K7JTO: Geological

In pouring over SOTA Maps a couple years ago, I noticed a location where three 8-point peaks were in close proximity:

W7U/BO-002 - an unnamed peak "9335,"
W7U/NU-045 - George Peak, and
W7U/BO-001 - Bull Mountain

After three attempts and hours on Google Earth, I finally figured out how to get up there. This post is an attempt to make the directions more clear for others--with luck, this can be a 24-point day!

I first activated George and Bull back in 2018. Didn't make it back until ARRL's 2020 Field Day, when I activated 9335 and George the day before Field Day, and participated in Field Day from Bull Mountain (until the wind hit sustained gusts over 40 mph and thunder and lightening "appeared" in the imminent forecast).

The Route

Google Maps and most of the other online maps really don't understand how to get here. Plus, jeep trails and routes on maps in real life end up either 1) completely faded and overgrown or 2) on private land. So finding a safe, feasible, legal way to get up there was a challenge! In short, it's a series of Forest Service roads as you leave Standrod, UT:

From Snowville, UT head west to Standrod
From Standrod, take FS 005 south
At the "T" take FS 011

FS 011 is not for the faint-hearted and absolutely requires 4WD (4L, in fact). At times, I locked my rear diff to get through steep sections with loose rock (rock, not gravel - rock).

"9335"

As you hit the top of the mountain, you'll see 9335 in the distance. Park anywhere that's safe (there's a lot of undergrowth, so don't take risks and cause this place to burn), and head up to 9335. This is the view from 011 about 1/2 mile south of where I parked to activate 9335 in 2020.

For 9335, you're above treeline so mostly it's sagebrush, grasses, some flowers, and a whole lotta cow pies. The hike up is just walking over, around or through sage. There is a fence line that cuts the actual summit off - I was on the "wrong" side of the fence line but well within the 250' activation zone, so I activated just west of the actual summit.

George Peak

Your next adventure will be George Peak. You'll still be in 4L for this, for sure! Continue east on 011 until it turns south. It'll connect first with 022 and then with 009.

Follow 009 to the southwest all the way until you hit George Peak. You'll come to a gate (might be closed, might be open) and signs about a private hunting club. You are allowed to pass through but you must stay on the road.

The route is mostly road, with a lot of grass and sage.

The views are, however, amazing -- you can see the Great Salt Lake, Promontory Point, even Antelope Island off in the distance.

If you've programmed the coordinates into your GPS, you'll find George Peak easily. On the map, the flat spot on the ridge appears to be the same altitude as the peak in the distance, so it's unclear which is the actual peak.

This either is, or is not, George Peak.

And yet this either is, or is not, George Peak. For the sake of SOTA (and since Bull is literally a drive-up), I activate the craggy peak each time.

One geological survey marker is good, but...

Two must be better :)

Panoramic view from George Peak looking from west to north to east (panning from 270 to 0 to 90 compass degrees). Not a lot of trees up here, but very green.

Bull Mountain

The final "peak" in this hat trick is Bull Mountain. I'm always torn up about this one - honestly, the road literally drives across the summit--how do you consider it activated? It's a moral dilemma but for the purists, you can park somewhere and hike a ways in.

The area around Bull Mountain is incredibly beautiful, with plenty of grassland and some wildflowers.

Not a bad place to watch the sun set!

Bull Mountain itself? Not so much special, just a grassy area where cows like to munch.

This is my SOTA setup for Field Day 2020. I lasted about 6 hours in this spot, after moving here around 10 am. By 3 PM the winds were blowing my antennas down and literally lifting half of my rooftop tent. Tuning into the Weather Service forecast, it was obvious I needed to beat a hasty retreat!

Overall, this 24-point "hat trick" is a fun trip with a couple nice peaks and a flat area that's amazing for propagation. There are other peaks nearby, so the area still has some opportunities for exploration. It's neat to have first activations on all three summits but I hope these directions help other SOTA enthusiasts get out and visit this range. Let's not make it too popular, but more people should have the chance to enjoy the incredible views up here!

- 72 de K7JTO

In December 2015, my wife and I both put in for the lottery for passes to hike The Wave (www.thewave.info), a geological formation in Arizona (approached from Utah--so we kinda claim it as ours). We won the lottery for a date in April, and this is as detailed of a trip report as I can come up with. I found as I was preparing for the trip that there's not a lot of great info

Getting There

There are several steps to "getting there" to hike The Wave:

You need a pass to get in. The area is so incredibly photogenic and such an amazing geological formation that people would overrun it if it wasn't controlled. Therefore the Bureau of Land Management limits entry to 20 hikers per day - 10 by a quarterly lottery and 10 by a daily lottery at their office. We tried for nearly two years to get in - your mileage may vary.
Once you have passes, you need to actually get to the Wave. The trailhead is about 9 miles down an "unimproved" gravel road, which is about 40 miles east of Kanab Utah. If you're into camping, there are unimproved camp sites all along the road, and at the Utah/Arizona border there is a formal campground. If you're into hot water and a comfy bed, Kanab is your closest option (unless you're coming from the East, in which case Page may be an option). Kanab is Utah's most recently "discovered" city and, as such, has several new hotels as of 2016, to fit even the most demanding guest. We stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites and loved it - great people, great rooms, good rates.
Get ready for danger. The Wave is a 100% exposed hike - there isn't significant elevation gain (maybe 400 feet total) but it is exposed and, for the most part, on red and orange slick rock. We hiked in 60 degree weather and I still drained a 70-ounce CamelBak. Bring:

Water (and lots of it)
A wide-brimmed hat (it's not about the looks, cowgirl)
Sunscreen (and lots of it)
Sunglasses (the darker, the better)

The trail isn't significantly rugged. I hiked it in low-top hiking shoes and never had an issue. Most of the trail is on slick rock or in sand.
Find a high-clearance vehicle. The road is unimproved - we were there in the "rainy" season, and approached the day after heavy rain had fallen. It was badly rutted. As it tuns out, a variety of two-wheel drive passenger cars ultimately made it to the trailhead (including a Honda Accord). I didn't want to chance it, so we ended up renting a four-wheel drive vehicle (Jeep Cherokee) from a Kanab-based rental company (Express Rent-A-Car http://www.xpressrentalcarofkanab.com/kanab-car-rental-rates.cfm). $150 a day was a bit high for what we got (a Cherokee with 98,000 miles - and you felt every one of those miles) but it was competitive with the alternative (renting from St. George and driving back and forth). Nonetheless it got us where we wanted to go, without incurring (or worrying about incurring) damage to our car. I suppose in the dry season, especially a few weeks after the last rain, any car can make it - the ruts will be knocked down and the road should be relatively flat (I wouldn't say "smooth"). But any other time, when rain is in the forecast, better safe than sorry. You'll cross several washes on the way in (a wash is where a stream crosses the road - or the road crosses a stream) which, during heavy rains, will become overrun with water flowing fast enough to sweep a car away.

Finding Your Way

Thanks to Google Maps - here's a map from Salt Lake City:

From Kanab, Utah head east on Route 89. The road will eventually bend left in a long sweeping curve, and shortly thereafter bend right in another long sweeping curve. After a short straightaway, the road takes a sharper left turn - this is where the trailhead cuts off, to the right. Go slow, it's a sharp turn!

House Rock Valley Road follows a canyon of sorts, south from 89 deep into the Vermillion Cliffs park. The drive in is gorgeous, especially after rains have fallen. The topography is green and, well, maybe not lush but pretty amazing for Utah's dry side! The drive itself is worth the trip from Kanab.

After what feels like 100 miles (at least in an old Cherokee), you'll get to a very obvious trailhead complete with BLM pit toilets. Park there on the west side of the road. The trail begins on the east side of the road.

The Approach

The BLM will provide you with an excellent photographic guide - color photos of what you should see as you approach and depart the Wave. DO NOT RELY on this alone - the way back can be confusing and it's easy to get lost! The BLM map includes GPS coordinates - invest in a GPS (don't use your phone, use a real GPS) and punch those coordinates in. This is a map from Topo Maps:

Note that the trail isn't as beeline-straight as the map shows. It wanders, but eventually you'll cross each point.

The trail starts out following a wash. After 1/2 a mile in the wash, it heads up a short, but steep, hill and the adventure truly begins. From here you will climb and descend over sand dunes as well as slick rock hills.

The rock formations are absolutely amazing - some look like topographic maps, some look like Jabba the Hutt. No kidding:

You're in for a treat, as you draw nearer and nearer to the Wave, the formations become more and more interesting. Nothing to prepare you for the natural beauty of the Wave, mind you, but still interesting in and of themselves.

It's difficult to tell from the topographic map, but the trail really is up, or down. There's not much flat to it. Combine this with high exposure, then throw high temperatures in (in the summer, it can reach and exceed 120 degrees in the afternoon), and layer on bright, reflective rock and you have a formula for disaster. PAY ATTENTION: people die here. They get dehydrated, disoriented, and lost. The BLM does not patrol the trail--you're at the mercy of other hikers, but if you stray far from the trail, even they can't help. Bring lots of water. Bring too much water, so you can share it with others. Leave the extra tripod or second camera body at home and bring extra water.

Pay close attention to the photographic guide from the BLM. It's easier to follow on the way in than the way out, and when you're returning you'll be tired. It's important to slow down, pay attention to your surroundings, and find the (few) brown markers the BLM has placed to help you find your way. Taking a little time to route find will save you a ton of time backtracking (no really, believe me - I have hundreds of days in the backcountry and even I had to "re-route" a few times on the way home).

Eventually you'll come down off some slick rock, just below what we called "The Sphinx" (see photo), across a wide sandy wash. Ahead of you is a steep sandy slope that eventually turns into slick rock. Start climbing - the Wave awaits you!

The Wave

OK--what is the wave? It's an amazing maze-like formation cut out of multi-layered, colorful sandstone. It's Y shaped, with the "V" part of the Y facing you as you approach (so the top of the Y is northward). The tail of the Y slopes up a steep wall, to a flat area about 100 feet above the Wave. Keep in mind this 3-d "Y" is cut into a solid mass of sandstone - thus exposing the various colors of each layer in the rock.

The other entrance to the wave is a quick backtrack out of this one. Head out, bear to the left around the hill outside the wave, climb up a few steps and you're entering the smaller top of the "Y".

As you can see, the Wave is just incredible. Geological forces stretched the rock, causing curves in the layers (almost like salt water taffy). It doesn't hurt to hike with someone as cute as my wife, either--it just enhances the sights!

After a short distance (25-30 feet) this section intersects with the rest of the "Y"

Walking around the Wave gives an amazing variety of views and experiences.

Finally, as you ascend the 'headwall' on the southern end of the Wave, you'll be rewarded with an ever-changing view, with fold after fold of rock:

K7JTO

Sunday, June 28, 2020

SOTA - Raft River Hat Trick