SOTA Summits 02-06-15

Today we (Tahyo & I) set out to hit a couple nearby summits that had not been activated near Lake Perris, CA. Lake Perris is about a 30 minute drive from my house and the weather for the day was clear and about 80 degrees. Not bad for winter!

Anyway, I took Ramona Expressway past the Lake Perris Dam and turned onto a small road that ends at the base of the first summit, Bernasconi Hills South W6/CT-197. Parked the truck here and started loading up my pack. This was Tahyo's first SOTA activation so I was wondering how she would do. As I loaded my pack she cruised around the truck area sniffing things. Unfortunately, people have dumped some items here so watch for nails and other hazards.

The below picture does not do this summit justice. This summit has it's challenges since there is no established trail necessitating the need to find your own way up the hill. Tahyo and I looked for the path of least resistance but I will say the ground is soft and rocky. There are several places for snakes and while I didn't see any on this trip, I would not do this trip in the summer when they are known to be out.

Here is the general route I took to climb and descend the peak.

From the summit you can see all the major surround prominent peaks. If you walk south to a rock outcropping you would be able to check on your vehicle. The bench mark is placed near a piece of pipe that is mounted into a large rock.

You can see Tahyo like to play king of the mountain. As soon as I started placing my gear along the rock, she wanted to be in the mix. This is a view pointing NW as you can see Mt. Baldy behind Tahyo in the distance. In the immediate foreground you can see a portion of Lake Perris and March AFB.

Lake Perris

The below picture is looking west at Bernasconni Hills North (W6/CT-189). Beyond this hill is a small ridgeline on the right. That is the southern tip of the ridge that leads to Pt. 1981 (W6/CT-222) which was my 2nd activation of the day.

Tahyo hanging out on the summit marker under all my gear.

Worked the FT-817ND on VHF FM & SSB for my contacts.

Tahyo's ears match the direction of the antenna. She was keeping a watchful eye for me while I had earphones on playing radio.

While we waited for Scott WA9STI to get home from his bicycle mobile and make the QSO on 144.200 USB, Tahyo and I hung out in the only shade available. Keep that in mind if you decide to go; there is little to no shade. Bring plenty of water, sunblock, and a good hat.

After we made the QSO with Scott I wanted to close up the station and get off the hill. Tahyo seemed excited and reenergized to head down as I had to reminder her to stay fairly close. She was fun to watch and very responsive to all my callings. Not bad for her first trip out! It's clear that the simple walks with some light obedience over the last couple of weeks has prepared her for this trip. She was great and once we both got close to the truck, she made took it upon herself to beat me to the truck. She then laid under the shade of the truck and watched me come down the last 100 yards. At first I was a little apprehensive of her going that part alone, but I felt comforted in knowing she knew that my truck was the final destination.

Tahyo and I rehydrated before heading to the next spot. The idea of climbing Bernasconni Hills North summit was fading away. I was just recovering from a pretty bad cold and felt I wasn't at 100%. Even though these are only 1 & 2 point peaks, bushwhacking up steep hills still presents challenges and I wanted a break for the second summit of the day.

The entry point for my next summit was within the San Jacinto Wildlife Area. In order to recreate in this area you either pay a small day use fee of about $2.50 or possess a valid hunting license. To access the SJWA you continue east along Ramona Expressway to Davis Rd. Go north on Davis Rd which turns to dirt shortly. The dirt road is extremely easy and frequently traveled. Any car can drive on this road, but if it's wet from rain could get slick.

A couple miles north on Davis Rd and you will see the game check station. There is a covered picnic table area and clean restrooms to use. Tahyo and I ate lunch here while I pondered doing a second summit at all. The below picture is from the parking area spot of the game check station looking south.

The peak to the left is the summit of Pt. 1982 (W6/CT-222). The wetland beyond the signage has ducks piddling around as do the other fields with water. To access the summit I first filled out a visitor pass at the location along Davis Rd just outside the parking area of the game check station. I then drove back south along Davis Rd and parked along Davis Rd by the field to the west of the summit about where the saddle is between the two above peaks.

This view is from the summit looking down to my truck along Davis Rd. I chose to follow the grassy sidehill on the southern part of the ridge and then up the saddle north to the summit.

Here is a map of the parking spot and the route I took to the summit:

Once at the summit I really had to work for the contacts. It was the day before the SOTA weekend so it was pretty quiet. For those I was working earlier on the previous summit I had other challenges. First was the mountain in my way the second was the QRM from some idiot. I did a spot on the SOTA Goat application and bounced around from FM to SSB VHF until I made the contacts necessary and then a few extra ones. The location is great, cell reception from the summit is fine but it was just a pretty quiet day on the radio.

A couple views from Pt. 1981 (W6/CT-222).

Tahyo really likes to be right on top of the summit marker; I knew I picked the right dog!

You can see the Bernasconni Hills summits in this picture below:

Overall it was a great day out playing radio. It was Tahyo's first hike with me and she exceeded my expectations. She is a fast learner and great companion on the trail. The weather was excellent for our CA winters and I managed to catch some rays. I made all my contacts and had some great QSO's with the chasers. Special thanks to those who made these hikes come full circle:

KI6IUJ

NA6MG

N6DXN

K6BRY

KK6EHQ

WA9STI

WB6POJ

AG6KM

KM6CEM

W6MOI

K6QCB

I appreciaate you guys being there and the QSL card will be in your mailbox shortly.

73 de KG6HQD