Bee Benchmark

This is a local hike for me, only a short drive from my place, and this time I had company: Mason (K6AFN), who was in Santa Clarita that morning to take his Extra exam (he passed!). We met up at a Starbucks and carpooled over to Bouquet Crossing, where Quarry Road (a.k.a. Forest Road 6N19) starts from Bouquet Canyon Road.

This is a dirt road that takes you close to the peak. I'd hesitate to bring my Corolla, but an SUV or pickup could easily get you most of the way. The last stretch needs a serious 4x4 (more on that later).

Mason and I started the hike around 10am. While both of us do research before each hike, neither of us quite realized this was a long hike: just over 3.5 miles each way. Fortunately most of it is a meandering dirt road that gradually gains elevation. At one point multiple dirt roads converge. Here you simply turn right and head towards the peak, which is now visible.

From here a dirt track, presumably for motorcycles, runs alongside the road. It constantly climbs and drops — fun on a dirt bike, not so fun on foot.

You do need to get off the dirt road to turn towards the peak. We recorded that point at 34.56903, -118.42019.

After a few minutes the hardest part of the hike started. I mentioned earlier that you can get to the peak with a serious 4x4. While the path was wide enough for a car, it was rather steep with deep ruts. For us it was just a matter of getting through it, knowing the top was nearby.

Finally we made it to Bee Benchmark and were greeted with wonderful views of both Bouquet Canyon and San Francisquito Canyon.

By this time 2.5 hours had already passed. Mason got on 2m SSB and I got my EFHW up in the air. One really fun thing about SOTA activations in the Los Angeles area is that you tend to get the same people on 2m, whether FM, SSB, or CW. Our experience was the same here, and it really adds to the enjoyment.

I made some CW contacts on HF, including F4WBN from France, which was a nice treat. We then packed up and headed down. We had planned to also activate nearby Jupiter Mountain, but by the time we got back to the car at 3pm — five hours after starting — it was clear we didn't have time. Instead we wisely headed to nearby Green Valley Smokehouse, an excellent stop for BBQ.

All in all, a great activation!