| Activation Date: 17 February 2018 | |
| Transport: Hike | Distance: 3.7 miles |
| Elev. gain: 650 feet | Hiking Time: 1.2 hours |
| Rig(s): Yaesu FT-817ND | Band(s): 30m (cw) |
| Antenna(s): End-fed half-wave (40/30/20m) | |
| Cell Service: None (T-Mobile) | |
| Parking: Side of the road (be sure plenty of room) | |
| Trailhead: Buzzard Lagoon Road | |
| Fees/Permits: None | |
| Route: Buzzard Lagoon Road to Aptos Creek Fire Road | |
| Dogs: Probably | Toilet: No |
| Antenna Support: Lots of high trees | RF Noise: Low (HF) |
I did this summit last year, in August. It was hot but a fun trip anyway. This year, doing it in February, the weather was quite agreeable. Last year, I brought my sons along for the trip but they would not be joining me this time around. Things I was looking to improve this time included getting my antenna up even higher, and sloping east if possible. The ARRL DX CW contest was going on, so I primarily planned to operate on 30 meters for SOTA, then see if I could pick up any new DX on the other bands.