There is something about the summits along the 14 and into Palmdale which I really like, but to date, Harold Beacon Benchmark is probably my favorite because of all the flora and fauna. I parked my car on Rebel road and started hiking, first, down a dirt road which wasn’t so bad, then, to a steep moto track which goes straight up the hillside. This side of the hill was covered in Juniper. The end of the trail meets up with a fire road, which leads up to the summit. There are several different types of trees up here with several kinds of birds I couldn’t identify. At the top, there were three benchmarks of various vintage, and evidence of an old tower. I wonder if that was the beacon? I setup my station using an EFHW cut for higher bands. Worked 12M, 17M, and 30M CW. 4 S2S. I hiked down the way I came, although it seems like there are several ways up and down. I’ll look forward to activating this peak again.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-126

Download file: Harold.gpx

Date:12/02/2022 | Summit:W6/CT-126 (Harold Beacon Benchmark)

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
20:34	NR3E	24MHz	CW	S55N R33N
20:35	W0MNA	24MHz	CW	S52N R55N
20:37	KU4R	24MHz	CW	S55N R53N
20:38	W0ERI	24MHz	CW	S55N R55N
20:52	KF9D	18MHz	CW	S44N R33N
20:54	WW7D	18MHz	CW	S42N R52N S2S W7W/CW-061
20:56	WU7H	18MHz	CW	S33N R53N S2S W7W/CW-061
21:00	K0LAF	18MHz	CW	S56N R55N
21:03	NG6R	18MHz	CW	S57N R56N
21:14	K6GVG	10MHz	CW	S58N R55N
21:15	N4LAG	10MHz	CW	S57N R56N
21:17	WB6POT	10MHz	CW	S56N R55N
21:19	K6STR	10MHz	CW	S56N R55N S2S W6/CT-076
21:22	K6QCB	10MHz	CW	S55N R56N
21:22	NW7E	10MHz	CW	S55N R55N
21:22	K6CPR	10MHz	CW	S57N R53N
21:23	K6LDQ	10MHz	CW	S58N R53N
21:24	K1LB	10MHz	CW	S57N R57N
21:30	AG7TX	10MHz	CW	S55N R52N S2S W7N/TR-075

I parked on Escondido Canyon Road, then hiked through a parcel which has a “For Sale” sign in front. I kinda felt like I was being watched by the neighboring houses, but once I was out of sight the hike was enjoyable. There is an established trail so it seems this summit is hiked often. The hike itself it pretty short, just over a mile and about 600′ of elevation gain. At the top, there is a large pile of rocks which I used to support the antenna mast. It also offered some shade from the sun, which felt brutal, even in February. Worked 20M, 30M, and 40M CW.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-168

Download file: 3784.gpx

Date:04/02/2022 | Summit:W6/CT-168 (3784)

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
21:20	WB6POT	10MHz	CW	S56N R55N
21:23	K7GT	10MHz	CW	S56N R55N
21:24	K6LDQ	10MHz	CW	S55N R42N
21:28	AB6GI	10MHz	CW	S57N R55N
21:30	K6EL	10MHz	CW	S55N R5NN S2S W6/NC-298
21:30	K7EA	10MHz	CW	S54N R55N
21:32	W5ODS	10MHz	CW	S55N R33N
21:43	K6YK	7MHz	CW	S58N R57N
21:46	K6MK	7MHz	CW	S44N R55N
21:49	WU6X	7MHz	CW	S55N R55N
21:51	KE6MT	7MHz	CW	S55N R54N
21:52	K4GX	7MHz	CW	S45N R54N
22:06	W0WSL	14MHz	CW	S55N R47N
22:07	WA6KYR	14MHz	CW	S55N R48N
22:10	N7CCS	14MHz	CW	S55N R55N
22:13	WB2FUV	14MHz	CW	S33N R45N
22:14	W0MNA	14MHz	CW	S55N R55N
22:15	KE5AKL	14MHz	CW	S58N R55N
22:16	W0ERI	14MHz	CW	S55N R55N
22:17	KF9D	14MHz	CW	S57N R55N
22:18	NN7M	14MHz	CW	S54N R55N
22:21	WB7BWZ	14MHz	CW	S56N R55N
22:22	N4HNH	14MHz	CW	S55N R55N
22:22	W4KRN	14MHz	CW	S53N R44N
22:23	NU7A	14MHz	CW	S54N R44N
22:28	W6TDX	14MHz	CW	S45N R55N
22:30	AE4FZ	14MHz	CW	S35N R52N
22:31	KD8DEU	14MHz	CW	S53N R22N

I had a couple days off work without any real plans, so off to Agua Dulce! I parked just off the 14 and hiked down the obvious dirt road. I continued on the road until it ended at a set of power line pylons, then turned south and headed along the ridge line firebreak. The wind was incredibly strong, and at one point almost knocked me over! One false summit with benchmarks along the way. At the real summit, I found additional benchmarks and a summit register. I was able to setup the station just below the ridge which kept me out of the wind. Worked 30M and 40M, one S2S.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-273

Download file: AguaDulce.gpx

Date:09/02/2022 | Summit:W6/CT-273 (Agua Dulce Benchmark)

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
21:22	WB6POT	10MHz	CW	S57N R55N
21:27	WW7D	10MHz	CW	S58N R42N
21:28	WB7ULB	10MHz	CW	S55N R52N
21:28	K1LB	10MHz	CW	S55N R55N
21:29	K6HPX	10MHz	CW	S55N R5NN
21:29	NW7E	10MHz	CW	S55N R55N
21:30	K7MK	10MHz	CW	S58N R55N
21:31	KF6HI	10MHz	CW	S57N R57N
21:33	KR7RK	10MHz	CW	S5NN R55N
21:35	K6LDQ	10MHz	CW	S57N R42N
21:36	N6OND	10MHz	CW	S52N R52N
21:58	AJ6CL	14MHz	CW	S599 R599 S2S W6/CT-025
22:02	N4LAG	7MHz	CW	S55N R41N
22:03	N8FN	7MHz	CW	S58N R55N
22:04	K6STR	7MHz	CW	S55N R55N
22:04	K6YK	7MHz	CW	S5NN R5NN
22:06	KN6EZE	7MHz	CW	S53N R44N
22:07	W6LOR	7MHz	CW	S5NN R33N
22:08	WC6L	7MHz	CW	S57N R55N
22:09	K6QCB	7MHz	CW	S54N R31N
22:11	K6EL	7MHz	CW	S33N R55N
22:12	KE6MT	7MHz	CW	S55N R53N