SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Category: WØC

SOTA (Summits on the Air) trip reports in W0 land with pictures and videos by K0MOS. Amateur radio mountain topping.

  • WØC/FR-1Ø2 (Horsetooth Mtn.) – 7613 ft / 2320 m

    Horsetooth Mountain (WØC/FR-1Ø2), part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, is just west of the City of Fort Collins (CO). It is a prominent landmark  and easily distinguishable by it’s large rock formation at the summit. It was acquired by the City of Ft. Collins in 1982 from the Soderburg family and is now a popular destination for hikers/mountain-bikers/horseback-riders with approx. 2700 acres (11 square kilometers) and about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of trails. It provides some spectacular views of Fort Collins to the east and to the highest mountains of the Rockies to the west (see the video at the end of the post).
    More info

    Trailhead: 5538 ft / 1688 m
    Summit: 7613 ft / 2320 m
    Elev. gain: 1454 ft / 443 m
    Round trip: 5.2 mi / 8.4 km

    Compare this summit to my other activated summits

    I have choosen this target for my first SOTA activation due to it’s proximity to my QTH. I can actually see the summit from my house. It is just a short drive to the trail-head and usually a nice hike. I took my mountain bike to accelerate my ascent in order to have more time available on the summit to fumble with all my new equipment – or so I thought.

    How to get there:
    Take exit #265 on I25 and follow Harmony road west for ~7 miles where it becomes Larimer County Road 38E. Continue west and you will find the entrance/parking lot/trail head on the north side of the road after about 6.5 miles.

    Trailhead/Parking lot:

    Open Larger Map

    Red tape:
    Horsetooth Mountain Open Space requires a $5 day use permit for all visitors. You have to share the trail with hikers/mountain-bikes and horseback riders.

    The Ascent:
    There are at least two options to get to the top.

     Follow the forest (dirt) road. Highly recommended using a mountain bike

    1. Follow the forest (dirt) road. Highly recommended using a mountain bike
    2. Take the hiking trail from the parking lot (a lot nicer)

    The route I took was a combination of the two. As a result I carried my bike for most of the way up due to the fact that MBs are not allowed on the hiking trail and the fact that it is impossible to bike the hiking trail anyway (at least for me). Since I started early, the temperatures were still comfy and some lingering rain clouds over the city provided a shady ascent to the summit.

    The Summit:
    To reach the summit, a short scramble (~30 ft/10 m elevation) on all your extremities is required. The reward is worth it – undisturbed views in all directions for miles and miles.

    View from the top of Horsetooth Mtn.

    My setup exercises in the backyard paid off. Within twenty minutes, my Buddipole was up and tuned and I was able to send my first CQs well ahead of my announced time slot. My second contact was Budd (W3FF) in California. He confirmed a strong signal and was very helpful in drumming up support (contacts) for my activation. Within one hour I had thirteen SSB contacts on 20m – good enough for my first activation. Sadly, my internal battery was slowly giving up (note to myself: improve  power setup).

    Going off the air was amazing… the constant noise of the radio was gone and I just sat there enjoying the sounds of nature. Since it was still early morning, the light and therefore the views were spectacular.

    The Descent:
    Packing up was a breeze. I climbed down the rock formation back to my bike and saddled up. It was a fast and furious ride downhills. My bike was literally smoking… at least my break pads!

    Some Impression:
    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpakVv1Xeyw


    If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • WØC/FR-Ø97 (Sheep Mountain) – 7555 ft / 2303 m

    Sheep Mountain (WØC/FR-Ø97), one of several summits with this name in my vicinity, is part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountain and the Roosevelt National Forest. It is located about 20 miles (30 km) north-west of the town of Fort Collins in the Cache La Poudre Canyon. Several other SOTA summits are close by. Access to Sheep Mountain is via CO14. The mountain rises sharply from the side of the road and parking and access is very limited.

    Trailhead: 6201 ft / 1585 m
    Summit: 7555 ft / 2303 m
    Elev. gain: 1391 ft / 424 m
    Roundtrip: 1.9 mi / 3.1 km

    Compare this summit to my other activated summits

    How to get there:
    Take US287 N from Fort Collins towards Wyoming. Go west  at Ted’s Place on CO14. About 18 miles into the Canyon is a small gravel/dirt patch on the the right side of the street. It is shortly after the bridge over Poudre River. It is easy to miss on the first try. Watch the video below  @ about 6:00 minutes into the clip.

    Parkinglot/Trailhead

    View Larger Map

    Red Tape:
    Nothing I am aware of, it is part of Roosevelt National Forest – therefore NF rules apply.

    The Ascent:
    Once you found the parking spot outlined above, it is pretty obvious where to go. The (very) steep south facing slopes can only be tackled one way – through a steep gulley. It is not only steep but rocky with large boulders, sagebrush and tons of prickly stuff. I switch-backed up the slope up to a ridge to the west which provided the first nice overview of the Canyon and the road below. It also provided nice views to the east on some previously hiked mountains and some grazing deer which were not amused by my presence.  I continued to follow the ridge until it got kind of steep but I forced my way through/up the giant boulders all the way to the peak. The best approach – in retrospect  – is to move east and summit from the north-east side to avoid scrambling up the scraggy peak.

    The Summit:
    The summit provided a nice shady place beneath the Douglas firs. Setup was easy, the abundance  of boulders provided ample opportunities to guy the mast for the antenna. Finding a quiet spot on the 20m band was a different story.
    The highlight was certainly the QSO with Larry (W7BUY) who was activating SOTA W7/NE-Ø92 in Oregon. My first S2S QSO.

    The Descent:
    The descent does not provide any more challenges than the ascent, and you have gravity working in your favor. The area can be easily navigated, since the flora consists only of grasses, sagebrush and prickly pears. The only thing you have to watch out for is the heat, the slope is south-facing – so don’t forget your sun-protection.

    Some Video Impressions:
    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCwCRRVhMU

    If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!