus.

This was steep, as we expected, but nothing too bad. Eventually we made it down to the dirt and shrubs, then into the forest. All the time we were descending we kept looking over at Airola, trying to decide if it was doable. 

In the Hiram-Airola col.

In the col we started up the other side to attempt Airola Peak.

Trailhead: Highland Lakes Campground.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail from the top of the campground to the ridge, then go cross country up the talus and scree to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

W6/NS-078 Folger Peak

 After getting an alpine start at Calaveras Big Trees SP, we drove up to Highland Lakes Road. I parked my car in a pullout near highway 4, and loaded my stuff into the SUV that would take us the rest of the way. It was still pretty dark, but I had packed everything the evening before so I didn't have to worry about finding stuff. The road appeared to have been graded recently, and my sedan could probably have made it.

An excellent campsite at the Highland Lakes Campground.

At the lakes we drove around to look at all the campsites before finding an excellent one that overlooked the larger of the two lakes. We bundled up, and set up camp, including a 20/40m dipole. After hanging out for a while, we decided to go up to the summit for lunch. The trail leaves from the top of the campground on the west side of the road.

The forested beginning of the trail.

The first section of the trail goes through the forest, but when you get up on the ridge the trees stop. There is a well worn use path that leads all the way up to the summit. It was easy to follow, if steep in places. 

Just need to go up the ridge.

The use trail generally stays on the south side of the ridge when it comes off the crest. 

Looking down at the larger Highland Lake.

Just below the summit is a relatively flat area. We stopped here to set up the antenna before tagging the summit. Some smoke had started blowing in, so it was hazy, but overall a nice day. We had excellent cell service on the summit, and had no problem spotting ourselves and getting contacts. Once we had had our fill, we packed up and retraced our steps back to the campsite.

View from the peak.

Trailhead: Highland Lakes Campground.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail from the top of the campground to the ridge, then the use trail to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

W6/NS-219 Bailey Ridge

 After getting Bloods Ridge and Corral Hollow Hill, I drove down Highway 4 a few miles to get Bailey Ridge. The trailhead is on forest road 7N09, just past the highway maintenance station if you're heading west. 7N09 is a well graded dirt road that any car can drive up. I drove up about half a mile to just past a cattle guard where the road to the summit turns off.

7N09 is a nice road, the other one to the summit not as much.

I parked on the side of the road, and started walking up. An OHV would have no problem getting up, and an adventurous person with an SUV or truck could probably make it. Having none of those, I just walked. The first part of the road is the roughest, once it gets up on the ridge a ways it gets much smoother.

Sunny section of road.

It is a straightforward walk to the summit. There is one junction, where you go left. The summit is broad and flat, with a low density forest. Easy area to put up an antenna.

Late afternoon view through the trees.

I didn't have good cell service, but there was some. I made plenty of contacts. Once it started getting cool in the shade, I packed up and headed back to the car. The walk back was pleasant, except for when a 4-wheeler drove by and kicked up a lot of dust.

Summit area.

At the car I drove back down the hill to Calaveras Big Trees SP where I was meeting some friends for the night. 

Trailhead: Forest Road 7N09, just past the cattle guard.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Go up the dirt road to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

W6/NS-143 Bloods Ridge

 It was time for one last trip to the Sierra before winter. I was invited on a backpacking trip to Heart Lake from Onion Valley, but due to the fire danger the permit was cancelled. Instead we decided to go to the Highland Lakes area off of Highway 4. I went up a day early to get some peaks, starting with Bloods Ridge.

View from the parking area.

The best place to start this hike seems to be at the height of land on Mt Reba Road, on the way to the Bear Valley ski area. There is a large area here, probably used in the winter when the resort is open. I parked on the side, out of the way. The path to the summit is on fire roads, or ski trails if there's snow.

Mokelumne Peak dominated the view north.

Head up the road past the maintenance garage area. There is a switchback, then the road just follows the ridge up to the summit. The views get generally better as you go up, but there are no open clear areas.  

About halfway up.

On the summit there were some people working on one of the ski lifts, so I set up out of the way in some trees. There was good cell service on top, and I had no trouble getting my contacts. After packing up, I continued down the far side of the mountain to go tag the Calaveras County high point. I took one of the ski trails down, then some OHV trails over to the high point.

Calaveras High point.

The high summit, Corral Hollow Hill, is very broad and flat. I walked around in the woods a bit to see if there was any obvious high point, but all I found was a small marker. I walked over the spot marked on the Peakbagger app, then decided it was as good as I was able to do. 

Looking east from a viewpoint.

I then retraced my steps back to the car, where I drove down the hill to the base of Bailey Hill, me next summit.

Trailhead: Height of land, Mt Reba Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Go up the dirt road past the maintenance garage and up to the summit.
Red Tape: None. Might need a ski pass in the winter.

Windy Hill

 I had a new pair of shoes, and what better way to break them in than a trip to Windy Hill? 

Pretty close to sunrise.

I headed to Portola Valley, where I got one of the last spots in the official parking lot. It seemed like it would be busy on the trails, but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. I made a loop of it, going up the Spring Ridge Trail and down the Lost and Razorback trails.

Looking up at the summit.

The way up was generally steeper and in the open. I was glad it was still early and hadn't warmed up too much or I would have been miserable in the heat. I got plenty of good views of the peak ahead of me and Portola Valley and the Bay Area behind. Definitely a trail that would be good in either direction!

Black Mountain was not very far away.

After a pleasant hike up the hill I made it to the summit. I had it to myself, and I took the opportunity to take some pictures. I still had plenty of miles left though, so I didn't spend too long. I stopped by the slightly lower summit, but there wasn't much interesting there either. 

Down through the woods.

The descent was mostly in the forest, where it was cool and shady. I only passed a few people. My guess is that the more direct routes are more busy. There were plenty of switchbacks on the way down, which made for a pleasant run. Down near the bottom the trail ends and there are a few sections where you have to run on a paved road. It wasn't ideal, but at least it wasn't very long.

Nice stone bridge.

The flat section near the parking lot had lots of people. Back at the car I vacated my spot to let the next lucky person park in the lot.