October 2020 – KG6MZS

Sunset Peak

24 OCTOBER 2020 W6/CT-022 Last weekend my friend Brian (WA6JFK) hiked up this mountain while I did Timber Mountain. I decided to follow his activation with my own. My last trip up Sunset Peak was 26 years ago and it looked much the same. The old fire lookout was originally built in 1915 for aContinue reading “Sunset Peak”

2,450′ – Bodle Peak

22 OCTOBER 2020 W6/SC-237 A little history about this summit – in 1930 a fire lookout tower was moved from Blue Ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains to this location. County forester Spence D. Turner said the move was intended to protect “…a highly hazardous mountain area where there are many summer homes and valuableContinue reading “2,450′ – Bodle Peak”

1,470′ Calabasas

20 OCTOBER 2020 W6/SC-347 Early on Tuesday morning I made my way through a dense marine layer to Malibu Canyon. The drizzle was enough to need the windshield wipers. There was nobody at the Cistern/Phantom trail head a few miles west of Las Virigines/Malibu Canyon road on Mulholland Highway. The hike is short and easyContinue reading “1,470′ Calabasas”

Timber Mountain

17 OCTOBER 2020 W6/CT-052 Brian (WA6JFK) and I were planning another pair of tandem activations. Sunset Peak was a good choice for a moderate hike, but what other juicy peak was nearby? I had climbed Timber Mountain twice before – once in 1981 and once in the winter of 1999. At 10 miles round tripContinue reading “Timber Mountain”

Simi Peak

Venus and the waning crescent Moon before dawn on Simi Peak with the San Gabriel Mountains. 13 OCTOBER 2020 W6/CT-207 Elevation: 4,580′ Route: Good trail Hike Distance: 5.2 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 1,260′ Navigation: Easy Steepness: Gentle Vehicle: Passenger car Road: Paved roads Cell Coverage: Good Verizon Hike basics Once again my friend BrianContinue reading “Simi Peak”

Temescal Peak

9 OCTOBER 2020 W6/CT-218 Elevation: 2,126′ Route: Cross country Hike Distance: 7.6 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 1,250’* Navigation: Moderate Steepness: Gentle Vehicle: Passenger car Road: Paved road Cell Coverage: n/a *230 feet gain on the return The first time I hiked up Temescal Peak I was about 12 years old. My buddy Allan GardnerContinue reading “Temescal Peak”

Sandstone Peak

6 OCTOBER 2020 W6/CC-056 6 OCTOBER 2020. W6/CC-056 Elevation: 4,580′ Route: Cross country Hike Distance: 3 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 1000′ Navigation: Moderate Steepness: Moderate Vehicle: Passenger car Road: Paved road Cell Coverage: Good Verizon Hike basics At 3,111 feet, Sandstone Peak is the highest of the Santa Monica Mountains. I first hiked toContinue reading “Sandstone Peak”