ACØPR, ham radio blog: Bloomington Hill W7U/WS-123, Closest to Home

Cairn at the summit

I can see this summit from the kitchen window. The pictures make it look remote, but it's really "in town" and is the closet SOTA summit to where I live. Since I live in the desert, I save this one for very early in the year, the weather is perfect for hiking in January.

Trail report:

The hike can either begin at the base of the hill or up much higher. There is a road that goes up to near the end, although it is better suited for a jeep or ATV. Personally, I chose to start hiking from the base. There are numerous trails in the area, the road begins to the south of the power station. Once at the end of the road, a hiking/bike trail continues.

The most scenic route runs through the huge boulders slightly to the north. You eventually come up out of the boulders (following stacked cairns) to the top. There is another, more-traveled trail, but not as scenic.

For operating there is a very nice rock formation just to the southeast of the summit that provides nice wind protection and a place to set up. My second contact was John, ZL1BYZ, a regular chaser, but it's always a thrill to get him since he's in New Zealand. It was a good activation and a good hike up and back.

Date:18/01/2020 | Summit:W7U/WS-123 (Bloomington Hill) | Call Used:AC0PR | Points: 1 | Bonus: 0

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
18:39	NE4TN	14MHz	CW
18:40	ZL1BYZ	14MHz	CW
18:41	AB4PP	14MHz	CW
18:42	N5ZC	14MHz	CW
18:42	K3TCU	14MHz	CW
18:43	N4EX	14MHz	CW
18:43	W5ODS	14MHz	CW
18:44	W0MNA	14MHz	CW
18:44	WA2USA	14MHz	CW
18:44	W0ERI	14MHz	CW
18:45	VE2JCW	14MHz	CW
18:45	WW7D	14MHz	CW
18:46	N1AIA	14MHz	CW
18:46	WD9F	14MHz	CW
18:47	K4MF	14MHz	CW
18:48	KK0U	14MHz	CW
18:48	AC7P	14MHz	CW
18:49	N9IN	14MHz	CW
18:53	WA6MM	7MHz	CW
18:54	NW7E	7MHz	CW
18:54	KI6DS	7MHz	CW
18:55	W6IPA	7MHz	CW
18:56	N5ZC	7MHz	CW
18:56	N7LP	7MHz	CW
18:58	K1LB	7MHz	CW
18:58	K6QCB	7MHz	CW
18:59	K6YK	7MHz	CW