Up until this summit I may have been logging my QSOs wrong. After 00:00 UTC, the activation starts over and chasers can claim additional points with another QSO.

Mount Lukens is the highest point in the city of Los Angeles. I started the bike ride up at Grizzly Flats trailhead off Hwy 2. At the fork in the fire road, stay left. (Going right brings you to Hoyt Mountain). The fire road narrows, eventually turning into a single track. This leads up to the main road up to the summit.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-030

(Update 05-09-2022 – a server migration, plugin and php update revealed the timestamps on this .gpx file are broken. I’ve added fake times so this page renders correctly)

Date:27/Feb/2020 Summit:W6/CT-030 (Mount Lukens) 

Date:28/Feb/2020 Summit:W6/CT-030 (Mount Lukens) 

UPDATE! First activation of 2021, 2nd activation of Lukens – Biked up Lukens the same way as I had done last year, via Grizzly Flats. This is a super fun ride. Kel, eBun, and Tim rode up with me for this quick activation. I foolishly didn’t bring my HT, so I couldn’t self spot. No cellphone service. There was also high wind, so I just worked 2M FM as I didn’t want to struggle with the HF antenna. RF is extremely high on the summit, which causes the radio to struggle.

Date:09/01/2021 | Summit:W6/CT-030 (Mount Lukens)

Edit – December 5th, 2022. There was a fire lookout tower on Lukens, the info below was taken from firetower.org without permission of any kind.

http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/ca/mount-lukens-lookout-site/

Description

The original Mount Lukens structure was built in 1922 and burned in a wildfire in late 1933. The structure was replaced in some time after that with a California Region 5 Plan 4AR on a 10 foot open timber tower.

Reports suggest the lookout structure was dismantled and moved to Josephine Peak in 1935. San Rafael Lookout opened in 1934 and covered much of the same area. Photos of the Josephine Peak Lookout suggest a new structure was built there and the Mount Lukens structure was not used.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-163

Date:28/Feb/2020 Summit:W6/CT-163 (Yerba Buena Ridge)

Deep snow made hiking up difficult. I took a different way down which was much easier. I now know what show shoes are for. Tracks below is round trip; I got a tip on what could be a better way up. Made my first SOTA contact on 6M. Met SOTA Hal in person at the end of my activation.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-014

Date:24/Jan/2020 Summit:W6/CT-014 (Kratka Ridge)

I hiked up to Strawberry Peak on a Saturday with some friends. Turns out that this is a very popular hike among Los Angeles denizens. I would do this again, on a weekday as the summit was crowded with noisy folks at one point. I made several contacts on 2M, including two summit to summit contacts. 20M seemed dead (spotted over APRS). I tried 40M, got nothing but later found out my spot didn’t make it out.

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

Date:11/Jan/2020 Summit:W6/CT-018 (Strawberry Peak) 

I almost dismissed this summit as another SOTA activator I spoke with said this hike wasn’t worth it, but after going the trail up the trail myself, I would respectfully disagree. Most of the hike is under shady trees, making it ideal for a summer getaway from the city. The summit offers several nice sitting rocks and great views. The trail is difficult to follow at times, so downloading the tracks below for your GPS may be helpful. 73!

https://summits.sota.org.uk/summit/W6/CT-098

(Update 05-09-2022 – a server migration, plugin and php update revealed the timestamps on this .gpx file are broken. I’ve added fake times so this page renders correctly)

Date:09/Jan/2020 Summit:W6/CT-098 (Occidental Peak)

This is probably the easiest SOTA activation I’ve done to date. Next time I activate this peak I may bring heavier equipment! There is a road all the way to a Nike missile site (LA-94), then a short walk up to the benchmark, which reads Camp 9. Be aware that you need to drive through the fire camp, which consists of buildings on both sides of the road leading to the top. When I activated this summit, there were several fire fighters training in the road, but nobody seemed to mind that I was there. I setup my station near the benchmark and made several contacts on 2M and 20M. 40M was very quiet. Thanks to all the chasers!

https://summits.sota.org.uk/summit/W6/CT-158

Date:03/Jan/2020 Summit:W6/CT-158 (4020) 

Another day off work means another SOTA activation. I had Josephine Peak on my radar because there is a fire road all the way to the top, which means I could ride a bike up to the summit. I made it a bit over a mile up the road before I needed to stop and walk. After that it was intermittent riding/ pushing. There are several switchbacks which make the grade a bit easier, but these obviously add quite a bit of distance to the route – something I didn’t think about when starting this activation. At the top of the summit there is evidence of a fire lookout tower, and a small shelter for radio equipment. I made a surprising amount of contacts on 2M given it was a Tuesday; 20M and 40M felt quiet but I still managed a few contacts on each. It got cold and dark quickly, so I tore the station down and headed to my car which was parked on highway 2. The downhill ride was fast; I was on both brakes hard the entire way to maintain a reasonable speed. Overall, this was a fun activation.

2020 activation report here.

https://summits.sota.org.uk/summit/W6/CT-025

(Update 05-09-2022 – a server migration, plugin and php update revealed the timestamps on this .gpx file are broken. I’ve added fake times so this page renders correctly)

Date:10/Dec/2019 Summit:W6/CT-025 (Josephine Peak) 

Edit – December 5th, 2022. Description and photos of the lookout tower from firetower.org, used without permission.

http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/ca/josephine-peak-lookout-site/

Description

Josephine Peak Lookout was constructed in 1935, a California Region 5 Plan BC-301 on a short, open timber tower.

Some stories suggest the structure was moved from Mount Lukens but the photos of that lookout suggest an earlier design, Plan 4AR.

The lookout was burned in the 1975 Big Tujunga Fire and not replaced.