27 May 2019
Someday I might be able to find myself an "easy" hike. Today was another activation where I deceived myself into believing the topographic map didn't look that bad. Heavy rain on the hour drive to the trailhead... it will pass..?
40.846806 -112.499111
The highest point on Stansbury Island is known as Castle Rock and stands 6,649' (2,027m) high. It had yet to be activated for Summits On The Air (SOTA) and I deemed it my duty to remedy on this Memorial Day. So at 6 a.m. I left home for the one hour and twenty minute drive. South on I-15 and then west on I-80. I could not drive the posted 80 MPH speed limit due to the amount of water pooling on the road from heavy rain the entire drive.
From westbound I-80 take Exit 84 and follow the signs for Stansbury Island. After the first railroad crossing the road turns to gravel that was in fairly decent shape the day I drove there. Follow the road for 7.3 miles, across a causeway to the actual 'island'.
There are a few turnouts with instructions for those going out there to target shoot. Just stay on the road until you come to the no trespassing sign. You can keep going north on the road but property on either side of the road from that point is private and off limits.
Turn right before the no trespassing sign and drive as far as you feel comfortable taking your vehicle. The road quickly gets very steep and is meant for four wheel drive only vehicles.
**From wherever you park here just follow the barbed wire fence steeply uphill, staying south of the fence and out of the private land, until you reach the bench of the ancient Lake Bonneville shoreline. From here the journey is relatively easy as it undulates north on contour. In the washes of the hillside you have to navigate down and uphill a couple times. I just followed the paths made from herding cows to find the path of least resistance in those sections to quickly get back up on the bench.
At what I considered to be the halfway point along the bench and at the point to turn upslope, I had to make a decision. I stopped to have a snack and water and realized I only brought a liter of water and one granola bar. Hindsight being what it is, I should have turned around at the halfway point. Actually, I did. I walked back 1/10 a mile and decided to hike up the backside of the slope I was going around, just to see how far it really looked from the ridgeline, knowing full well if I made it up there nothing would stop me from going the rest of the way (short of lightning). The lack of calories on the return resulted in heavy feeling feet and lazy legs causing me to stumble and fall several times. Luckily nothing serious but it could have been.
I finally made the summit around 11:40 am, way past my goal of 10 am. Unsure of if the weather was going to hold I wasted no time in setting up my radio and antenna to get this summit on the air. On my handheld radio I heard Gary, W7GA, calling me. After a quick chat I had my first contact of the day. An hour later I had 25 contacts in my log book, 2 summit-to-summit contacts (AC1Z in Georgia and KD0YOB in Colorado).
I only saw one other hiker my entire trip. Other than the occasional low rumble of a freight train crossing the valley, it was a very quiet hike, aside for a lot of birds chirping as the sun began to break through the clouds. The rain soaked grass held the precipitation well into the afternoon. My water resistant hiking boots did their best but by the time I reached the summit my feet were soaked. My feet felt waterlogged and raw by the time I was done. I don't mind hiking in the rain. It is somewhat peaceful in the quietness it provides, but dry feet are preferred.
**I would not have found the right approach to this hike if not for reading this article on the Girl on a Hike blog. Check out her page for this and other adventures to be had.
73, and safe hiking! AL
Someday I might be able to find myself an "easy" hike. Today was another activation where I deceived myself into believing the topographic map didn't look that bad. Heavy rain on the hour drive to the trailhead... it will pass..?
Getting There
The parking lot is located at:
40° 48' 40.6"N, 112° 31' 16.6"W
40.811264, -112.521281
Summit Info:
40° 50' 48.5"N, 112° 29' 56.8"W
The highest point on Stansbury Island is known as Castle Rock and stands 6,649' (2,027m) high. It had yet to be activated for Summits On The Air (SOTA) and I deemed it my duty to remedy on this Memorial Day. So at 6 a.m. I left home for the one hour and twenty minute drive. South on I-15 and then west on I-80. I could not drive the posted 80 MPH speed limit due to the amount of water pooling on the road from heavy rain the entire drive.
From westbound I-80 take Exit 84 and follow the signs for Stansbury Island. After the first railroad crossing the road turns to gravel that was in fairly decent shape the day I drove there. Follow the road for 7.3 miles, across a causeway to the actual 'island'.
Turn right before the no trespassing sign and drive as far as you feel comfortable taking your vehicle. The road quickly gets very steep and is meant for four wheel drive only vehicles.
The Hike
**From wherever you park here just follow the barbed wire fence steeply uphill, staying south of the fence and out of the private land, until you reach the bench of the ancient Lake Bonneville shoreline. From here the journey is relatively easy as it undulates north on contour. In the washes of the hillside you have to navigate down and uphill a couple times. I just followed the paths made from herding cows to find the path of least resistance in those sections to quickly get back up on the bench. At what I considered to be the halfway point along the bench and at the point to turn upslope, I had to make a decision. I stopped to have a snack and water and realized I only brought a liter of water and one granola bar. Hindsight being what it is, I should have turned around at the halfway point. Actually, I did. I walked back 1/10 a mile and decided to hike up the backside of the slope I was going around, just to see how far it really looked from the ridgeline, knowing full well if I made it up there nothing would stop me from going the rest of the way (short of lightning). The lack of calories on the return resulted in heavy feeling feet and lazy legs causing me to stumble and fall several times. Luckily nothing serious but it could have been.
I finally made the summit around 11:40 am, way past my goal of 10 am. Unsure of if the weather was going to hold I wasted no time in setting up my radio and antenna to get this summit on the air. On my handheld radio I heard Gary, W7GA, calling me. After a quick chat I had my first contact of the day. An hour later I had 25 contacts in my log book, 2 summit-to-summit contacts (AC1Z in Georgia and KD0YOB in Colorado).
Gear:
Trekking Poles
1 Liter of H2O
Rain jacket & Gortex pants, gaiters on the way down
Should have brought: more water and snacks
Radio Gear:
HF: Mountain Topper 3-bander
Antenna: SOTAbeams, Linked dipole (40, 30, 20 meters)
HT: Kenwood DH-72; APRS only worked from the ridgeline, not from the west side of the island.
The hike was about 8 miles round trip. The descent took just under two hours. After hitting the trail at 7 am, I was back at my car at 3 pm. It was a long day hiking and time for the hour drive home. **I would not have found the right approach to this hike if not for reading this article on the Girl on a Hike blog. Check out her page for this and other adventures to be had.
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| Stansbury Island in the rain, looking from the causeway |
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| Castle Peak in the distance, just left of the top of my antenna. |
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| Castle Peak playing peekaboo in the clouds. |
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| My ham shack for the day with great view of the lake. |
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| Looking SW from the summit |
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| Looking south from the summit after the clouds finally lifted. |
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