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!
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!
Black Mountain is a very prominent summit located adjacent to Staunton State Park, several miles west of Connifer, CO. Because of its proximity to the Denver metro area, it could become more popular as a SOTA site. This mountain presents significant physical and navigational challenges; the ascent is about 5 miles and 2500 vertical feet from the parking lot; and more than half of that climb is up through rocky, heavily forested slopes with limited visibility. You’ll be lucky if you see the top part of the mountain before you’re on top. Your success depends on your physical conditioning and how well you’ve studied the topo map before you try the climb.
As far as I know, there are no trails up the peak; nevertheless, a few people occasionally get up there. On the SW summit at point 10756, marked with an X on the USGS 7-1/2 minute quad, there’s a summit register consisting of a jar with a small notebook inside, and some people have signed their names! A cairn marks the top of the highest rock.
Here’s what you need to know to get up there. To get to Staunton State Park, drive 6 miles SW of Conifer on Route 285 and turn right at Shaffers Crossing – a sign to the Park marks the exit. Drive 1-1/2 miles north and enter the Park. Show your pass or buy a day pass for $7. You’ll get you money’s worth. Be sure to get a visitor map showing the trails and topography. Park at the upper group picnic area if possible – otherwise park in the main lot. There are several possible routes up to the top – I chose to climb via the major ridge SW of the peak. Find the Staunton Ranch (SR) trail at the parking lot and follow it north and then northwest, for about 3 miles, enjoying the fine Western scenery, until you come to the intersection with the Border Line (BL) trail. This spot is in a large clearing, with thick forest and higher terrain just to the north. Don’t follow the BL trail, or the nearby Marmot Passage (MP) trails. Look north to the forest, spot the USFS boundary markers and signs, and head directly north into the woods. Although off-trail hiking is not allowed in the State Park, it’s a very short distance from the SR and BL trails to the federal land, where hiking off-trail is OK. The map in the Park brochure shows this boundary clearly. To be perfectly legal, proceed a short distance NW up the Bugling Elk (BE) trail, cross into the USFS land, and then head NE up into the woods. Once on federal land, proceed north uphill into the obvious gulch leading up to the saddle just east of point 9715. There is a good game trail about 50 to 100 feet east of the creek gully – the route to the saddle is easier if you find this game trail. It looks like there are plenty of deer and elk up there. From the saddle turn right, hike NE up the ridge, and reach another saddle at 9800 feet. I found bear poop there. Pick a route NE and climb up a steeper section to about 10200 feet, and then hike more gently toward the next saddle near 10400. Stay left (west) of cliffs located to the east. As you approach the saddle at 10400, stay about 50 to 100 yards west of the actual saddle and climb up the SW slopes of Black Mountain. Stay left, north of talus and cliffs south of the summit. Although there is no trail, you can find a natural steep route all the way up, through a mix of boulders, trees, logs, and pine needles. You want to end up just south of summit 10756. The actual summit is marked by a cairn on top of some large boulders. Most of the top of Black Mountain is a long, rocky, heavily forested ridge curving around north and then east. If you climb the east side of the mountain, you’ll have to traverse this entire ridge to get to the actual summit near the SW end. There is a nice little flat clearing, with convenient tall trees and rocks, about 50 to 100 feet north of the summit rocks. The view is limited but stunning. This is a great place to do SOTA – you don’t need a pole if you have a way to get a rope up in a tree. I put up a 66-foot inverted L at 25 feet with no problem. It would be possible to erect a 40 meter dipole up there. This looks like a good VHF/UHF site, with excellent coverage of local mountains, and fair coverage of the eastern plains. I suggest you descend the same way you came up. A GPS device makes it easy to backtrack. The key point is to avoid going down the south side of Black Mountain, which is mostly steep slopes and cliffs. If you find another good route up, please write it up and post it here.
Please don’t try this climb unless you have a topo map, good map-and-compass skills, and plenty of off-trail hiking experience; a GPS device may save you time by preventing mistakes, provided you know what you’re doing without it. This trip is best done in spring or fall, and in good weather. Take plenty of water, start early, and allow enough time. Tell someone where you’re going. Please read and respect Park rules, and remember that the hours are 8 AM to 8PM.
Some pictures (click on the picture for a larger version):
Staunton State Park Trail below Black Mountain
View SW from South Side
Rosalie and Evans
Black Mountain Summit
South Side Cliffs – Black Mountain
KX0R Activation Rig
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!
I just wrapped up a trip in Europe and I could not resist to activate a few summits while I had the chance. Staying in Austria (OE), I was able to activate two nearby and new (for me) associations (HBØ and HB). I also took the opportunity to make a second attempt on HBØ/LI-ØØ4 – Augstenberg. This summit eluded me last year due to extreme winds in excess of 100 km/h (60 mph). We had to turn around shortly before reaching the summit. This time the WX forecast looked more promising.
As usual, Herbert/OE9HRV organized the activations when I visit his neck of the woods. Arno/OE9AMJ and Ramon/OE9CSH joined the activation and what these guys had in store for me was quite a trip. Weather and time permitting they were planning to continue on a loop with the possibility to activate three more summits for a total of four. The best part… HBØ/LI-ØØ2 or Naafkopf was one of them. This unique SOTA summit is a rare gem. The border of three countries, Lichtenstein (HBØ), Switzerland (HB) and Austria (OE) meet exactly at the summit and it is therefore worth 30 SOTA points in total. I am not aware of any other SOTA summit which has a similar setting.
Panorama from the summit station
The complete trip could potentially rake in a total of 58 points on a ~20 km (12.5 mi) loop with 1700+ m (~5600 ft) elevation gain including two new associations for my log. Needless to say that I was motivated :)
This trip report is focused on the Naafkopf only.
The route we took in red
Trailhead: 5243 ft / 1598 m
Summit: 7740 ft / 2359 m (Augstenberg)
8432 ft / 2570 m (Naafkopf)
6860 ft / 2091 m (Nospitz)
Elev. gain: 4832 ft / 1473 m (exludes gondola - hiking only)
Roundtrip: 10.2 mi / 16.4 km(exludes gondola - hiking only)
We headed south from OE towards the Principality of Liechtenstein (or Liechtenstein for short.) Liechtenstein is a rather small independent country near the Lake of Constance and shares the border with Switzerland and Austria. With an area of just over 160 square kilometers (62 sq mi), it has a population of ~35’000 and a total of eleven SOTA summits – all of them already activated. We started our hike in Malbun, the only ski resort in Lichtenstein.
From Malbun we took the gondola from 5274 ft (1608 m) to the Sareiserjoch at 6526 ft (1990 m). At the top we were greeted by an Alphorn player – a nice touch to start our day – and we could hear her tunes for quite a while across the valley. The first ~2.5 mi (4 km) follows a trail to the Chalbergrad and continues along a very pronounced ridge towards our first summit. Great views in both directions of the ridge. The last 0.4 mile (0.6 km) before HBØ/LI-ØØ4 – Augstenberg, are kind of steep. The summit is a rocky outcropping on a rather large, sloped and green summit. The obligatory cross at the summit served as a backdrop for our first SOTA summit photo of the day.
OE9CSH, OE9AMJ, KØMOS, OE9HRV (l to r)
On the summit we setup two stations, a CW station for Arno/OE9AMJ and an SSB station for the rest of us. No problem to activate a summit on 40m in Europe :)
Within 40 minutes we all had our contacts logged and were on our way to the grand prize of the day. Reluctantly we decided to skip Gorfion (OE/VB-241) to allow plenty of operation time on the Naafkopf. In retrospect a wise decision, considering that we reached the car just as the sun went down.
Haeding towards Pfälzerhütte
From the summit of Augstenberg (2359 m/7740 ft) we had to descend to the saddle, where the Pfälzerhütte is located at 2108 m/6916ft. A great location for having a beer, assuming you have the time… we decided to continue on to the next summit – a 462 m/1516 ft ascent over 1.8 km/1.1 mi. There is still a well defined trail up the steep slope and only one ‘critical’ spot we had to navigate. Some lingering snow from last weeks nasty weather in combination with the steep terrain slowed us down just a bit about halfway up to the summit. After that it was smooth sailing.
The Summit:
Setup on the summit:
We reached the small summit around 14:00 local time under blue skies and with very comfortable temperatures. An artificial wall built from rocks, ~40 cm/16 in. in height, is dividing the summit along the border lines and building the base for the dominating summit cross. To make it really easy for us, each section of the wall was clearly marked with the name of the country so we would always know where we are :)
We followed the same procedure as before; Arno setting up a CW station with his FT-817 and an Alex loop, and Hebert setting up the KX-3 with a 20m J-Pole for the SSB crowd. I got the honor to go first and I chose to start on the Swiss (HB) side of the summit – hoping to activate my 10th SOTA association.
Arno/OE9AMJ on the summit
We took turns on the radio. Every 15-20 minutes we announced an operator change so we all had the chance to activate every section (association) of the summit. But announcing a summit change after the first hour stirred up some confusion in the chaser community. Changing the operator and the summit within 30 sec. on the same frequency is not very common. A short explanation of the situation kept everybody’s log in sync.
Taking turns on the summit worked out great, giving me enough time to talk and share stories with other SOTA operators and to take plenty of pictures and video footage of a perfect day.
The view towards the east with Arno’s Alex loop
We saved the best for last. With just 11 SOTA summits, Lichtenstein (HBØ) is a rare opportunity for chasers. We changed our antenna for the 15m band, hoping to get across the Atlantic and catch some stations in the US. The plan worked, NA1RL/Richard in Connecticut copied my signal and so did K2JB/Jimmy and AE4FZ/Chuck both in NC. The highlight for me however was the contact with YC5YZ on Sumatra Island – my first contact with Indonesia :)
Following my motto ‘always stop when things are at the top‘I announced another operator change and handed over the mic to Ramon.
Ramon/OE9CSH on 20m
The Descent:
Alpine ibex
We almost had to detach Herbert from the radio by force… as longs as he has some space left in his logbook, he will not quit. But there was another summit beckoning from the distance. It was already late in the afternoon and a cool breeze forced us to put on another layer for the descent. Arno led the way down. A herd of Alpine ibexretreated from us and gave us little chance for a decent photo. At the Pfälzerhütte we turned west towards Alp Gritsch. Arno could not believe that we passed up the chance to have a beer, but chose to press on to activate another summit. Luckily he is a great guy and readily admitted that the chance to activate another HBØ summit does not come along everyday for me. I guess I owe him a beer.
Tälihöhi with Nospitz in the distance
We passed by the Alp towards Tälihöhi, the last ridge we had to get over before heading down to Malbun. The Nospitz can be easily reached by a short ascent from the Tälihöhi. From this ridge it was another 45-50 minutes back to town and to the car. We all started to feel some wear and tear in our bones and joints and reached the car just when the sun went down – perfect timing.
Needless to say that it was an incredible day. The weather cooperated, amazing views, a great hike, special camaraderie and overall perfectly organized by Herbert – a trip I will always remember.
Here some additional pictures:
Alphorn player at the summit station
Ramon & Matt on the ridge
Herbert & Matt on the ridge
Heading up Augstenberg
The summit of Augstenberg
Setting up on Augstenberg
Setting up on Augstenberg
The view from Augstenberg with the Naafkopf
40m Bazooka
KX3 ready for action
Herbert
Matt
Herbert & Arno
Short break: Ramon,Arno and Hebert
Ramon heading up Naafkopf
Arno, Ramon, Matt
Arno, Ramon
Arno investigating a boundary stone
Slippery when wet
Waiting for Herbert
Operating on the HBØ side
Arno is setting up his station
Arno is setting up his station
Arno is setting up his station
Arno is setting up his station
Arno is setting up his station
Please don’t trip
Ready to go
CQ CQ
Arno celebrating
Arno celebrating
re-tuning the Alex loop
The view towards the east with Arno’s Alex loop
The view towards NE
Labels on the summit (FL-Fürstentum Lichtenstein)
Labels on the summit (S-Schweiz)
Labels on the summit (Ö=Österreich)
Hebert in his element
Matt on the OE side
Ramon on HB side
Ramon a little closer
I am in HBØ
Heading down
Arno with Pfälzerhütte in the background
The last summit of the day: Nospitz
Some video impressions:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA8NaYhz1fQ
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-021 (Mt. Parnassus) 4129 M / 13574 ft
W0C/FR-006 (Bard Peak) 4150 M / 13641 ft
August 21, 2013
by KØMOS
Mount Parnassus (no, not the famous Mountain from the Greek mythology) and Bard Peak are two summits in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. They are just along I-70, shortly before entering the Eisenhower tunnel (coming from the east). I have driven by these unspectacular mountains numerous times without even noticing them. They are rather easy to access via Herman Lake TH which is right at the exit 218 of I-70. Looking at the SOTA map for WØC, I decided to pay them a visit.
Mt. Parnassus as seen from the TH (almost)
Trailhead: 10313 ft / 2526 m
Summit: 13574 ft / 4137 m (Parnassus)
13641 ft / 4150 m (Bard Peak)
Elev. gain: 4574 ft / 1394 m
Roundtrip: 9.0 mi / 14.5 km
From Denver, take I-70 West and take exit 218. If you go through the Eisenhower tunnel, you went too far. Take a right at the end of the ramp and drive back, parallel to I-70, for 0.15 mi (0.25 km). Information kiosk and outhouse are right there.
Red Tape:
Both summits are part of Arapaho National Forest and their rules and regulations apply.
The Ascent:
The elevation profileTrail splits after 300 yds
The first part of the trip follows the Watrous Trail. From the info kiosk I headed out east. After a few hundred yards the trail splits… I continued east on the trail through dead and downed trees and lots of noise coming from the highway :(
When I tried to take a few snapshots with my trusted Canon G9 I only got a ‘Lens error, restart camera’ error message combined with an ear piercing whining noise in return. A couple of restarts gave me the same result – the lens was stuck in the open position – therefore all photos were made with my video cam. My excuse for the ‘great’ quality of all the pictures. What I did not know at this point, more camera problems were to come.
Down and dead trees
After about a mile into the hike the trail starts to head towards the north, along what I can only assume is Watrous Creek. Even though the creek was still carrying water, the noise coming from I-70 was still prominent. Eventually the forest/dead-tree environment makes room for alpine tundra with quite nice scenery and views of Woods Mtn. and Mt. Parnassus. The trail follows along the west side of the creek and disappears soon after it crosses over to the other side towards the saddle between Woods Mtn. and Mt. Parnassus.
View of Mt. Sniktau
From here it is a straight shot to the saddle after passing through a few remaining trees. Conveniently, somebody erected a stone cairn near the top of the saddle. You can barely see it from here but aiming for the cairn brings you into perfect position for the last 3/4 miles or so up a rocky/grassy slope to the top of Mt. Parnassus. The views are rather nice, nearby Mt. Sniktau (WØC/PR-Ø31) clearly visible with Quandary Peak (WØC/PR-Ø14) in the background under mostly blue skies with only a few white clouds.
Aim for the stone cairn
View of Mt. Parnassus from the saddle
The Summit:
The rather steep west slope flattens towards the summit. The stone shelter can be reached without any obstacles. The large summit could host quite a few activators with their gear and antennas without getting too crowded. The views are stunning in all directions. Lot’s of high altitude SOTA peaks are in clear view.
Just after I finished shooting a 360 degree video, the battery of my remaining camera quit on me. Now I was sitting at 13574 ft / 4137 m with beautiful weather and a second summit to activate, and no camera – very disappointing.
Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt with the saw-tooth route in the distance
With hardly any wind and with very comfortable temperatures I started to setup my antenna and gear. I logged my first QSO at 16:00 UTC, exactly as planned. I handed out the wrong SOTA reference number at first. Realizing that something was fishy, I asked Glenn/N4MJ to verify it for me. I only logged four QSO’s in 25 minutes. Since I had still a lot of ground to cover and because there were no more takers, I started to pack-up and move towards Bard Mountain.
Bard Peak as seen from Mt. Parnassus
Mt. Parnassus to Bard Pk.: The decent from Parnassus down to the saddle is similar to the west flank, a steep grassy slope with some rocks. Larger outcroppings can be circumnavigated without any problems . From the bottom of the saddle it is another ~600 ft (183 m) of elevation gain to the summit. I started to feel my knees and other body parts but having another 10 pointer so close by released some new energy.
It took me more than an hour to get to the top, slightly longer than planed. Setting up my shack went without hick-up under still amazing weather conditions. Logged 12 QSQ’s in 15 minutes on 20m SSB. Looked like all the chasers were finally awake ;)
After a few more but unanswered CQ’s I started my long hike back to the car.
The Descent:
Nothing noteworthy on the descent… took the same route via Parnassus. It felt like it took forever going down to the saddle and up again before heading down to the saddle of Parnassus and Woods Mountain. I reached the car, conked out after 9 miles and 4574 ft ASL (14.5 km / 1394 m). A snack and fresh water supply in the car gave me back the necessary energy for the drive home.
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!
I had been planning all along to participate in the CO-14er Event this year. This event is organized by Bob/KØNR, for Portable Mountaintop Operation on the 54 official 14er summits (Summits higher than 4267m) in Colorado. It was however uncertain until late Friday whether I would actually be able to do so. Since it is mainly a VHF/UHF event, I home-brewed a lightweight 4-element Yagi-Uda for 2m – you can read more about it in a separate blog entry.
I selected Mount Evans as a target since it is ‘only’ a 2.5h drive from my home QTH and it has several other SOTA peaks nearby… a good chance to bag more than one summit.
The Plan:
I planned an early morning (8:30 MST) SOTA activation of nearby Gray Wolf Mtn. (4138 m/13602 ft), hoping to be on the air by 11:00 MST on Mt Evans (4339 M / 14264 ft) via Mt. Spalding (13842 ft / 4219 m). A total of 5 miles (8 km) and 3100 ft (945 m) ASL.
The route I took
I drove up to Summit Lake in the Mt. Evans Wilderness to start my hike. I left my car at 6:30 MST under blue skies but with a fierce and chilly wind. Wool hat and gloves felt nice.
Summit Lake AreaBighorns at the lake
There were only a few cars at the parking lot and a small herd of Bighorns observed my last preparations. I set my HT to 146.52 and 147.42 (Co-14er event primary frequency) hoping to catch any early 14er activators on my hike up. I moved quickly to warm up and passed only one group of hikers in front of me. The initial steep ascent towards Mt. Spalding had the desired effect and I could remove one layer of clothing under heavy breathing. I talked to two stations near Denver on 146.52 who were already aware of the event going on before I moved on.
Elevation Profile
I joined another hiker from Boulder who was also heading towards Gray Wolf Mountain. We continued our hike through the ‘wetlands‘ between Spalding and Gray Wolf. It’s a delicate endeavor to cross the fragile alpine tundra under any circumstances but with the wet area in front of us we had to pick our route carefully to keep our feet dry and our impact to a minimum. The remaining route is pretty straight forward, a steep and rocky final ascent and and we reached the summit at 8:30 MST as planned.
My shack on Gray Wolf – Mt. Spalding (center) / Mt. Evans (left) and Mt. Bierstadt (right) in the background
Just as I was setting up my HF antenna I heard W1DMH/Doug (a SOTA Mountain goat) calling CQ on 2m from Mt. Bierstadt – just ~2.5 miles S of me. My first S2S contact in the log :)
Thanks to decent propagation conditions, 20m contacts were easy to make and my log filled-up fast. I was just done with packing up my gear to continue towards Mt. Spalding, when I heard NM5S/Alan and WSØTA/Fred on 2m. These accomplished SOTA Mountain goats are normally not heard on voice frequencies – two more S2S contacts in the log and my first on the air contacts with Alan and Fred.
Mt Evans as seen from Mt. Spalding
I was now 30 minutes behind my schedule and started to head down the mountain towards the ‘wet lands‘ again. For quite a while now, I had been hearing a dog barking towards the east of me. That’s well off the beaten path of Mt. Evans and I was wondering what was going on. The continuous barking was frantic at times so I finally decided to investigate and check what was going on… perhaps a runaway dog ? Hiker with dog in distress? It turned out to be nothing like that at all, just some morons climbers who decided to tie their dogs to a rock and go rock-climbing – it was not appreciated by the dogs at all.
Now I was really behind schedule and I rushed up Mt. Spalding, hoping to make good on some of the lost time. From Mt. Spalding I talked to KCØRPS on Quandray Peak and WE7C on Mt. Bierstadt. Coming up to the ridge-line to Mt. Evans, I could copy NØBCB/Bryan on Castle Peak (another 14er). Since I wanted a S2S contact I pressed on to the summit, not realizing that Bryan was already in process of packing up for the day.
I reached the summit of Mt. Evans at 11:35 MST and had my first contact at 11:37 MST with KDØWBB/Scott, a young ham in Loveland on 2m, using my new homebrew Yagi-Uda antenna.
On Mount Evans 4339 m/14264 ft – WØC/FR-ØØ3
My log from Mt. Evans:
[table id=2 /]
At this time, most of the other 14er activators had already left the summit or they were packing up their gear. It was now past noon and rain clouds were moving in. With the strong monsoon season this year we are currently blessed with daily rain showers and thunderstorms (at least in northern Colorado).
I was in a comfortable position… with a road going all the way to the summit I was planning to hitch a ride back to Summit Lake where my car was parked in case of rain/thunderstorm. A friendly couple from Cincinnati gave me a ride. Shortly after reaching the car… the rain started :)
My final word: Mt. Evans is very crowded thanks to the road going all the way to the top. Barking dogs, crying babies and screaming people (out of excitement) made it sometimes hard to copy the signals. Even though I was sitting at the very edge of the summit, I constantly had to be careful not to poke somebody in the eye with my antenna. Putting down the Yagi is also a bad idea… it might get crushed. That’s why I opted not to setup my HF antenna. If you decide to activate Mt. Evans, go early in the morning and if you are lucky, you might have the summit all to your self.
Feel free to leave questions and/or comments below.
73, Matt/KØMOS
!! 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!
Ring Mountain (W7Y/EW-020), the second activation of the day, presented some obstacles… my planned route coming from Jelm Mountain (see picture below) was blocked by a closed gate with a NO TRESPASSING sign. There is a separate trip report for Jelm Mtn. if you are interested.
Green = route to Jelm Mtn. Blue = planned route to Ring Mtn. Red = actual route to Ring Mtn.
To find public access, I continued to drive south on Wy10. The only possible access I could find was a small two-track, not even a dirt road… I almost missed it and had to back up to turn east.
Access to Ring Mtn.
Being hot, tired and thirsty from my prior 10+ mile hike up Jelm Mopuntain, I decided to drive my old Subaru as far up the hill as I could. It was an adventure for the old Subi, some of the ruts were deeper than the ground clearance of my Subi and I had to make sure not to get stuck up here… who knows when the next car would come by… towing would become expensive.
US Forest Service Gate
I managed to reach a gate with the car hitting the ground only once. I was sure hoping not to encounter another NO TRESPASSING sign. Luckily it was a US Forest Service gate, just 0.5 miles from WY10. I passed the barbed wire fence/gate in no time and continued to follow the two-track up the hill.
Finally the track disappeared completely and it became too steep to continue by car. I left the vehicle, declared this point as the trail-head and continued my climb by foot.
Trailhead: 8288 ft / 2526 m
Summit: 8818 ft / 2688 m
Elev. gain: 519 ft / 158 m
Roundtrip: 0.8 mi / 1.2 km
Red Tape:
There is private land everywhere and the two-track seems to be the only public access to the summit.
The Ascent:
The elevation profile
The summit is close and clearly visible. Taking the route of least resistance, I crawled up the mountain in scorching temperature. The ground beneath me radiated the heat to uncomfortable levels and no shade was in sight.
View back towards the TH (you can see the car if you look closely)
The Summit:
My shack with Jelm Mtn. in the background
The summit offers a nice 360 degree view, Jelm Mountain with the WIRO dome clearly visible just a few files to the north. The sun was already high in the sky and the scarce vegetation provided no shade what so ever. I used a dead tree to tie my mast to and tuned the antenna for 20m, only to encounter the same kind of QRM I ‘enjoyed’ on Jelm Mtn. This time I did not try other bands but moved my shack immediately a little further down the mountain to have the summit between my antenna and Jelm Mtn, still blaming some of the radio installations up there for the noise – BINGO, the noise was gone and Phil/NS7P answered my call, spotted me and I logged ten contacts in no time – thanks Phil.
Panorama view towards north-west
The Descent:
Nothing noteworthy on the descent… did I mention that it was HOT? I reached the car, turned on the air-condition to max and carefully navigated my way back to the road while nibbling on my sandwich – thanks to the heat with a layer of melted cheese – yummy.
Some video impressions:
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!
I felt like it was time to explore the association just north of me, W7Y or Wyoming. The closest mountains are just ~60 mi / 100 km from my home QTH (as the crow flies) and are in the SE region of the association. To ‘justify’ the ~300 mi / 480 km drive I was planning to activate at least two summits. Jelm Mountain (W7Y/EW-006) and Ring Mountain (W7Y/EW-020) seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The two summits are just three miles apart and reaching Ring Mountain is about a two mile extension coming back down from Jelm Mtn. (see picture below) – so much for the plan.
Green = route to Jelm Mtn. Blue = planned route to Ring Mtn. Red = actual route to Ring Mtn.
During my research for the hike to Jelm Mtn. I discovered two notable facts:
1) The summits hosts the WIRO, the Wyoming Infrared Observatory and therefore a dirt road connects WY10 with the summit.
2) The yearly organized Jelm Mountain Run is following the same road. The course record is held by Nik Deininger who finished the 10+ mile course in 1:10:30 in 2012. The challenge was on… could I beat his record? ;)
I was not seriously planning to break Nik’s record but I was hoping to get a tour of the observatory.
Trailhead: 7622 ft/ 2323 m
Summit: 9656 ft / 2943 m
Elev. gain: 2627 ft / 801 m
Roundtrip: 10.5 mi / 16.9 km
Jelm Mountain (incl. the dome of the observatory) is visible for miles and miles (even before reaching Laramie) and it is straight forward to get to. From Laramie WY, take WY-230 W for about 26 miles.
Take a left onto WY-10 S for another three miles.
You will see the sign for the WIRO on your left (see picture on the right) with a maintenance building from the county with ample space to park your car… You can’t miss it.
Red Tape:
This is private land and the dirt road seems to be the only public access to the summit.
The Ascent:
Jelm Mtn – Elevation Profile
It does not get any easier than this. Just follow the dirt road all the way to the top. It was a very hot day (upper 90° F / 35°+ C) and the route does not provide any shade. It’s just you, the heat, tons of mosquitoes and a long long dusty road to the top. The views are completely different to what I am used to from the Front Range. Less dramatic but appealing and captivating nevertheless.
Snowy Range in the distance
The Summit:
A few antennas on the summit
The summit is occupied by the dome (observatory), attached living facilities, and a few antennas with a container for equipment which seem not to be related to the WIRO. Even though there was a car parked in front of the observatory, I did not meet anybody… so much for the tour I had been hoping for.
I setup the Buddipole behind the dome, attaching the mast to a dead tree. Turning on the radio presented me with S8 noise on 15, 17 and 20m… I could not hear a thing. I blamed it on the observatory and switched to 2m and my tape-measure Yagi antenna, hoping to get the necessary four contacts. The only contact was with K7HRO/Tom in Cheyenne (~60 mi with a few mountains in between). Signals were barely above the noise but we finally had a valid QSO.
Trying to get below any potential radiation patterns coming from the antenna on the summit, I moved my stuff further down the mountain, careful not to leave the activation zone. Setting up the antenna on the west side – with the antenna well below the summit – achieved the goal… noise on 20m was down to a ‘normal’ levels. I was now more than two hours beyond my posted SOTA alert but WØMNA/Gary and WØERI/Martha returned my call immediately and spotted me on SOTAwatch, rescuing this activation – thanks guys.
The Descent: I picked up the pace on my way down to make good on my time, not easy with these temperatures. I felt like a turkey on Thanksgiving… HOT.
Closed gate / No Trespassing
According to my plan I was supposed to ‘swing over’ to Ring Mtn., the blue route on my map (see picture above). Unfortunately it was impossible… a closed gate with a NO TRESPASSING sign blocked my way to the second summit of the day. Disappointed I moved on to the car, hoping to find public access further down the road. I found the car where I left it, jumped in, started the engine to get the air-condition going and made a serious dent into my water supply stored in the car.
I continued driving south on Wy10 in order to find access to Ring Mountain. Feel free to add your questions/comments below and/or Read on…
More photos:
Snowy Range in the distance
The Observatory at the top
A little closer to the summit
A few antennas on the summit
Dome occupies most of the summit
Behind the Dome
!! 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!
