W0C/FR-087 (Bennett Mountain)
2447 m / 8045 ft
Activated Nov 8, 2014
By KX0R
Bennett Mountain eluded me the first time I tried to activate it; here’s how to find this easy SOTA peak.
Start with the SOTA web page for Bennett. Study the maps showing where Bennett is. Google maps is pretty good; the DeLorme atlas is also useful; the Garmin GPS maps are good. The online satellite image is your best resource – it clearly shows the forest roads and the final path up the mountain.
Drive southwest from Denver on Santa Fe, Highway 85, to Sedalia, and then head southwest on paved highway 67. Continue up steep Jarre Canyon, pass the marked Rampart Range Road, and drive almost 2 additional miles on winding highway 67 to a hilltop community called Moonridge. Look sharp to the northwest side of the road, find a dirt road with a sign that says “Archery Range”, and turn onto this one-lane road that looks like someone’s private driveway. This road goes up steeply and provides access to the Pike National Forest, but it’s not so marked! After passing several houses, come to a locked gate and a parking area next to the Archery Range. Park here and hike north on the closed forest road, as it climbs along a gentle forested ridge toward Bennett Mountain. Eventually you can spot the modest summit in the distance.
The road climbs up a long ridge southwest of the summit and then descends slightly while heading northeast. Continue toward Bennett – you can see the summit not far away. To climb Bennett you must leave the road where it bends sharply to the left and descends, and then follow an obvious path northeast across a meadow on the saddle, and then climb up to the broad summit ridge.
Bennett Mountain and Path to Top
There are several places to set up in the large Activation Zone. Convenient trees and some shelter from the wind are available.
Bennett Activation RigBennett Activation near Summit
This is a pleasant 2-point summit with an easy 1-1/2 mile hike, with only about 400 vertical feet of gain. Finding the forest road to the Archery Range is the key to the activation. Bennett has nice views of the surrounding terrain, including Devils Head to the south. Beware during hunting season!
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
Devils Head from BennettView West from Bennett Mountain
!! 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!
The Lawn Lake Trail is the standard approach to Hagues Peak. This trail runs from the Fall River Road all the way up the Fall River to Lawn Lake. In 1982 the old Lawn Lake Dam failed, and the Fall River flooded. Most of Lawn Lake came rapidly down the steep valley, causing a fatal flood and massive damage for miles downstream. Lawn Lake still exists, but the dam was not rebuilt, so the Lake is smaller than before the flood. It’s a beautiful place, so it’s a popular hiking and backpacking destination.
Hagues from Lawn Lake
The trail starts at 8550 feet, and it’s over 6 miles to Lawn Lake, at 11,000 feet. The trail was damaged in the September 2013 floods, so it’s rocky in spots, but it’s still a fast route up into the Mummy Range. The trail continues past Lawn Lake on the east side, and it efficiently ascends to “The Saddle” at 12,400 feet. From The Saddle it’s possible to climb Hagues Peak via the southwest ridge. This is mostly a rocks-and-blocks climb, and the crux is near the top. Depending on the amount of snow, there are several ways to access the summit from the southwest ridge – some scrambling may be required.
Fairchild, The Saddle, and Hagues
The day I climbed Hagues it was dry, sunny, and very windy; I wanted nothing to do with The Saddle and the southwest ridge! I climbed via the steep tundra slopes south of the Hagues Summit. This unmarked route leaves the main trail at about 11,700 feet, just above where another trail heads southwest toward Crystal Lake. It is possible to climb gullies and steep grassy slopes, eventually heading diagonally, northeast up the slope. The immediate goal is to reach the long saddle between Hagues and Mummy. The higher part of the route up the slopes is easier to the east, but then the trip along the saddle back toward Hagues is longer. The slopes are mostly grass toward the east, and mostly steep scree and rocks toward Hagues. There are many ways to climb, and it’s just personal preference to pick a route.
Hagues South Slopes
The route along the ridge between the Mummy-Hagues saddle and Hagues summit is mostly rocks and blocks, and it may be easier and safer to hike north of the ridge-top to avoid some of the larger blocks and occasional problems on the ridge. Eventually the ridge reaches the summit, which is a class 2 ascent if everything is dry.
Mummy and Lawn Lake from Hagues
There is a solar-powered NPS repeater on top of Hagues. This is an excellent site with coverage of a huge area, and relatively few visitors climb Hagues, so the location of this device makes good sense. It’s best not to activate close to the repeater, to avoid any possibility of interference.
NPS Repeater on Hagues
I was able to set up about 30 feet below and north of the summit in a spot where the wind was reduced. Had I not been able to do this, I’m not sure I could have done a successful activation. The wind was gusty and harsh on the summit and ridges, but it was amazing how well everything worked in the lee of the Peak! I had to securely guy my pole and use the tension on the wire to help stabilize the dancing, gyrating mast. The temperature was about 40 degrees during my activation, the sun was bright, and there was corn snow on the shady rocks.
Hagues First ActivationAntenna, Rowe Peak & Rowe Glacier
The route I took to Hagues was approximately 18 miles round trip, with 5000 feet of vertical gain. It took about five hours to hike to the summit. With a normal activation this peak requires most of the day to do. While the weather is windier and colder in late summer, there are more dry days. Hagues and Fairchild Peaks have long approaches and are difficult to activate in mid-summer, because thunderstorms often develop by mid-day, so a very early start is required to reach the summit before storm clouds gather.
The views from Hagues are some of the best in Rocky Mountain National Park. The entire Mummy Range is heavily glaciated, and it’s half a mile vertically down to Lawn Lake. Rowe Peak and Rowe Glacier to the north are a nice surprise, the Rawah Wilderness is impressive up north, and the Laramie Range is visible in Wyoming. The Plains are visible out east, from north to south, and most of the local high summits are easy to see.
View Down Hague Creek to NWView off the Back Side of HaguesView North from Hagues
Numerous SOTA peaks in the Estes Park area and elsewhere stand far below!
Bighorn Mountain from Hagues
Fairchild dominates the view south, with the summit of Ypsilon peeping over. A vast wilderness fills the space north of the Mummy Peaks. Mummy Peak stands like Hagues’ sister 1-1/2 miles to the southeast.
Hagues – Mummy Ridge
Unfortunately Mummy is not quite a SOTA peak, but Hagues and Mummy are a nice pair of high summits on the same very high ridge – they are often climbed together. It is not hard to go over Mummy on the way up or down Hagues. The south slopes of Mummy are a convenient, efficient route up or down from Mummy and Hagues. Bighorn sheep live up on these peaks.
With a base camp at Lawn Lake, it would be possible to activate Hagues or Fairchild with the same hike up to the Saddle between the two big peaks. From the camp, with a dry day, activating both peaks is possible. They are less than 2 miles apart, but the rocky route takes time.
Crystal Lake & Fairchild from Hagues
All this alpine terrain above 11,500 feet is exposed to weather, and it’s a dangerous area in stormy, windy, or cold weather – check the forecast and be prepared!
Hagues Peak is certainly challenging, and it’s a true SOTA Classic!
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
!! 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!
Fairchild Mountain is one of the 4000+M Peaks in the Mummy Range in the northeastern region of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a relatively easy mountain to climb, with a marked trail most of the way; however, a long, strong hike is required. Fairchild was my first 4000+M activation, but I had climbed the mountain twice previously.
Fairchild and Crystal Lake from Trail
The hike from the Lawn Lake Trailhead to Fairchild is about 9 miles each way – 18 miles round trip. The vertical gain is about 5000 vertical feet. In order to have a good chance of a successful activation, you should:
1) Choose a long summer day with dry weather predicted
2) Start early – perhaps be on the trail before dawn
3) Travel fast and light, but be prepared for alpine conditions
4) Have the required ability and conditioning
5) You’ll need most of your day – maybe more – for this classic SOTA peak
The Lawn Lake Trail is the standard approach to Fairchild. This trail climbs up the Fall River to Lawn Lake. In 1982 the old Lawn Lake Dam failed, and the Fall River flooded. Most of Lawn Lake roared down the steep valley, causing a fatal flood and massive damage for miles downstream. Lawn Lake is smaller than before the flood, but it’s a beautiful place, so it’s a popular hiking and backpacking destination.
The trail starts at 8550 feet, and it’s over 6 miles to Lawn Lake at 11,000 feet. The trail was damaged in the September 2013 floods – it’s rocky in spots – but it’s still a fast route up into the Mummy Range. The trail continues past Lawn Lake on the east side, and then it efficiently ascends north of Crystal Lake to The Saddle at 12,400 feet. From The Saddle the last mile is an alpine hike of about 1100 vertical feet up the broad northeast ridge of Fairchild, across tundra and progressively larger rocks, to the top. Early in the summer there may be snow along the route, especially above timberline; you may see bighorn sheep.
Crystal Lake below Fairchild
The Fairchild summit is almost flat – the Activation Zone is huge. There is a rock shelter at the top, and it’s a good spot to set up a pole and activate, unless there are other visitors. This mountain doesn’t get a lot of traffic, but there are usually a few climbers on summer days.
KX0R First Activation of FairchildKX0R on Fairchild
I started my hike just before 7:00 AM MDT. I was on the summit at 11:10. That was about as fast as I could go. I stayed over an hour, setting up, doing the activation, and dealing with issues. In retrospect I should have started earlier.
Large alpine rodents called marmots live on Fairchild. These aggressive animals can be a problem for a SOTA activator! Not long after I was on the air, a large marmot tried to steal my Dacron antenna line and pulled my Black Widow pole down! My radio gear went flying across the rocks! I was lucky to get back on the air and continue the activation.
Ypsilon Peak and Weather from Fairchild
The weather was nice when I started on the air, but 20 minutes into the run, a large cumulus cloud moved in from the west, and I heard hissing in the headphones. Within a minute I could hear no callers, as the corona discharge increased. There was no lightning nearby, but I had to get off the air and leave. I still managed to work 22 ops on 20M CW.
Fortunately the dark cloud passed quickly, and the long exposed trip down the ridge to the Saddle went OK, with no close lightning and only a little rain. Another storm came through as I hiked out near Lawn Lake, and there was a lot of lightning up high. It rained gently for a long time – not bad weather overall. That was a typical summer day in the Mummy Range.
Hagues Peak from FairchildCrystal Lake below FairchildView NW from Fairchild – Clark Peak in Distance
Fairchild offers a Classic SOTA Summit with a long, spectacular hike, fine views, and a high-altitude wilderness experience – as well as a great activation with special challenges.
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
Alpine Flowers below Fairchild
!! 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!
W0C/FR-072 (Mt. Olympus) 2679 M / 8808 ft
May 3rd, 2014
by KØMOS
Mount Olympus stands tall right between Big Thompson Canyon (US34) and Little Thompson Canyon (US36) on the east side of Estes Park (CO). It’s a stunning mountain even though it’s elevation is not even 9000 ft (~2800 m) – and therefore only a two pointer in the WØC association.
Mt. Olympus – 2679 m / 8808 ft
I have driven by this mountain numerous times in the past but since it is all bushwhacking to the top and only rewards two SOTA points it had lingered on my ‘to-do’ list… for way too long in turns out. The hike is prettier than expected and the summit provides some unusual views towards the continental divide and Rocky Mountain National Park. Definitely recommended – if you have the necessary route finding skills.
The approach from the south (US36) is difficult since this side belongs to the Crocker Ranch and is therefore private property. So is the actual summit (according to the USGS map) but it is possible to get into the activation zone on NF land from the north. There are no signs, barbed wire fences or any other indication that the summit is on private property. It seems that the owner does not mind hikers reaching the very top.
Trailhead: 7351 ft / 2241 m
Summit: 8808 ft / 2679 m
Elev. gain: 1575 ft / 480 m
Roundtrip: 2.1 mi / 3.4 km
Drive east from Estes Park towards Loveland on US34. After passing Lake Estes, the road goes into the Canyon. There is a little gravel pullout on your right with a NF sign, indicating that you are entering Roosevelt National Forest. That’s your best bet to leave your car.
Parking/Trailhead
Red Tape:
Keep in mind that the summit is on private property, but as mentioned above, there is no indication that the owner has any issue with you climbing to the top.
The Ascent:
The elevation profilePark at the sign
I climbed up the steep slope just behind the sign, keeping my route to the NE (downriver). I traversed numerous rock outcroppings and stayed way left of the steep couloir. Eventually the terrain became less steep and the forest opened up a bit. Plenty of rock outcroppings everywhere, giving you a chance to climb up and take a peek towards the Continental Divide. I ignored the stone cairns here and there since they they did not indicate a clear path and just followed my gut and navigational instincts.
About half way up the terrain flattens out even further, making for a nice hike through the woods. The cairns became more numerous and they seemed to lead into the right direction. I started to follow them, a wise decision since the slope became steeper and the underbrush more dense. Following the cairns led me comfortably through some really thick stuff right to the summit.
The Summit:
The Crocker Ranch below
If you look at the profile of the summit it looks as if somebody took a knife and cut off a piece at the highest point. The south face is very steep and more inclined towards rock-climbing. It allows some great views toward Estes Park, Rocky Mountain N.P and the Continental Divide as well as to the Crocker Ranch just below the rocky face.
The summit is rocky, quite small with a few ‘trees’ to tie your mast to, and a steep drop-off to the south. I was carrying a 16ft fishing pole with a linked EFHW which I wedged between the rocks at the highest point – perfect. With hardly any wind and mostly sunny skies the activation was very pleasant. The rocks even provided some nice options to sit on.
I found two historical photos taken from about the same spot. Take a closer look at the three pictures below… interesting to see the huge changes over time:
Photo taken 2014
Photo taken ~1940 // Courtesy of the OldEstes Collection – Dave and Carol Tanton
Photo taken ~1900 by Enos Mills
The Descent:
I followed the cairns on my way down. At some stage I missed some of them and just followed the general direction to the TH. I missed the car by ~50ft.
If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.
!! 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!
W0C/PR-080 (11543)
3511M / 11543ft
Sep 21, 2013
by KX0R
Please see the trip report for W0C/PR-071 Ethel Mount for most of the details about the route used to climb 11543.
Peak 11543 sits about 2 miles east of Ethel, but the peaks are on opposite sides of a deep glacial cirque.
11543 can be climbed easily as a side trip from Trail 1130 that runs from the Divide to the Slide Lakes and Rainbow Lakes to the east. The summit of 11543 is less than a mile east from Trail 1130. There is a game trail or path up most of the northwest ridge of 11543, and it’s a pleasant ascent. The actual summit of 11543 is the rocky eastern summit, and there are other points up there that differ little in altitude. The broad top of the peak is right at treeline. Small trees and large rocks are available for some shelter from wind. There are several good spots to set up and activate. You’ll do better with an antenna pole.
Please see the USGS topo map for this area, as Google Maps omit many key trails.
Note that 11543 looks nice on top, but don’t be fooled into trying to descend by a different route than the NW ridge. There are steep cliffs around the west, south, and east sides of this large mountain.
It is possible to combine an activation of 11543 with another nearby summit, but this requires an early start, a long day, and good weather.
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
View NE from 11543 Summit
11543 Activation
Ceanothuse Lake below 11543
Red Canyon NE of 11543
11543 View East
!! 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!
Mount Ethel sits atop the Continental Divide in the heart of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness in northern Colorado. At 11924’ it is very prominent, and it can be seen from some peaks of the Front Range. Climbing and activating Ethel is best done as part of an overnight backpack trip into the Wilderness. The trip up the peak is just a long hike, but it requires traveling above tree line for hours, with considerable exposure to weather.
There are several practical routes up Ethel. I parked at the Rainbow Lakes Trailhead, on the east side of the Park Range, and camped at Big Rainbow Lake. This is an easy backpack trip of about 3-1/2 miles. I climbed Ethel as a day hike from Rainbow Lake, using the fine Trail #1130 that ascends to Slide and Upper Slide Lakes and then climbs up to the Divide. This is a fun, scenic route, and you can see Mount Ethel high above most of the way. At the junction with the trail to Roxy Ann Lake, at about 11,000 feet, I headed off-trail, directly west up to the Divide, via open meadows and gentle rocky slopes. Once on the Divide, I made an approximate beeline south, almost 2 miles, toward the gentle west slope of Ethel; from there I hiked southeast up to the summit. Please see the USGS topo map for this area, as Google Maps omits many key trails and has other serious errors.
If you prefer to stay on marked trails, just follow Trail 1130 all the way to the Divide, turn south on the Wyoming Trail #1101, follow it to just west of Mount Ethel, and pick a convenient route to the summit.
These routes require several miles of hiking across tundra above treeline. There is no shelter, and this is no place to be in bad weather. The day I was there was dry, sunny, spectacular, and quite windy. People climb Ethel often, as it is a short detour from the “Wyoming Trail” 1101, but you may not see anyone up there. The peak has gentle meadows on the west side, and steep cliffs on its northeast and southeast faces. The summit is on the Continental Divide; the north summit is considered the peak. There is a rocky outcrop at the top, and it provides some shelter from wind. It’s not hard to set up a pole on the east side of the peak, and tie the far end of the wire to the top of the peak. I had a great first activation up there, with 35 Q’s and strong signals on 20M.
I combined activating Ethel with a first activation of W0/PR-080, 11543, which is east of the Slide Lakes and Trail 1130. This is practical if you have time, but it’s a long day, and it requires an early start. Please see the report for Peak 11543 for the additional route description.
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
Rainbow Lake Sunrise from Camp
Rainbow Lake & Ethel
Ethel Summit
Ethel View South
Ethel Summit and Antenna
Ethel Summit Activation
ATS-3B & Tuners
Ethel Benchmark
!! 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!
W0C/FR-150 (Thunder Peak) – 3083 m / 10134 ft
May 7, 2014
by KØMOS
According to the WX forecast, today was the best chance to bag another summit for the remainder of the week. After a nice thunderstorm over night, more thunderstorms were in the forecast starting at noon, and even some snow was forecast over night. Getting on the trail early was key. So was to travel light and I therefore exchanged my 30′ mast with a lightweight 16′ fishing rod and the Bazooka and J-Pole antennas with a linked EFHW before I left my QTH.
Thanks to some fresh intell from KX0R/Carey (who activated this summit two days ago) I took a new route which shaved off ~0.5 miles – not much but if you are competing against the clock, every bit helps. I hit the trail under blue skies and not a cloud in sight. I bushwhacked my way up through dense forest and was greeted on the summit by dark clouds all around . Thanks to the abundance of dead trees on the summit, the antenna was up in no time and I got my QRP signal out just in in time to correspond with my posted SOTA alert.
W7RV/Tom picked up my signal on 20m and posted a spot (thanks Tom). Within nine minutes I had 10 contacts and no more takers on 20m when I switched to 15m – just to take a peak… clouds were moving in fast and a cold breeze had me add a new layer of clothing.
My CQs on 15m were answered by M1DXU and shortly after by G2YT/Peter near London (UK). G2YK is a call sign originally issued to ‘Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company Limited’ at the Poldhu Radio Station in Cornwall (you can read more about it here) – pretty cool :)
After this short QSO it was definitely time to pack up my radio and head downhills. The activation only lasted 17 minutes and with ice pellets falling from the sky I slid down the steep and sandy slopes of Thunder Peak, trying to reach the forest to get some protection. By the time I arrived at the TH, the ice pellets morphed into a nice rain shower… exactly what we currently need here in N-Colorado.
!! 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!
W0N/PH-005 (Scotts Bluff) – 1417 m / 4649 ft
March 31, 2014
by KØMOS
A high wind warning was in effect for northern Colorado for the last day of March and so I decided to head north-east towards the newest SOTA Association in NA: WØN or Nebraska. Scotts Bluff or WØN/PH-005 is the closest and most accessible WØN summit for me and had not yet been activated. Weather forecast predicted mostly cloudy skies, high winds and a 40% chance of snow for the area. The summit lies within the Scotts Bluff National Monument and even has an established hiking trail from the visitor center to the top.
Oc course I did not seriously expect to avoid the high winds by traveling north through Wyoming to the plains of Nebraska, but it was as good as any excuse to make the long trip and activate a new summit in a new association. As far as I know, it was the first activation in WØN.
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Trailhead: 4118 ft / 1255 m
Summit: 4649 ft / 1417 m
Elev. gain: 531 ft / 162 m
Roundtrip: 3.2 mi / 5.2 km
How to get there:
From my QTH (Fort Collins) I took I25 north towards Cheyenne, WY. I took exit 17 onto US-85 N/Canam Hwy/Torrington Rd. Make sure you have enough fuel in your tank. It’s going to be lonely a lonely trip with only sparse signs of civilization.
After 46 miles, turn right onto WY-151 E which becomes NE-88 E after about 10 miles. After another 20 miles, turn left onto NE-71 N/State Hwy 88. After another 11 miles, follow the signs towards Scotts Bluff National Monument.
There is a visitor center with a parking lot on the north side of the road.
There is hardly any traffic on these roads. I passed the time by trying to avoid as many tumbleweeds as I could. With the high winds, it seemed that I was constantly under attack. Tumbleweeds of all sizes rolling over the hills in troves, jumping over fences and crossing the roads with no respect for oncoming traffic. I had to stop twice and pick the under-carriage clean from the remnants of all the collisions.
Red Tape:
There is a $ 5.00 entry fee/car which is valid for seven days. Bikers/Hikers get away with a$ 3.00 fee.
Make sure to check their opening hours, they change depending on the season.
The Ascent:
The trail to the summit starts right behind the visitor center (NE corner). I began my journey with cloudy skies, high winds and a temperature of 29 degrees Fahrenheit (~ -2C)
The trail to the summit – Overview
There are no challenges on this hike. Heck, it’s paved all the way to the top :) – you can’t go wrong. The path heads towards NE and hardly gains any elevation for the first 0.6 miles before it eventually heads up a ridge on the east side. With the cold and windy conditions it took me 35 minutes to cover the 1.6 miles to the top, but at least I stayed warm. You end up (almost) at the highest point of the plateau.
Elevation Profile
An interesting and rather unusual aspect of the hike is that you get a good view of more than 500 feet (> 150 m) of continuous geologic strata that spans about 11 Mio years into the past. Scotts Bluff is a remnant of an ancient high plain, several hundred feet above than the current plains. It was formed by erosion, well after the continent interior and after the uplifting of the Rocky Mountains.
The Summit:
Highest Point
The winds were howling – around 40 mph (~65 km/h). Sand was in the air due to the geological properties of the mountain (sandstone). It took me no time to find the highest point on the rather large plateau but I moved on quickly to find shelter and to erect my fishing pole holding a linked EFHW antenna. I tried a few different locations before I found a large rock to hunker down behind at the right distance to a tree for my antenna.
It was immediately clear that I would not last very long on this summit under these conditions. The windchill, hovering around 10 degrees F (~ -12C) made the activation unpleasant. The mini sand storm did not help either and I was seriously afraid that the fishing-pole would not survive the gusts (up to 69 mph [111 km/h]).
How do I know all these numbers, you might ask? I went to the visitor center to warm up and to learn about the history of the place before hitting the road again. The ranger on duty had access to two weather stations and since I was the only visitor, she had tons of time at her hands to go through the data with me. Highest gust was at 10:07 (local time), just when the first chasers got into my log.
Shack on a summit
The upper portion of the 20m band was packed but my QSOs with an ongoing NET attracted a few SOTA chasers. Moving away from the frequency in order not to hijack the NET left me high and dry… nobody followed me to the new frequency and no spot either. I left the summit shortly after my last QSO with icy fingers and sand everywhere… and I mean everywhere. Just seven QSOs in the log but happy that it worked out after all and happy that my pole and antenna survived the beating.
The Descent:
Just follow the paved path, all the way to the parking lot.
A few more photos:
View from the summit
Selfie on the summit
My car @ the visitor center
Eagle Rock in the background
Final Remarks: Don’t miss the exhibitions in the visitor center incl. the movie (on request). It gives you a nice overview of the significance of the place (Oregon Trail) and of course the fauna, flora and geology.
There is also a road to the top if you decide against hiking. During the high season, there is a bus service which allows you to hike up and take the bus down to visitor center.
Until next time….
73, Matt/KØMOS
Feel free to leave comments and/or questions below.
!! 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!
W0C/FR-165 (Signal Butte) 2877M /9459 FT
Feb 28, 2014
by KX0R
Signal Butte is a fine SOTA peak located in the southern part of the huge Hayman Burn area. I first saw it from the top of Thunder Butte, about 7 miles to the north. It looks like a little volcano. The 9459-foot summit is only about 570 feet above the saddle to the southeast – but the conical mountain is over 1000 feet above Trail Creek to the northwest. It stands high above endless tens of thousands of acres of burned forest, and it calls out to be climbed and activated!
Reaching the trailhead on February 28, 2014 was harder than climbing the mountain. I drove down from up north via Highway 285, Highway 126 to Deckers, and via a network of forest roads SW of Westcreek. I drove down past Sheep Nose and Thunder Butte on road 68 – no problem there. I took route 33 in, and soon I found myself on route 367 in the middle of the burned area. Road 367 has hump-bumps and gradually degenerates as it goes south to Trail Creek. Rutted snow-piles across the road suggest that maintenance is minimal in winter. Signal Butte is visible to the south – it looks really cool with snow on its north side – it beckons for you to come closer. A sign warns “no trespassing” – but driving the OHV road through the posted land is apparently OK. At Trail Creek there’s a huge wood fence and a 4-way intersection. If you have a 4WD vehicle this place is paradise! However, I was driving my 1970 VW bug – actually just fine until I got to Trail Creek.
My original plan was to take forest road 364 up the hill north of Signal Butte, then meet road 362, and take that south to the Butte. Road 362 accesses the trailhead east of the Butte and is suggested by others who have described this mountain online. When I saw the start of 364, it looked very jeep-trail, and knowing that it goes up 500 vertical feet in a gully on the northwest side of the hill, I decided to change my plan and take Road 3 that runs SW down Trail Creek. As soon as I started down Trail Creek, I encountered slimy, cheesy mud and huge puddles that looked to be a couple of feet deep. A sign proclaimed “End OHV Area” – that seemed like good news, except the road got worse than what I’d already driven! I was able to drive at least half a mile before I came into a very wet, soft, cheesy section that seemed to be getting wetter and softer the further I went. I could see deep ruts and puddles ahead, and I decided that I’d better turn around before I got stuck trying to turn around!
If I’d ever done these roads before, the story here might be different. On a cold morning, with everything frozen, there would be no problem with cheesy mud. On the other hand, when you don’t know what lies ahead, where few people go in a burned-out forest on a weekday in February, you better play it safe if you want to activate and get home OK. So I turned around and drove back to the 4-way intersection with a plan to park and walk up the roads to Signal Butte.
Just for kicks I tried driving road 364 up the gully – I cleared the hump-bumps OK – don’t try this road with an ordinary road car – but there was more of that cheesy mud from the melting snow all along the road. When I came to a particularly steep, slick spot, I decided to turn around and park. I looked at the map, got my pack and pole, and headed up the muddy road, wondering how long it would take to walk to Signal Butte.
Of course it turned out that the road got steeper but less muddy just past where I had parked. However, up on the ridge there were rutted snowdrifts with shiny ice, so walking was the right plan. Your results may vary – if you have a 4WD vehicle, this area of roads and trails may be a fun place to mess with, as long as the snow isn’t really deep.
I walked the 2-1/2 miles to the Signal Butte trailhead in one hour. I could see a trail leading around the snowy north side of the mountain, but the wind was blowing steadily from that direction; I realized that if I went directly up the cone from the trailhead, I could avoid most of the snow, and the peak would block the wind.
The direct route was easy at first, just a steep slope with rocks and downed burned trees. Most of the soil is gone, exposing more rocks, but visibility up the hill was great. In a short time I was up near the top, where snow drifts covered the rocks and logs, so I had to pick through that part carefully. I followed the snow tracks of a recent climber, likely a fellow activator.
The summit was sunny and spectacular, but the wind was the boss. I was a little late for my activation, so I chose a place to operate just off the top, on the east side, in a pleasant sunny spot among rocks – almost free of wind. I tied my pole to a dead tree and strung the 66 foot wire north along the windy summit ridge, climbing over rocks and in and out of the snowdrifts. In a few minutes I had the big end-fed wire up and ready to go. Even though the north end was only 6 feet up, the wire was well above the summit ridge, and I knew I was going to be OK. The temperature was well above freezing, I had sunshine, the weather was stable, and what had seemed like a dubious adventure was looking pretty good all of a sudden. It’s amazing how things change when the antenna is up!
I matched up the wire on 15M, and N4EX called me before I signed my call, as soon as I sent “QRL?” He spotted me, and then there was a pile. Propagation was great with the solar flux at 170. After about 10 minutes of Q’s, I heard DX, and EA2IF called and worked me. After I worked 21 stations, things came to a stop, so I tuned up on 20M, and there was an instant pile – signals were great – EA2IF worked me again – and then I heard Steve, WG0AT, not far away, out east across the Rampart Range. Near the end of the run EA2LU worked me. I finally went down to 40M but contacted only K5ACO in Arkansas – suggesting that band conditions and the antenna were OK – just no chasers. I was tempted to try other bands, but it was 2:30 and I had a long way to go home, and a cold front was expected to arrive before I would get there. I packed up, hiked down the cone, then back to the car – I enjoyed Road 367 knowing I was going home!
Although I haven’t driven it, I suspect that Road 362 from the south is the preferred access route. I don’t know if it’s OK for ordinary cars or not – it’s likely a high-clearance road, but since it’s on the south side of the ridge, it may be better than the northern route I used. The southern end of 362 is accessible from Divide. If you can drive 362 to the trailhead, the only thing you have to do is climb the 560 vertical feet up the cone, set up, and activate. Since there are some dead trees near the summit, activating without a pole is possible – but a pole makes it easier. In warm weather the trail on the north side may make the ascent easier.
The origin of this odd mountain is fascinating. It’s not a volcano – but it’s the remains of a Tertiary intrusion of light-colored igneous rocks that pushed up through the much older Precambrian rocks about 40 million years ago. I found a fine summary of the geology of Signal Butte.
The 360-degree view from the summit is worth the trip. Thunder Butte stands prominently about 7 miles to the north, and Pikes Peak dominates the picture, roughly 16 miles to the southeast. Some high peaks of the Sawatch are visible about 60-70 miles across South Park to the southwest. Burned-out forest fills the scene to the north and west, almost as far as you can see. The horror of the Hayman fire is beyond our ability to understand – it is what it is. Signs of recovery are everywhere, but I’m glad I never saw that area before it burned.
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
Signal Butte Summit
Signal Butte East Side
Signal Butte Climb
Signal Butte N Side
Signal Butte
Signal Antenna
Signal Summit and Pikes Peak
Signal Station Gear
Forest Road 364
!! 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!
W0C/SP-098 (10140) – 3085M / 10140 ft
Oct 24, 2013 First Activation
by KX0R
Summit 10140 is the little sister of W0C/SP-090 (Crooked Top Mountain) 3183 M / 10465 ft. 10140 is about 1 mile west of Crooked Top. Both mountains can be climbed using the same approach to the 9550 foot saddle (pass) between them. When climbed and activated along with Crooked Top, 10140 provides a rewarding dual SOTA outing.
The route to 10140 and Crooked Top begins with a drive west from Denver on Highway 285. 10140 is located about 4 miles NW of Bailey, but the best road approach is via Road 43, the Deer Creek Road. The marked turn to Road 43 is about one mile east of Crow Hill. From 285, turn right (north) on 43A, continue north about 0.4 mile to 43, and then drive northwest on 43 about 6 miles. Find Saddlestring Road, turn left, cross over Deer Creek, and follow Saddlestring past several other roads to a large parking area and a marked 4WD road (997/P-63) leading uphill – south – into the Pike National Forest. The entire route is shown accurately on Google Maps. Follow FSR 997/P-63 about two miles, first west and then south, to a marked junction with FSR 105, where it becomes FSR 101. Continue left, southeast, on 101, approximately along the 9400 foot contour line, for more than a mile.
Road 101 has two junctions with FSR-105, a 4WD loop road leading over the ridge to the SW. There is a large gate at the second (SE) junction. When I went up there in late October, that gate was closed across road 101. If the gate is open, you may be able to drive all the way to the Pass at about 9550 feet between Crooked Top and 10140; if the gate’s closed, just park there and walk up the gentle road to the Pass.
A couple of key points:
1. The route from Saddlestring Road to the Pass at 9550 is called a 4WD road on signs, but it’s not a true 4WD road – 2WD vehicles with medium to high clearance can handle this road, as long as conditions are OK and the driver is careful. There are plenty of rocks and other problems, and it’s over 4 miles of bumps, but there are no really steep spots, big humps, mud-holes, or large rocks. It appears that dispersed camping and fires are permitted along the road.
2. There is no open road from the 9550 Pass to the southeast. You cannot drive NW from Crow Hill (285) and reach the 9550 Pass from the south. There may have been such a road (101) through Crow Gulch – as shown on some maps – but it’s no longer an option. Google Maps is correct – FSR 101 continues SE down from the Pass for about 1.5 miles, but it’s closed. There also was a locked gate at the Pass the day I was there, and there’s a fence across the Pass. Despite the barriers, much of the land immediately south of the Pass, including 10140 and Crooked Top Mountain, is in Pike National Forest.
From the Pass, head west up the moderate east ridge of 10140. This forested slope is easy to climb, and it’s less than 600 vertical feet and about ½ mile to the top. The route is more open just south of the ridge, and there are game trails near the summit. Note that there is another summit about 2000 feet south of 10140 that is almost as high – but the SOTA summit is the northern one, as shown on USGS maps. 10140 is a local maximum on a long, high ridge that runs for miles, from Mount Logan to Crow Hill.
The 10140 summit has convenient spots to set up a rig, with good trees and some shelter from wind. The view is nice, but the view from higher Crooked Top is more impressive. It looks like there’s another hiking route up 10140 via the NW ridge, from either FSR 101 or jeep trail FSR-105.
10140 and Crooked Top offer a classic dual SOTA activation – weather and time permitting. These two peaks are very convenient to each other. Start early and do them both!
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
View of 10140 from Crooked Top
10140 Summit
Area NW of 10140 Summit
View South Down Crow Gulch from 10140
KX0R First Activation Site on 10140
Crooked Top Mountain from 10140
Sign at Junction of FSR 101 and FSR 105
!! 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!
!! 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!
