Conejo Mountain

Sunrise over the stratus of the marine layer covering the Los Angeles Basin

3 FEBRUARY 2021 – My Mom’s 90th Birthday – W6/SC-318

The last time I hiked up Conejo Mountain it was 38 years ago and I went with my good friend, Allan Gardner. The Conejo Valley has been vastly developed since that time with the sprawling bedroom community of Newberry Park. Back then it was all open range land with more than a few barbed wire fences to negotiate. This morning before dawn I parked on the suburban street of Via Ricardo and made my way up the trails of the Dos Vientos Open Space.

The hike follows an old Edison Road and large power towers up through the eponymous Conejo Volcanic rock. The hike is a pleasant 2.24 miles with about 875 feet of elevation gain. It took me about an hour to make the summit from my car without many stops.

I did the hike in the dark, keeping my flashlight shining behind me. There was a third-quarter moon that was bright enough to light my way. The flashlight shinning backwards was to discourage a mountain lion attack. I’ve only seen mountain lions twice in all the years I’ve been hiking. I’ve heard them many times and seen their tracks but I believe they are generally not interested in humans for breakfast. As long as a careful hiker doesn’t act like prey (i.e. fleeing), they will leave you alone. The rear-shinning flashlight was just a precaution to avoid any confusion.

I made 9 contacts – 6 on 20 meters and 3 on 2 meters. Gary and Martha sounded good from Kansas. They are fast becoming reliable chasers. Thank you guys! I also made contact with Tennessee and Georgia and had one POTA contact: WA7BAM in Texas.

I had no luck on 40m or 17m.

Jon K6LDQ was 59 knife-edging over the crest of the Santa Monica Mountain on 2 meters from Torrance and Derek KM6UHU checked in from Altadena. Perhaps my furthest 2m contact was KE6MAK in Gardena.