Parking is on Spunky Cyn Rd at 34 36.143 N 118 23.178 W. There is a large dirt turn out for parking and the trail starts on the south side of parking area. The trail starts as a dirt road.
After a short distance, you come to a fork. The left takes the STEEP, shorter route to the summit. I went to the right. The fork is located at 34 36.093 N 118 23.177 W.
Keep your eyes open for the next fork at 34 36.107 N 118 23.236 W. Take the trail to the left at the fork. The trail was in good shape. The first quarter mile or so had evidence of the recent heavy rains in the area. It appeared that the water ran down the center of the trail.
I took my time on the trail enjoying the cool, morning hike. There were nice views of the surrounding mountains/canyons, I stopped for a few geocaches along the way.
At 34 36.158 N 118 24.126 N is another fork at the ridge line. Take the trail to the left towards the summit. The trail is steep for a short distance as you approach a false summit.
When I arrived at the summit, Roxy was waiting for me, seated next to the summit log. I was surprised to find a bench on the summit. As I explored the summit, I found a rock bench that someone had made to enjoy the views.
I used the bench to set up my station. I recently purchased a KX3. My pack was much lighter, as I normally hike with the 857. I did have a few technical difficulties with the KX3 (operator error), as I had only had it out of the box once and I was unfamiliar with the functions. I did finally make a contact on 10m. It was a Summit to Summit with Wesley, N4QYI, who was in North Carolina on W4C/EM-011, Sugar Mountain. It is always fun to get a Summit to Summit.
There are nice views of the surrounding mountains and Boquet Cyn Reservoir. I could see Grass Mtn, W6/CT-130, a few miles away.
I signed the summit log before heading down the mountain via the old, STEEP, fire road on the S/E side of the summit. After a short distance, I turned and took a picture of the summit.
It took me just over an hour going up at a leisurely pace. On the way down, did I mention STEEP, it took about 25 minutes and was tough on the knees. I will study the KX3 manual before my next activation. In addition to the 10m contact, I made four contacts on 2m. Thank you chasers!
If you choose to hike this in the warm months, bring plenty of water and watch for rattlesnakes. This area is loaded with rattlers!
I made the following contacts:
2m - KB6WWI, NG6R, WD6FOX, N6JZT
10m - N4QYI
