Last year I started bringing my Yaesu 817 up to more summits. Since this radio has the 10M band, and setting up a 10M antenna is easy, I worked a bunch of 10M. I was aware of this SOTA challenge, but wasn’t actively trying to get points. I ended up 22nd in W6, and 257th worldwide. Pretty good!

Otto Mountain is in Baker, CA, just off Interstate 15. There isn’t much in town except a bunch of gas stations for people traveling between Los Angeles, and Las Vegas – oh, and the biggest thermometer, ever. I’m sure many SOTA operators have passed this little mountain several times, perhaps even considered climbing it, but for some reason, it remained activation free. On a trip to Death Valley National Park, I decided to go for it. I needed to top off my gas tank anyways, pretty convenient!

Getting to the summit is pretty easy, there are power lines accompanied by a dirt road at the base of the mountain. I drove this and parked in a well used area near several old mine shafts. After walking around a bit I determined this wasn’t the best place to ascend. Eventually I found a good route and started hiking up. It was steep, rocky, and loose with several false summits. At the top, I setup my brand new MTR3B V4 for 20M, along with a brand new 3D printed key. After several Qs, the key started acting funny, then eventually failed! Luckily the new MTR has a built in touch keyer, which saved the activation!

From the summit I could see a pretty well defined use trail which I thought might be a better way to descend, plus it makes the hike a loop. I took this path, but it seemed sketcher that the way up. I think I lost the trail several times, and once needed to backtrack up to safer ground. Near the bottom were more mines, with lots of blue-green quartz around. Copper perhaps? From there, it was an easy hike back to the truck.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-372

Date:19/02/2025 |  Summit:W6/ND-372 (Otto Mountain) 

This was my 1st summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. Sometime last year, I worked two stations on this very summit during the 2024 Winter Sota Fest, so activating it makes it a complete for me. I left my home in Los Angeles early in the morning on a Friday and drove to Victorville to pickup some supplies at a grocery store before heading to Lucerne Valley. From there I jumped on a dirt road and headed towards Cougar Buttes. Finding the way was pretty easy, just follow various dirt roads to the general direction to the summit. Near the destination it got pretty sandy. I locked the front hubs on the truck in the event I needed 4wd. Once I was close, I got out and started hiking. The trip up is all boulder scramble. The large rocks reminded me of the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. I needed to backtrack several times to find a better/ safer route. There isn’t much room at the top for an antenna. Additionally, it was extremely windy. This is where the KH1 with the internal whip really shines! Worked 15M CW, then quickly went QRT. On the way down I took a different route which was longer, but made the hike a loop. Overall, a fun scramble. I’d do it again!

Summit 1-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-140-cougar-buttes/
Summit 2-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-145-3938/
Summit 3-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-018-rodman-mountains-hp/
Summit 4-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-218-watkins-benchmark/
Summit 5-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-040-west-ord-mountain/

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-140

Date:17/01/2025 |  Summit:W6/SD-140 (Cougar Buttes)

This was my 2nd summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. I wasn’t planning to climb this one, but it was close to me after a failed attempt at Fry Benchmark. I got as close to the summit as I could on a wide gravel road, then hiked a short distance up the steep hillside, where I was surprised to see a two track truck trail. I followed this all the way to the actual summit where strong wind had me hiding behind a rock pile. I used a KH1 with the whip on 20M, and 15M, and ended my quickly activation quickly after only 15 minutes or so at the top. The way down was more technical then the ascent, traveling through dry waterfalls and a short ravine. Over all, pretty fun, short hike. You could probably drive up there with a jeep or dual sport bike but hiking is pretty easy too.

Summit 1-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-140-cougar-buttes/
Summit 2-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-145-3938/
Summit 3-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-018-rodman-mountains-hp/
Summit 4-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-218-watkins-benchmark/
Summit 5-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-040-west-ord-mountain/

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-145

Date:17/01/2025 |  Summit:W6/SD-145 (3938)

This was my 3th summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest.

Summit 1-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-140-cougar-buttes/
Summit 2-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-145-3938/
Summit 3-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-018-rodman-mountains-hp/
Summit 4-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-218-watkins-benchmark/
Summit 5-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-040-west-ord-mountain/

After activating Cougar Buttes and 3938 earlier in the day, I felt like I had enough daylight for one more activation before heading back to camp. Rodman Mountain is a drive up, and pretty far from pavement. Since I was already half way there from 3938, that’s where I headed. I jumped on Camp Rock Road which is mostly wide and smooth. Eventually you need to turn off on Pipkin Cindercone Road, then, to a narrow, somewhat steep and twisty road that terminates at a large communications site. I parked at the top where it was extremely windy and cold. Not wanting to leave the comfort of the cab, but with the summit in sight I layered up and headed to the top, which isn’t very far at all. Once there I was able to tuck behind some rocks which made the rest of the activation quite enjoyable. Worked 15M and 20M on the KH1 whip. Barely made one 2M contact with Mike who was heading to Sawtooth Campground. Someone out there was running a repeater or something on 146.580 because I kept hearing a tone every time I released my PTT. Someone then came on frequency and said I should move. They wouldn’t give me their call, perhaps they didn’t have one.

I headed down the way I came up. It was almost dark when I arrived at Pipkin Cindercone road, where I stopped and attached some cheap Amazon ditch lights to the truck I bought months prior. I had never bolted these on before, so it took some time to adjust them where I wanted extra light to shine. I continued on to the intersection of Camp Rock Road, but instead of going back the way I came, I left at the intersection because it looked like it would be faster on the map. This was not the case. The road was extremely slow going, rocky and narrow in some places. At one point I saw a large critter run across my path into the desert. Because the ditch lights I could clearly see a bobcat! This was the highlight of my day. It took an hour and a half to get back to Sawtooth Campground to meet other SOTA activators. When I had enough of the cold, I headed to Barstow for the night.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-018

Date:18/01/2025 |  Summit:W6/SD-018 (Rodman Mountains (HP)) 

This was my 4th summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest.

Summit 1-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-140-cougar-buttes/
Summit 2-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-145-3938/
Summit 3-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-018-rodman-mountains-hp/
Summit 4-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-218-watkins-benchmark/
Summit 5-> https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-040-west-ord-mountain/

The predicted temperature at Sawtooth campground was lower than I would be comfortable camping in, so I booked a warm room in nearby Barstow. The hotel has a really good Mexican restaurant and a bar attached, so I had a good dinner and some beers before going to sleep. My alarm was set for 7AM. I got up, got some coffee, and headed to Watkins Benchmark south of Barstow. Getting there was pretty easy, from Barstow Road, turn onto Stoddard Wells Road and follow it up to the first set of hills. I eventually found a very sand road, which was more like a wash, and followed it right to the bottom of the summit. Don’t try this in a passenger car. My truck was bottoming out in some areas, and it was extremely soft and sandy. You could easily get stuck back there.

The hike up was peaceful with cool, calm air. At the top is the remains of an old survey tower and a summit register. I setup a Yaesu 817 and worked 10M, and 20M, in addition to a few 2M stations who were participating in the weekend event. I wanted to do a bigger, longer hike, so my time at the top was short. After packing up and heading down to the truck, it took awhile to find the best way out of the sandy wash, as I didn’t want to go back the way I came. Once on pavement, I turned the truck south and headed to my next climb.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-218

Date:18/01/2025 |  Summit:W6/SD-218 (Watkins Benchmark)

This summit is in Death Valley National Park, and as the name suggests, on the border of Nevada and California. I parked at a large gravel area off Daylight Pass Road, crossed the pavement and began my hike to the summit, weaving around various obstacles on the way. There is no use trail, but several rock cairns along the way helped guide my path. The landscape is ‘lumpy’, and I wasn’t sure exactly where the summit was; a topo map on my phone was heavily used to ensure I was chasing the right mountain. Once at the top I found a register and three benchmarks. I signed the log and setup a Yaesu 817 with a 10M EFHW antenna. Worked several stations, packed up my kit, then headed back the way I came.

https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/NS-196

Date:09/11/2024 |  Summit:W7N/NS-196 (CA/NV Boundary Monument 93) 

I camped at Stovepipe Wells for the night after driving in the dark from an earlier activation in Darwin, CA. I don’t recommend camping here. It’s a large RV lot near a gas station. There was LTE internet which was nice since I didn’t really plan my trip all that well. Had I known the vibe at Stovepipe, I would have much preferred to camp elsewhere, but it was too dark and the landscape is too vast to change plans. Anyways, at the first light of morning, I left camp and headed out to Skidoo to summit 6140. The trek out there is far and washboard dirt roads will fatigue you. From Skidoo road, I turned at 36.43317,-117.13375 and headed up a two track road to the summit, stopping at a large clearing right below the peak. I made some hot tea and walked the remainder of the elevation. I should have camped here! Maybe next time. Worked 10M and 15M CW with some good DX. After a successful activation I headed down to look for the old stamp mill and mine I saw in photographs, but never found it. You could spend all day out here looking around, but I hoped to activate another peak before the short November day was over.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-114

Date:08/11/2024 |  Summit:W6/ND-114 (6140)

This is a pretty easy summit to bag, I’m kinda surprised nobody activated it before. From daylight pass road, turn off onto a dirt road at 36.75049,-116.9366. You could probably start the hike from here. I went a bit down the road and found an area to park that was out of the way, and started my hike from there. I didn’t find a register or any benchmarks at the top. Worked 10m, and 17m CW. On the way down I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t follow the track I took on the way up. This lead me to hike the ridge line almost all the way back to the paved road, and from there backtracked to the truck. It made a nice loop which I enjoyed.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-250

Date:09/11/2024 |  Summit:W6/ND-250 (4403)