Author Archives: wringmaster

The Winter Solstice – 21 DECEMBER 2020. W6/CT-225 & 226 These two short hikes are easily done in a few hours. I picked the shortest day of the year to do them – The winter solstice. The Santa Ana winds had petered out and left the Los Angeles Basin sparklingly clear, calm and warm. That’sContinue reading “Cerro Negro Benchmark & Flint Peak”

18 DECEMBER 2020 W6/CT-269 The last time I hiked up Verdugo Mountain my brother Mark and I approached the summit from La Tuna Canyon. Brian WA6JFK warned me that cars parked there have been getting broken into, so I decided to try a new route – from Whiting Woods Road in Verdugo City, next toContinue reading “Verdugo Mountain High Point”

10 DECEMBER 2020 W6/CT-170 The hike to Kagel Mountain is 3 miles long and has modest 1,275 feet of elevation gain. As usual, I did this hike before the sun came up, but I can imagine it would be a hot one on a summer day. There is about 500 feet of elevation loss onContinue reading “Kagel Mountain”

5 DECEMBER 2020 W6/CT-228 Santa Ana winds had been blowing all week triggering a red flag warning and that kept me near home. The winds died down Saturday morning and I decided t make a run for a local summit out near Westlake. It was 53º F in my driveway in Topanga when I leftContinue reading “1,821′”

Downtown Los Angeles, Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island at sunrise 29 NOVEMBER 2020 W6/CT-150 The Sunday after Thanksgiving Brian WA6JFK and I decided to work off the mashed potatoes with another tandem activation – Brian on Hoyt Mountain and me on 4,202 right next door. The road head for 4,202 is the sameContinue reading “4,202′”

25 NOVEMBER 2020 W6/CC-003 After hiking up Mount Pinos I drove over to Frazier Mountain to meet my friends Brian WA6JFK and Scott WA9STI. I last drove up this mountain on July 3rd, 1989. The road seemed rougher than I remembered it from 31 years ago and the abandoned fire lookout was more decrepit (seeContinue reading “Frazier Mountain”

25 NOVEMBER 2020 W6/CC-002 I’ve skied to this summit far more often than I have hiked it. It is fun terrain for cross country skis and at 8,848′ it has snow much the winter, on average. My first trip to this summit was on June 9th, 1974 – just before graduating from Palisades High School.Continue reading “Mount Pinos”

13 NOVEMBER 2020 FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH W6/CT-032 I can see Oat Mountain from the window of my radio shack window here in Topanga. It’s easy for me work repeaters on Oat with 500 mW and a rubber duck. My last hike up there was 24 years ago back when it was all private property. NowContinue reading “Oat Mountain”

8 NOVEMBER 2020 W6/CT-037 Cahuenga is one of the few surviving Tongva place names we have in southern California. My last trip to the summit was February 20th 1984. Once again, I left before dawn figuring it would be pretty crowded later on a nice clear Sunday after the rain. This was my third activationContinue reading “Cahuenga Peak”

7 NOVEMBER 2020 W6/CT-158 There isn’t much to say about the “hike” up this summit. You can park in the activation zone. A short walk past the locked gate to the right brings you up to a large level area with some burnt wooden poles that make good mast anchors. I chose a day whenContinue reading “4,020′”