Cerro Grande x2

Carol KE6SRN and Tom KE6SRO in front of the spectacular Valles Grande in the crown of the Jemez Mountains.

26 OCTOBER 2025 W5N/SE-011

Elevation:	10,171′
Route:	Nice trail
Hike Distance:	5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain:	1,175′
Navigation:	Easy
Steepness:	Moderate
Vehicle:	Passenger car
Road:	Good paved highway
Cell Coverage:	Good Verizon

For my second trip up this fine summit I was joined by newly-minted Mountain Goats Carol KE6SRN and Tom KE6SRO. The day was a smashing success! The goat herd gathered at the Pojoaque McDonalds at 7:30 and we all piled into Whitedog to drive up through Los Alamos on our way to the trailhead in the Bandelier National Monument. I’ve driven through the checkpoint to the National Laboratory several times. This time we were tersely denied admission with a one-word “No.”

After re-routing around the checkpoint we continued up the once-massive prehistoric super volcano that is now the Valles Caldera.

There was nobody parked at the trailhead when we arrived and we leisurely made our way up the golden autumn trail. Small patches of snow remained in the shade from Thursday’s early-winter storm. The air was delightfully cool and fresh.

Once we started to set up our respective stations, a steady stream of hikers began to arrive taking advantage of the glorious day. Conditions on HF were crowded on all bands due to the CQ World Wide DX Contest raging. Even the WARC bands were busy with non-contesters fleeing the maelstrom.

We spotted a plumb bob and line tangled in a dead tree near the summit from some other activation. I’ve come close to losing such an antenna support line, but always managed to work the snag loose.

It was a blast sharing my passion for SOTA with Carol and Tom – two lovely people who could appreciate my (mostly healthy) addiction to this wonderful pastime. It was fun to see how they activated. My only regret was that is was over too soon! Thank you Carol and Tom for sharing your vacation in the Land of Enchantment with me.