Two First-Time Activations: Harry Watkins and Gray Rock Dome

Two previously-unactivated summits in the beautiful Castle Crags Wilderness / Trinity Mountains. I got injured and carried on!

Ham Radio, SOTA
backpacking, camping, castle crags, hard hikes, mtr-3b, mtr3b, trinity mountains, w6/nw-069, w6/nw-076
Leave a comment

Links to products on Amazon and eBay are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Quick Info:

Activation Date: 18 July 2020	Summits: W6/NW-069 and W6/NW-076
Transport: Hike	Distance: 4–8 miles
Elev. Gain: 2000–3000 feet	Time: 2.5–4 hours
Rig(s): MTR-3B, VX-6r	Bands: 40, 20m CW. 2m FM
Antenna(s): Tri-band EFHW	Antenna Support: Rocks
RF Noise: None	Cell Service: Fair (T-Mobile)

On a backpacking trip with some close friends, I decided to get these two summits. They’re locally named “Harry Watkins” and “Gray Rock Dome,” so even though they have different SOTA names, that’s what I’m calling them here. Getting to the first peak was pretty uneventful, and most of the people on the trip with me actually joined me for that one. I got injured on the the way to the second one and decided to carry on for some crazy reason!

Continue reading →