8136 (W7U/WB-001) SOTA Activation
Finally, an “easy” activation. Knowing I had a Friday off from work I made plans to invite some people from the office along for an adventure. I wanted something close. With a quick scrub of the Summits On The Air (SOTA) mapping website I came across “8136,” an unactivated, 6-point summit right in my backyard. Time to go.
Getting There
From Salt Lake or Ogden head to North Ogden. From I-15, take Hwy 134 (N 2700 W) east. Turn left on N 1050 East, then right on North Ogden Canyon Road. You will see the signs for the parking area at the top of the canyon pass. On this morning we narrowly missed hitting a yearling moose as he grazed on the side of the road and masked by the low angled early-morning sunlight. This trailhead supports two trail systems, one on either side of the road. On the weekends you can expect a busy parking lot with trailers for horses and motorcycles along with hikers.
The parking lot is located at:
41° 19’ 12.8”N, 111° 53’ 57.1”W
41.320218, -111.899194
Summit Info:
41° 17’ 12.1”N, 111° 53’ 42.7”W
41.2867, -111.8952
The Hike
Accompanying me this day were Sam and Ken (aka non-hams). We set out on Lewis Peak trail at 0700. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky this day. The temperature was about 60 degrees and there was a steady breeze out of the east. It was cool enough for me to think “forgetting to bring a light jacket was a poor idea.” As we set off the floor of the forest was a vibrant green, covered with a canopy of maples. After about 200 yards we traveled under some high-tension power lines and began steadily up through a series of switchbacks and pine trees. After about one mile we got above tree line and began traveling along the ridge line towards our goal. From here we hiked through a sea of wild flowers; yellows, blues, and purples. The views into the valley to the east, of Eden and the Pineview Reservoir, were spectacular and echoed the same green exuberance that late spring offers. To the north loomed Willard Peak and I thought it may be next on my peak list to summit.
On ascent overlooking Pineview Reservoir
The trail progressed steadily, but not too steep, uphill to a couple false summits. Finally, our goal came into sight. There are side trails that follow the ridge spine to roller coaster over several high points along the way, but the main Lewis Peak trail circumvents the up-and-down by traversing around on contour. The final push up this summit was the steepest we had faced but only lasted about 150 yards.
Mt Ogden in the distance, “8136” on the right
I quickly set up my SOTAbeams linked dipole antenna. The summit was pretty sparse but there were two dwarf trees on the NW side of the summit I was able to use as a support for my center mast and provide me some sun and wind protection. My first contact was with KE7BGM, summit-to-summit, as he activated a 10-point summit in Arizona. This was a quick activation as I did not want to keep my fellow hikers waiting on me. So after 30 minutes and 16 contacts (2 S2S) we packed up and headed back. This was a fun summit and one I look forward to do again.
Looking north, Willard Peak (W7U/NU-042) in the distance.
The final push up “8136”
Forget-me-nots
Gear:
Trekking Poles
Should have had: a light jacket
Sunglasses / Sunblock
Radio Gear:
HF: Elecraft KX-3
Antenna: SOTAbeams, Linked dipole (40, 30, 20 meters)
HT: Kenwood DH-72 (for APRS)
Trail:
6 miles roundtrip (approximately 9 if you go all the way to Lewis Peak)
Good condition overall, loose rocks in several places
73 and safe hiking!
KH7AL