2. Ham Radio

Bowman Mtn (W6/NS-218) SOTA Activation 6/30/2014

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The SOTA Northern Sierra region logo. This logo is available on Northern Sierra T-shirts, sweatshirts, beer steins, mouse pads, etc. for SOTA participants who qualify for the Northern Sierra Award (offered by yours truly KU6J). The award rules are linked to from my page on QRZ.com.
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The SOTA Northern Sierra region logo. This logo is available on Northern Sierra T-shirts, sweatshirts, beer steins, mouse pads, etc. for SOTA participants who qualify for the Northern Sierra Award (offered by yours truly KU6J). The award rules are linked to from my page on QRZ.com.

SOTANorthernSierra

  • The SOTA Northern Sierra region logo. This logo is available on Northern Sierra T-shirts, sweatshirts, beer steins, mouse pads, etc. for SOTA participants who qualify for the Northern Sierra Award (offered by yours truly KU6J). The award rules are linked to from my page on QRZ.com.
  • Bowman Lake in the foreground, Red Hill is on the left and Bowman Mountain W6/NS-218 is on the right. Fall Creek Mountain (W6/NS-209) is in the center behind them. The photo is looking southeast and was taken from the dirt road that runs along the north shore of Bowman Lake.
  • Zoomed in on Bowman Mountain.
  • Bowman Mountain as seen from the south. This photo was taken along the route to Fall Creek Mountain W6/NS-209.
  • Left to right: Red Hill, Fall Creek Mountain (W6/NS-209) and Bowman Mountain as seen from Quartz Hill W6/NS-246 that <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-QuartzHill-W6NS246">I activated a few days later</a>.
  • To get to Bowman Mountain from I-80, take the Highway 20 exit and travel westward towards Grass Valley. Go approximately 3.8 miles and turn right onto the paved Bowman Lake Road at my HWY20BOWMAN waypoint (39.30484N, 120.66742W). Approximately 10.5 miles later the pavement will end near my BOWMANPARK waypoint where I typically unload my ATV (39.4125N, 120.66298W). Continue on the now-dirt Bowman Lake Road for approximately 1 mile to my F1820_BOWMTNROAD waypoint (39.42266N, 120.67009W) and Tahoe National Forest road 18-20 shown in blue. Park and hike approximately 4 miles up this road (elevation gain of about 1100 feet) until it ends at an old log landing (BOWLANDING 39.43629N, 120.63566W). Make your way cross-country up to the summit, see the photos and maps to follow for more information.
  • The beginning of Tahoe National Forest road 18-20.
  • Close up of the sign at the beginning of Tahoe National Forest road 18-20.
  • Topo map of area.
  • Zoomed-in topo map showing the hike from the old log landing to the summit. This is all cross-country, there is no trail other than occasional sections of game trails. The hike from the landing to the summit is approximately 1.6 miles with an elevation gain of about 550 feet. From the old log landing, begin by heading up through the forest to the summit ridge.
  • Looking up into the forest from the old log landing.
  • There were many wildflowers in the upper part of the forest where it thins out.
  • From the summit ridge, head for the little peak that you see in the center of the shot. This isn't the summit, but the best route to the summit involves climbing up and over this peak. Why? Because it is really steep on the left (northeast) side of the summit ridge, and thick brush extends from the edge of the forest up to near the top on the right (southwest) side. Hiking along the very top edge of the ridge avoids most of the brush.
  • The only hard part of the hike (and it really isn't hard) is getting up this rock obstacle shown as RockClimb (39.43515N, 120.63178W) in the prior topo map. My hiking poles are right of center for scale, the obstacle is only about 20 feet high. I had to use my hands to climb up it, so I guess this short section is class 2-3(?). You could choose to go around it, but you'd be hiking through the dense brush below it.
  • Looking back towards the rock obstacle, showing the brush that is on the west side of the summit ridge. This brush is mostly dense manzanita, knee-to-waist deep. I tromped through a section of it on the way back down, and wished that I had stayed up above it.
  • Looking in the other direction (where you are headed), there are some smaller rock piles that you'll need to hike over on the way to the summit on the far end of the ridge. If you look really closely about 1/4 of the way from the left edge of this shot, at the highest bump on that distant part of the ridge, you can see the summit marker.
  • On the summit at the summit marker (a pile of rocks with an old fir branch sticking up out of it). The shot is looking north with Bowman Lake below and Sierra Buttes W6/NS-139 on the skyline behind it (the bill on my cap is blocking half of it). Sierra Buttes is still my favorite SOTA summit, <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-9202012-Sierra">I activated it back in 2012</a>. Pinoli Ridge W6/NS-216 is the big ridge this side of Sierra Buttes that touches the skyline on either side of Sierra Buttes. <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/NA-SOTA-Day-Overnight-4-summit">I camped on that one a few years ago for NASOTA day</a>.
  • Still looking north, my pack and SOTA hat at the summit marker. All of <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-9202012-Sierra">Sierra Buttes</a> is now visible on the skyline.
  • A Google Earth view of the climb up from the old log landing, looking north.
  • Anoher Google Earth view, this time looking northwest. The steep terrain on the east side of the summit ridge is visible.
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