SOTA

Wrapping up a long-standing project - activating Mount Tallac aka W6/SN-036. As I’ve mentioned in my post about Mt. Umunhum activation earlier this year Tallac was on my list for a while. It is one of my favorite hikes in California, challenging enough but still doable as a day trip.

Initially my plan was to do a winter activation - I’ve been on the summit on the 1st of January 2019 after celebrating New Year with friends in a cabin near Tahoe lake. While definitely strenuous the hike didn’t throw anything at me I could not overcome.

In February 2021 things were different.

ARRL winter field day! Time to get out to the Nature and work portable! Which is how I do it all the time duh.

My initial plan for the field day was to drive to the Tahoe area and try activating Mt. Tallac. Weather made corrections - Northern California had been pummeled by rain and snow that week and I decided to wait for snow to set before making an attempt.

Safe and easy plan B I fell back to is activating Mount Umunhum aka W6/CC-052.

Due to the fact that the mountain had been closed to visitors until recently it is not featured in popular culture as frequently as other prominent Bay Area peaks.

And yet another SOTA report from the Bay Area - this time it is about Montara mountain with its highest point - Scarper peak also known as W6/NC-288.

It may be of a surprise to you but european explorers were oblivious of San Francisco bay existence for quite a while. For example Sir Francis Drake most likely stopped to careen his ships in what is now called Drakes bay during his 1579 circumnavigation voyage and search for a North-west passage. English later were trying to use his landing to dispute Spanish and American claims on California.

Only in 1769 Juan Gaspar de Portola and his companions discovered the Bay. The monument commemorating this event is located on the Sweeney ridge trail hugging Montara mountain from the north.

I’m back with a new report - I had quite a bit of fun in the North Bay last November activating Mount Tamalpais aka W6/CC-063.

The mountain is a birthplace of mountain biking and had been mentioned in The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac - the book made me fall in love and eventually move in with California.

Also this is the place where apes from Dawn of the planet of the Apes live.

Hey-hey, buckle up for yet another SOTA activation report! This time our guest is Mount Diablo aka W6/CC-045.

Need to confess - as a kid I spent an unhealthy amount of time playing Diablo and Diablo II games. Dark atmosphere, fast paced real time isometric combat and RPG elements made for an ideal mix. While I could spend more time studying instead of wasting time playing games there is hardly any other piece of media that made me wish to become a software engineer more. Well, maybe Might & Magic VI. And also probably Doom. But Diablo is definitely one of the trinity.

Why do I mention that? Because Diablo game had been named after Mount Diablo. Don’t trust me, check David Brevik talking about the game.