Activation Report : Horse Ridge - W7O/CE-176

I wasn't sure if I was going to get out to activate this weekend due to the rain in the forecast but things cleared up and it began to warm up so I decided to check out the Horse Ridge activation. I've ridden mountain bikes in the area quite a bit but mostly on the Northern slope of the area. The activation zone is on the southern most ridge, on the opposite side of the Golden Valley as its knows to the local riders. Looking at Google maps I planned to approach from the east via a double track that looked accessible from road 2015 but as I turned onto the double track I noticed the Private Property signs.  I continued up the road until I got to a gate and a lot of shelled out old RV's and decided it was a good turn around point. 

Planned route (red) wasn't accessible due to private property

I pulled up the SOTA Goat App and found a spot to park off of Ford Rd. that was about a 1/2 mile below the activation zone and decided to use my GPS to guide me to the summit.

The hike up started out pretty loose and soft sand, but become more stable but rocky at the tree line.  It took me about 30 mins to get to the top and another 15 to find a spot and setup.

I found an old fence post that made a perfect hitching post for my telescopic pole so I hung the 20 meter wire, assembled my chair and assembled the kit.  

The contacts came slowly and I struggled a bit copying callsigns but brought a new tool with me this week, a Sony digital recorder with the idea that if I didn't copy the calls after a couple of attempts I could review once at home. This turned out to be a great idea and helped me relax a bit.

I made a total of 5 contacts, 4 on 20 and 1 on 40. I tried my hand on 17 but nothing heard. 

After about 90 minutes I decided to pack it in and head back down the hill to the truck. The hike down only took about 17 minutes. Watch you step, there is plenty of opportunity to trip on a rock.