Winchester Mtn Lookout SOTA w, WU7 H and my second CW contact

Winchester Mountain Lookout was a dramatic hike with views of Twin Lakes, Mount Larrabee, and other surrounding mountains. The hike is 3. 4 miles and 1, 300 feet of gain, and I tracked a little longer due to last remnants of snow right before the trailhead in July. The last 2. 5 miles of road to the trailhead require a high clearance vehicle (see WTA trail link below for more road info, including alternate parking). This was my first planned joint Summit on the Air (SOTA) amateur radio activation with Josh WU7H, and it was a first time hike for the both of us. Greatly enjoyed the time together, and his help with my 2nd CW contact (and the next Having a mountain goat visit the summit, and check out a SOTA goat s CW skills was classic (: Due to summit location mostly surrounded by mountains, VHF, UHF radio comments may be tough unless you have a directional antenna and more than 5 watts of power. Overall, a beautiful area to enjoy the and play a little amateur ra