Quick Info:
| Activation Date: 29 March 2025 | Summit: W6/NS-135 |
| Transport: Hiking, Snow, Steep at times | Distance: 1.8 miles (one-way) |
| Elev. Gain: 1940 feet | Time: 4.5 hours |
| Rig(s): Elecraft KH1, VX-6R | Bands: 40m, 20m CW |
| Antenna(s): Random Wire | Antenna Support: Mast in snow |
| RF Noise: None | Cell Service: Marginal (T-Mobile) |
I like to go camp in the snow once or twice a year, sometimes more. I had mountaineering training to attend near Lake Tahoe on the weekend of this trip, so I planned snow camping in advance of it. Though the weather wasn’t top-notch the night before this activation, leading to pretty bad sleep for half of the night, the weather calmed down and we eventually got some sleep. If the weather is good, Maggies Peak is a top-notch winter activation.
Getting There
My trip to the summit was split in two, since we camped at the nearby Granite Lake. It’s a wonderful alpine lake below the summit, which was frozen over while we were there.
| Parking: Bayview Trailhead / Inspiration Point |
| Trailhead: Bayview |
| Fees/Permits: Desolation Wilderness |
| Route: Traveled snow route / cross-country |
| Dogs: Yes | Toilet: At the trailhead, but not open in winter |
We parked across the street from the Inspiration Point parking area, which was closed—I believe it’s closed during the winter. If you’re trying to park in this area, I’d advise arriving early. We arrived on a Friday morning and easily got a spot, but many more people arrived as we were prepping to head up to the lake. It wasn’t long before there weren’t really any parking spots available. There was even a sheriff deputy driving back and forth telling people to move.
Once we had all of our backpacking gear situated, we headed up the well-trodden path in the snow. We followed that for about a third of a mile, then decided to go straight up the hill to our destination, the south side of Granite Lake.
Our “shortcut” to the lake probably added a bit of effort and ended up probably being about the same amount of time as if we’d taken the “trail” there, but it was more fun! We arrived at the lake before long, and took a little stroll out onto the lake to get a look at the summit we’d be climbing the next day.
We started setting up camp and had lunch. As the day went on, the weather kept getting worse – mostly wind. We’d set up camp pretty well, but it still ended up being a pretty rough night of sleep for the first 4-5 hours. There was a lot of wind and blowing snow. But around 4am, the wind died down completely and we got some sleep. We got up in the morning to a frigid (about 15-16F) but beautiful day!
After a relaxed breakfast and nice warm beverages, we decided we ought to head up to the summit before the snow got too soft. Knowing the route up to the summit involved a pretty steep crossing up to a ridge, we decided to forego the snowshoes and just go up in our boots. This turned out to be an excellent decision. The snow was firm but not icy, allowing for great footing. Snowshoes definitely would’ve been an annoying encumbrance.
Once we gained the ridge, things were a lot easier and more straightforward. It wasn’t long before we were on the summit.
Operation on South Maggies Peak
The weather couldn’t have been better. Almost no wind, sunny, even slightly warm! We had a little snack and my friend relaxed while I set up my antenna and radio. I was borrowing a friend’s Elecraft KH1 for this trip and it’s an excellent rig. However, it turns out it had a problem with the internal connection to the final amplifier chip. So right after I sent my first CQ call, it stopped transmitting.
I was able to get the rig to transmit again by pressing the BNC connector to the right, so I carefully did that and was able to make enough contacts to get the activation done. The KH1 has since been repaired by Elecraft. Their customer service is absolutely great!
After having some lunch, we enjoyed the views a bit more before heading back down. We got back to camp a lot faster than we’d gotten to the top of the summit!
Activation Log
| Time | Callsign | Band | Mode | Notes |
| 18:54 | WB6POT | 40m | CW | |
| 18:55 | KG6YJ | 40m | CW | S2S W6/NC-226 |
| 18:56 | K6EL | 40m | CW | S2S W6/NC-298 |
| 18:57 | KN6OMN | 40m | CW | |
| 18:59 | WU7H | 40m | CW | |
| 19:04 | WW7D | 20m | CW | |
| 19:04 | K7SO | 20m | CW |