VE2/ES-009 Mont Sutton

On the last day of my trip to Montreal, I had the opportunity to drive around the Eastern Townships of Quebec to try for three peaks. First on the list was Mont Sutton, which Eric VA2EO recommended I try for its views of the Green Mountains of both Quebec and Vermont.

Nobody was present at the ticket booth to collect fees when I arrived early in the morning, so I’m not sure if an entry fee is normally required. The hike followed a one-way path that passed by a few beautiful mountain lakes, with separate trails for ascent and descent. The trail is well-maintained and there is plenty of signage to follow along to Round Top. Lake Vogel is a <0.1 mi detour that is well worth checking out!

This was a significant climb, with over 1400 feet of gain, with a round trip hike just under 5 miles. Close to the peak of Round Top, I crossed over into the Green Mountain Natural Reserve, POTA CA-2158. I was able to tie my mast to a fence post and set up my radio on a rocky vista point. The mosquitos were huge up here!

This was a great hike! I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area. I had a couple more hikes to go, so I hustled down the mountain to drive to the next spot: Mont Foster.

Trailhead/Parking: 45.09728, -72.54833 : Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton – PENS
Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
Route: 4.9 mile loop hike, including an out-and-back spur to the peak. About 1400 feet of gain.
POTA: CA-2158 Montagnes Vertes Nature Reserve

VE2/ML-004 Mont Royal

I was in Montreal for a conference and had some time to hike up to Mount Royal, which is something that I had always wanted to do, but did not have the chance when I first visited the city in 2011. A rather nasty heat wave was rolling over the east coast, so I made sure to take things slow. I brought my KX2 and AX1 loaded whip to keep the activation casual, since I assumed there would be a lot of people around.

I walked from my hotel in Chinatown to the edge of the Rue Peel steps, passing through McGill University on the way. From there, I took the famous stairs up. I guess it was about 400 steps, but there was plenty of tree cover so it was pleasant getting up.

At the top, I enjoyed the view for a time, then found the Olmstead Trail. I followed the trail until I found a bench within the activation zone. This gravel path was a bit out of the way from the heavy crowds at the café, so I could comfortably set up and operate for a while.

I had left my coax in the hotel room, so I had to connect the antenna directly to the radio and balance it next to me on the bench, letting the counterpoise hide along the plants off the trail. This ended up working just fine, though I had to stick around for a while to get my 10 contacts for the POTA credit. Shout out to Éric VA2EO who worked me on 40m and gave me advice on SOTA summits in the Montreal/Eastern Townships area that made this trip so successful! I also appreciate the duo WA3TVH and KA3JNU who chased me on 40m at the very end of the activation, and appear to be a POTA-chasing couple from eastern PA, much like the esteemed W0MNA and W0ERI beloved by SOTA activators.

Trailhead: 45.50455, -73.58182 : The steps at the intersection of Peel and Pine
Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
Route: 2.3 mile loop hike up the staircase and around the park, about 400 steps in the staircase.
POTA: CA-0511 Mont Royal Regional Park

W3/ER-001 Mercer County HP

I had been eyeing this SOTA peak for a long time, because it’s the only one in the W3/ER region. Activating it means finishing an entire SOTA region in one fell swoop. This would also be a complete since I have chased Nick WN2G on his activation last year.

Harry W3YJ, who manages University of Pittsburgh’s famous repeater and grew up in Mercer County, came along for a SOTA/POTA day. We drove up to the spot that Jody K3JZD recommends just to the south of Hendersonville Road. This gravel area is home to a gas tank and a couple roads go to trails around the area. This spot is already in the activation zone, so this peak is a drive-on. I got my wire up and started calling CQ.

Moments after scoring my 4th QSO, a small bulldozer pulled in. The guy driving it pulled by and asked what I was doing, and I gave the usual explanation and asked if he was the landowner. He said he owns some land nearby, but not land the high point is on. He added that “nobody really cares” if you hike around the trails there.

He was there to pick up an antique crude oil tank on his property and give it to a cousin of his who wanted it for her house. This region of PA, especially around Oil Creek, was the site of an oil rush in the 19th century. These tanks are common given the region’s oil boom history. There was a small family gathering getting this tank transferred to a pickup truck bed, and they did a good job – no fingers were crushed! Chatting with them, we learned that there are at least two plaques claiming to be the county high point in different spots.

W3YJ is a photographer for the Pitt marching band and football team and took some rare shots of me in CW-mode. He didn’t bring his fancy cameras, but he definitely knows how to get a good shot from a phone camera. I’m still learning how to use the Ham2K PoLo logger, but I’m liking how easy it makes uploading the log at the end of the day.

This was unusually eventful for a SOTA drive-on. Afterwards, we went to nearby Maurice K. Goddard State Park (US-1381) for a laid-back POTA activation at a picnic pavilion. Here you can see Harry and his portable dipole.

Trailhead/Parking: 41.31208, -80.05429 : South side of Hendersonville Road
Route: This is a drive on, but the actual high point is a short hike away.
POTA: None, though US-1381 Maurice K. Goddard State Park is not far away.

W3/SV-003 Schaefer Head

Schaefer Head is a distinct peak visible from Blue Knob State Park, nearly 3000 feet in elevation, making it one of the highest peaks in the state, though it pokes out from the shadow of Blue Knob. It is often done in conjunction with W3/SV-001 Blue Knob, but I had not yet attempted it due to confusion over which route to take up. The folks on Peakbagger describe an approach from the west side of the peak, while Jim AC3B had plotted a route along the trails from the south. This network of ATV trails can be confusing. Dale N3HXZ recently posted some waypoints that Jim had shared with him, and these were an essential guide for this trip. I went here directly after tackling W3/SV-010 Evitts Mtn.

I parked at Mount Hope Church near Pavia and walked across the state highway to a gravel road passing along the right side of a farm field. The road itself appears to be access to this network of trails, and was not posted or gated, so it looked okay to hike on to me. The ATV trails were overgrown with summer vegetation, up to 4 feet in places! It felt like a fool’s errand, trudging through a tick’s paradise, but I kept going, hoping for some relief.

Within the activation zone, the growth dropped substantially and there was now a pleasant, shaded area to look for a spot to activate. The trail seemed to curve around the high point itself, so I decided to take advantage of the open space to put up my wire and get to work. There was no need to add any off-trail bushwhacking to this hike.

I got two S2S contacts: WB2FUV in the Catskills for the second time today, and K2CPT also in NY, but in the Adirondacks. Walking back, the humid sky had some enormous clouds hanging in it. This was a good trip, though if I return, it will be in the cooler months when the trails would have less stuff growing on them.

Trailhead: 40.31680, -78.5724 : Across the road from Mount Hope Church
Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
Route: 2.1 mile RT hike on ATV trails, about 600 feet of ascent.
POTA: None

W3/SV-010 Evitts Mtn

This summit is on private property, so you have to be sure to get permission. The landowner, Steve, who manages access to the top is friendly and curious about amateur radio after letting a number of hams go up over the years. I got Steve’s contact info from Dale N3HXZ. He’s generally fine with people coming up, as long as it’s not during hunting season (there’s a hunting club somewhere up the mountain) and access to the gate at the end of Black Bear Lane is not blocked.

After agreeing to show Steve my radio when I was finished, I parked to the side of the yellow gate and started walking up. Mountain laurel was in full bloom. The trail was shaded, and being above 1800 feet of elevation, I was on the lookout for timber rattlesnakes. I didn’t see any today, but Steve did mention I should be careful. The jeep trail goes to a black gate, and continues onward from there.

The ground gets more sandy as you climb, opening up into a wide sand pit. There would be lots of space to put an antenna up here, but it was just under the activation zone. I kept climbing to the actual peak and there was a strong breeze along the more open ridge with plenty of space to put up an antenna mast. I believe I stopped just short of the peak, since I did not come across the hunting club.

I got four S2S contacts: N1CLC in AZ, KE5AKL in NE, N0QLR in VA, and WB2FUV NY. I hiked down and chatted with Steve for a while. Radios reminded him of the how characters in the apocalypse film Reign of Fire (2002, top billing shared by Mathew McConaughey and Christian Bale) coordinated their assault on Earth-conquering dragons. Sounds like a wild time – it’s going on the movie night list!

Trailhead: 40.14132, -78.49662 : At the yellow gate at the end of Black Bear Lane, a gravel road.
Map: [AA3TZ SOTA]
Route: 2.2 mile RT hike on a Jeep trail, about 550 feet of steady ascent.
POTA: None