Summits on the air in the winter in Colorado can be a great opportunity to nab a few lower-point peaks; during the winter months, the W0C region allows for 3 bonus points on all peaks, which makes the 2 or 3 point summits even more enticing. That, coupled with the accessibility of these lower elevations makes them great for activating even when snow lines the trails.
This morning I decided to head up north to Genesee Mountain, along the I-70 corridor about 30 minutes East of Denver. With the drive less than an hour and a half from Colorado Springs, I left around 8:15 and stopped for coffee and made my way out to the summit trailhead. Though it had snowed within the last week, there were plenty of tracks that packed the snow and made the trail easy to find. After only 10 minutes, I made my way to the top of the mountain, indicated by a large flagpole. The temperatures at the top were in the mid 30’s, but with the sun shining and only a slight breeze the conditions were excellent. Though this is usually a busy peak during the summer due to the proximity to downtown, I found myself alone at the top of the summit. I spent half an hour or so on a rock and made 12 contacts on my HT, a Yaesu FT-60R which maxes out at 5 Watts. I know it’s not much on VHF but today I had my first pileup, which makes me even more amped to improve my Morse code skills so I can bring along an HF radio and make contacts across the US.
73s,
Barrett
