2. Ham Radio

Mt. Fillmore (W6/NS-194) SOTA Activation 7/18/2014 -

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Looking back down into the forest from about half way up. My route up was actually to the right of this shot. This easy looking section still slowed me down a bit because the soil is sandy and riddled with gopher holes and tunnels. Finishing a step with my foot still up on top of the sand was rare. Hey gophers, sorry for all the cave-ins!
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Looking back down into the forest from about half way up. My route up was actually to the right of this shot. This easy looking section still slowed me down a bit because the soil is sandy and riddled with gopher holes and tunnels. Finishing a step with my foot still up on top of the sand was rare. Hey gophers, sorry for all the cave-ins!

  • Looking back down into the forest from about half way up. My route up was actually to the right of this shot. This easy looking section still slowed me down a bit because the soil is sandy and riddled with gopher holes and tunnels. Finishing a step with my foot still up on top of the sand was rare. Hey gophers, sorry for all the cave-ins!
  • The final obstacle is this steep section of loose rocks near the top. I climbed diagonally through and up it in the direction of the photo. It was apparent that game and other climbers chose a similar route, rather than scrambling straight up to the summit ridge. The summit is near the most distant trees on the skyline.
  • Looking back down along the steep section of loose rocks. Once you get to the top of this section it is an easy stroll over to the summit.
  • A Google Earth view of the loose rock area near the summit.
  • Standing at the summit marker.
  • A better shot of the summit marker, without me in the way. It is a pile of rocks with a rusty, upside down coffee can at the top. That's my "disposable" HT (el-cheapo Baofeng UV-5R) sitting on the can. El-cheapo or not, it worked very well and is actually easier to use than my more expensive Yaesu VX-7R. Anyone wanna buy a VX-7R cheap? :-)
  • The top of the summit marker along with the HT and my SOTA cap.
  • I lifted up the can and there was something below it...
  • A glass jar wrapped in duct tape. I opened it up and found...
  • A summit register in the form of a spiral bound notebook.
  • I added an entry documenting this first ever activation of Mt. Fillmore for Summits On The Air.
  • It looks like there was once some kind of structure on the summit.
  • I set up my Buddipole shock cord mast, Alexloop and KX3 near a small pine that provided a bit of shade. The summit marker is about 50 feet behind the camera.
  • Standing at my operating position and holding the disposable HT I was using to stay in contact with Dave K6MTT. He was exploring near Mt. Etna (not a SOTA summit) which you can see down below my left hand, and he'd just made the first ever SOTA chaser QSO with Mt. Fillmore.
  • Here is a better shot of Mt. Etna, down below in the foreground, with Blue Nose Mountain W6/NS-224 back behind it. The camera is pointing northeast.
  • Zoomed out and still pointing at Mt. Etna.
  • Here is Mt. Etna as photographed by Dave from his location on the saddle to the northwest of it (to the left of it in the prior photo that I took from Fillmore).
  • Here is one of Dave's shots of Mt. Fillmore from further down the saddle northwest of Mt. Etna. If you look really-really closely, you can see me waving. ;-)
  • From back up on the summit of Mt. Fillmore and looking northeast, Mt. Etna is behind the trees just left of center. The grey looking summit just right of center is one of the lower peaks on Blue Nose Ridge, and the forested peak to the right of it and closer to the camera is Stafford Mountain W6/NS-245. County Road 900 that we rode in on from the east is visible down on the side of Stafford.
  • Sierra Buttes W6/NS-139 is on the skyline to the southeast. See <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-9202012-Sierra">my activation album from 2012</a> for more info on that one. It is still my favorite Northern Sierra SOTA summit in terms of view quality and all-around awesomeness.
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