Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Activating Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065)

by Micah (N4MJL)

Emboldened by my successful activation of W7U/SL-022 (7,500ft MSL) a week earlier, I decided to up my SOTA game and try to activate Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065).

Grandeur Peak is located in the Wasatch Range (POTA Entity US-4398) just to the east of Salt Lake City. It is approximately three ridges south of my last weeks SOTA activation. Which you can read about here.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, that should be true for climbing a mountain right?……

After conducting an area study, I decided to take the “West Ridge Route” it is a short 2.2 mile trail to the top of Grandeur Peak. Some of the comments on the hiker forums described this route as “undoubtedly one of the steepest hikes on the Wasatch Front.” Another commenter said, “this short but brutally-steep hike gains over 3,300ft elevation in a mere 2.2 miles to reach the summit. Adding up to just a 4.4-mile round trip, this is a quick jaunt for the most accomplished climbers.”

Reading in between the lines I deduced that this was a short 2.2 mile jaunt to the top, with a bit of elevation gain. After all, we know how these drama queens…I mean hikers…sometimes embellish hiking stories. Either way, this looked like a good way to stretch my legs after flying almost 8 hours the day before. There was a significantly longer trail with lots of switchbacks and more gentle elevation gain, that I could take, but I’m a millennial and delayed gratification is apparently not a strong suit for me. Looking at the SOTA page for this summit, it had only one QSO logged this year, even though this summit had been activated 14 times since April 2011.

On the morning of 25 August 2024 I got up at 0700 and packed up my REI Flash 22 day pack. I was taking with me a full 2 liter hydration pack along with 2 more 1 liter water bottles (4L water total), along with assorted snacks and electrolyte additives. Based on my last SOTA activation in the area, I decided I should bring some emergency gear just in case. I brought my trusty Surefire EdCL2-t flashlight [QRPer affiliate link], a few raps of duck-tape around a stick of chapstick, a box of matches, and a few feet of toilet paper. After all some things just happen, like the effects of coffee on an empty stomach. Don’t leave without toilet paper.

Since the temperature in Salt Lake City was projected to be around 85F, I decided to bring a flannel shirt and wool cap for the summit. There is virtually no humidity in UT and the temperature at 8,300ft could easily be 15 degrees cooler with possible wind chill. I’m bad enough sending CW without being chilled.

My radio gear consisted of the following:

Rig: Elecraft KH-1
Ant: SOTABeams Band Hopper III (resonate on 40\30\20)
Key: BaMakey TP-III
Mast: SOTAbeams Tactical Mini 19.6ft
Battery: Bioenno 12v 3Ah (just in case)

During my 15 minute Uber ride from the hotel to grandeur Peak West face parking lot my driver was incredulous that anyone of sound mind would ever voluntarily climb such a mountain. He was convinced that I was going to be eaten by mountain lions.

After my first 5 minutes on the trail I started to question whether or not I actually was of sound mind.

After 15 minutes on the trail I began to think that there may have been some truth to what was written on the hiker forums about this trail.

After 30 minute on the trail I was definitely working through the five stages of grief!

1) Denial: how was I sooo stupid to be hiking straight up a mountain
2)Anger: I’m an idiot for NOT listening to those hiker forums
3)Bargaining: if I can just make it ten more feet further I’ll take another selfie
4)Depression: if I don’t get to the top, I won’t have a selfie at the summit and I’ll never get a dopamine rush from public accolades.

Seriously, the first 0.8 mile was brutal. The trail was completely straight up the ridge, and it was all loose gravel with little to no vegetation to stabilize the trail. If I started to slide down, I would be sliding aloooong way down. My plan if I tripped or started to slide was to go flat on my stomach like a star fish In hopes of stopping my down hill slide. I tried to get pictures to show how “brutal” this section of the climb really was. Unfortunately, pictures really don’t do justice.

It’s a 3,346 ft elevation gain in 2.2 miles; what more needs to be said? Looking ahead, I realized that if I could make it a bit further up, the mountain started to look more green indicating some shrubbery. I hoped this meant the trail would stabilize for me. Being young and bullet proof, I pushed on. Continue reading Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range →

Activating W7U/SL-022 on a Layover

by Micah (N4MJL)

As an airline pilot, I’m always on the lookout for POTA/SOTA sites that are near me when I have long layovers in different cities across the country. Salt Lake City, Utah is no exception. I always carry a modest assortment of ham radio gear with me when I travel.

I jumped at the chance to knock out a SOTA and POTA activation when a 23 hour layover showed up on my schedule for Salt Lake City. A month earlier, I was in Salt Lake City on a shorter overnight, and I had scouted out a SOTA activation for W7U/SL-022 which is located just to the east of Salt Lake City inside the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, which happens to be POTA US-4398.

I plotted my route on Gaia GPS–a free app that I highly recommend.

My route to the summit started at the Natural History Museum of Utah and would be a 5.6 mile one way ruck up to the summit with 2,800+ ft Ascent. I would leave the museum heading towards the Living Room trail head, but then branch off towards Mount Wire.

Mount Wire has an elevation of 7,110ft MSL and provides incredible views of Salt Lake City. Once you make it to the fire tower located at Mount Wire your ascent is almost over. However you still have another 3.1 miles traversing the ridge line before reaching the real summit located at 7,500ft MSL. The activation zone is very easy to determine since it is at the very end of the ridge line.

Sunday morning (11 August 2024) I got up at 0700 and packed up my REI Flash 22 day pack. I was taking with me a full 2 liter hydration pack along with 2 more 1 liter water bottles (4L water total), along with assorted snacks and electrolyte additives.

My radio gear consisted of the following:

I scheduled an action for both SOTA and POTA on their websites. I knew from my previous trip here that I would have cell reception to at least Mount Wire, but I wasn’t taking any chances that I may not have cell reception on the summit. I would be depending on the reverse beacon network to get me spotted.

I also made sure I sent my wife and my captain my planned route, and when I should be back in contact with them. After all, this was going to be a solo 12 mile ish round trip with some modest elevation gain. I am an experienced backpacker, and I am not going to take unnecessary risks without a backup plan.

It was a beautiful day to go hiking. It was forecast to be 93F in Salt Lake City that afternoon. I live in Virginia where the humidity is absolutely gross when it’s 93F, but out here, there is essentially no humidity which makes it very pleasant.

Not to mention up in the mountains it’s typically about 15 degrees cooler. Rucking up the gully, there is some shade on the way up the Living Room trail, but once you get out of the gully heading up to Mount Wire you will be in direct sun for the majority of the ruck.

Mount Wire has amazing 360 view of the area at 7,110ft MSL. The fire watch tower is a favorite location for some “extra curricular activities” from the local college kids. It affords amazing views of the city. The tower also represents the end of the strenuous elevation gain for this hike. The picture above shows the ridge that I will now follow for the next 3.1 miles to the real summit of 7,500ft MSL. Continue reading →