Deseret Peak (W7U/NU-025) and "10685" (W7U/TO-002) SOTA Activation by KH7AL

11 Aug 2019
Unbelievably, almost two months had passed since the last time I went hiking. With a busy summer drawing to a close I felt the urge to refresh my perspective that I can only get from sitting on top of a summit.  And looking to make up for lost time I decided to tackle 

'10658' in the early morning light.

two summits in one day. After a bit of research I settled on Deseret Peak that sits prominently west of Tooele, UT on the Stansbury Range. From my front porch, looking southwest, Deseret Peak stands as a distant backdrop of all the mountains at approximately 55 miles away as the crow flies. Time to get after it

Getting There

From Salt Lake City head west on I-80 to exit 99, going south on Highway 36. Take a right on UT-138 towards Grantsville, then left (south) on Mormon Trial road for a few miles. Turn right on South Willow Road following signs to Loop Campground, for seven miles. At the end of the loop you will find the trailhead (TH). This is a fee area so make sure you visit the pay station before hitting the trail.

The parking lot is located at:

40°28'58.7"N 112°36'23.5"W

40.482961, -112.606524

Summit Info (Deseret Peak):

SOTA data

40°27'34.8"N 112°37'35.0"W

40.459668 -112.626382

Summit Info (10685):

SOTA data

40°29'10.5"N 112°37'48.8"W

40.486247 -112.630226

The Hike

Green goodness.

I arrived at the TH right at 6 a.m. and needed my headlamp for the first 30 minutes of the hike. I chose to tackle the Deseret Trail loop in the clockwise direction. After heading south from the TH for about a half a mile you will come to 'Y'. Go left to cross the creek. Immediately after the creek is another junction. Stay left as the right turn is the return path, unless you want to take the trail counter clockwise (then go right). 

Staying left the trail progresses steadily uphill passing through 

Oh, deer.

several sub-alpine pastures. They were abundant in wild flowers when I hiked this trail. I also came across several groupings of deer snacking on the lush green grasses. I even saw several plump grouse as I neared the saddle, which is just about 10,000', southeast of Deseret. Once on the ridgeline I was hit by a strong and cold southwest wind. It didn't take long for me to drop my pack and dig out my lightweight jacket to counteract the windchill. From the saddle it is a moderate and steady progression up the ridge to the summit at 11,030'.

Lookin north just below the saddle, heading up Deseret Peak.

I made the summit just before 8:30 a.m. With the unrelenting wind I made haste to set up my antenna and get on the air for Summits On The Air (SOTA). Thankfully there was a make-to windbreak made of a half-circle of stacked stones on the windward side. I used this as my ham shack. I quickly ran out of contacts on SSB (voice) on 7 & 14 meters, I switched to CW (Morse code). With cold fingers I was able to secure fourteen more contacts. After a half hour on the summit and 26 contacts in my log I realized I was beginning to shiver and knew I needed to get moving again. I quickly packed up and 

My ham shack on Deseret Peak.

shoved my log book in my cargo pocket. I made one more 2-meter contact (about 105 miles line of sight) before leaving the activation zone then sped off north and downhill for my next summit, with a mix of jogging and fast walking.

Somewhere near the top I thought I heard something behind me but in my cold stupor I kept going. I passed a group of three hikers heading in the same the direction. I was in my groove and feeling great. Before I knew it I was at the next saddle.  The turn east and down hill back to the TH was on my right. Directly north was my next summit. This is always a key decision point. Return home or press on, back uphill to get another summit. After a quick snack and more water I pressed on uphill following a hint of a trail, or game trail, zig-zagging up.

Looking north from the saddle towards '10685'.

I made the summit just before noon. '10685' (W7U/TO-002) is just a rounded, rocky highpoint. It still offers amazing, 360° views. Actually, Deseret Peak was first activated in 2012 and not until activation again on this day. This lack of SOTA activity in this mountainous state boggles my mind after living a few years in Colorado with so many ham activators. More elbow room for me I guess ; )

Looking South towards Deseret Pk from '10685'.

After setting up I quickly realized what that noise was that I heard coming off Deseret's summit... I dropped my log book. My heart sank. Not wanting to give up I decided I would be forced to do a SSB (voice) only activation and use my phone's voice recorder to keep track of my logging contacts. My first contact was with a ham on 2 meters who was traveling across I-80 just east of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Summit officially activated. On HF I logged twelve more contacts on 20 meters and I called it quits with the impending decision of whether or not to back track and find my log or hope a good Samaritan would return it to the TH.

Looking NE from '10685'

Back at the saddle I turned downhill resting my hope on the latter. It was hot by now as I continued steadily downhill. My feet were not happy by this point. Just keep going. The occasional stand of aspen trees offered some relief in the shade they provided. Down and down, passing a few small creeks that appeared out of nowhere, up above from the side of the hill. I could hear a larger creek below along with some people talking. Those people were two older couples who stopped along the creek with their horses to let them have a break. Another half mile I was back to the original 'Y' and creek crossing. I just wanted to be done at this point. By the time I reached my truck I logged approximately 12 miles round trip. No sign of my log at the TH bulletin board, but I left a note with my contact info incase anyone found it.

Overall, this is an amazing loop trail that highlights the uniqueness of these 'islands in the sky.' Lush green forest mountains with lakes, streams and wildlife, surrounded by dry deserts in the lowland. I look forward to the opportunity to hiking Deseret Peak again some day.

My APRS logged track.

Thankfully, three days later I received a call from a kind gentleman who found my logbook. He even offered to mail it to me for free. I owe the universe a repayment for his kind gesture. A good reminder that there are still good people out there... Keep the faith!
73 and safe hiking!
KH7AL