A quick intro of this awesome summertime event:
Every Year I participate in Outdoor Adventure USA’s Summerfest which consists of wheeling and operating ham radio as part of an National here event called Field Day which is organized by the ARRL. http://www.arrl.org/field-day
The Trail that will be ran is called the Miller Jeep Trail and will be lead by Tom Severin from Badlands off Road Adventures.
(keep an eye out of some dutch oven chocolate cake!)
There will be a potluck dinner saturday night and you’re very strongly encouraged to prepare something to share.
For field day We will have numerous ham radio stations set up that will be operated straight for a 24 hour period trying to score as many points as possible by making contacts with people all over the country.
we will be operating under the clubs call sign so there is no need to be a licensed ham radio operator.
If you are looking to become a licensed ham, there will be on site testing from technician class to extra class.
Please chime in on the O.A. U.S.A. message board to let us know if you’ll be planning on taking a test.
See Below for more in depth info:
Field Day / Summer Fest: http://forums.oausa.net/viewforum.php?f=177
Dates
June 21-23th, 2013 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
Location – See directions below
MCGILL CAMPGROUND, CA
Part of Los Padres National Forest, US Forest Service
McGill Campground sits in a mixed conifer forest in the Pinos Mountains, at an altitude of 7,500 feet. Campground temperatures are typically 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the Los Angeles Basin, just over an hour’s drive from the campground.
The area is in the northeastern part of Los Padres National Forest, which boasts 1,257 miles of maintained trails. Much of the forest is primitive and has 10 designated wilderness areas.
Facilities
fire ring
vault toilets
picnic tables
***Note***: There are no RV hookups and no water
GPS Location Coordinates:
34.81556, -119.09833
34°48’56″N, 119°5’54″W
Elevation : 7500
Directions:
Take I-5 North to Frazier Mountain Park Road exit. Go west on Frazier Mountain Park Road for 7 miles to Cuddy Valley Road. Bear right at Cuddy Valley Road. Continue 5 miles to the Y in the road and veer left for 5 more miles to McGill Campground entrance on the right side of the road.
Fees:
The fee is per vehicle for the entire three days and will reserve you a spot in the group campsite for both nights. The site can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs (but note – there are no hook-ups):
$55.00 -in advance for any vehicle
$65.00 -for a “drop-in†(Showing up without notice.)
How to make Payment:
Payments will be taken via the “Donate†button at the bottom of any page on the OAUSA website. Once payment has been received, “CONFIRMED†will be posted next to your name on the “Sign Up Rosterâ€. For other payment arrangements or questions, PM DaveK. Fees are refundable up to 14 days prior to the event with no penalties.
Radio call-in for information
For each of the three days of this event we will be monitoring one or more of the repeaters in the area. At this point it looks like we will start with the Frazier Mountain Repeater. Check back here for updates to the list of repeaters we will use.
Frazier Mountain Repeater
447.860-
141.3
On your way in, if you need help finding the campsite or need any other information, use these repeaters.
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Saturday June 22 Miller Jeep Trail Run: http://forums.oausa.net/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=3469
Lead: Tom Severin
Tail Gunner: TBD
Comms Designee: Tom Severin
Difficulty: Difficult
Meeting Time: 8:30 am
Meeting Place: McGil Group Campsite
Departure Time: 8:30 am
CB Channel: Ch. 4
2M Simplex: 146.460
2M Repeater: Frazer Park 447.860 – (PL: 141.3)
There will be 12 rig maximum for this run.
TRAIL DESCRIPTION:
The trail runs through the Padres National Forest from Lockwood Valley Road to Alamo Mountain. The trail covers a lot of ground. We go up and down 3 ridges on the Lockwood trail before we get to Miller. There is a stream crossing (Lockwood Creek) at the Sunset Camp site It is generally only a couple inches of water and it has a smooth gravel bed for crossing. There is a picnic spot at the camp sitel with shade trees and picnic tables. The final ascent up Alamo Mtn is the most difficult section of the trail. It gets steep, loose and rocky with some potential for hitting the low points and rocker panels on stock rigs pretty hard.
LOGISTICS:
We will meet at camp grounds at 8:30 Saturday morning and head back down toward I-5 but only to Lockwood Valley road. That will take us the start of the trail. We will have lunch on the trail. Once we are up on top of Alamo Mountain, we will have a long drive back on Gold Hill road through Hungry Valley State Park. But it will give us an opportunity to gas up in Lebec.
RATING:
The Forest Service rates it as Most Difficult. It is a 6 or 7.
6 = Quite rocky or deep ruts. Rocks to 12″ and frequent. Water crossings may exceed hub depth with strong currents. Shelves to 6″. Mud may require checking before proceeding. Moderate grades to 20 degrees. Sidehill may approach 30 degrees. 4WD necessary and second attempts may be required with stock vehicles. Caution may be required with wider vehicles.
7= Rocks frequent and large, 12″ and may exceed hub height. Holes frequent or deep (12″). Shelves to 9″. Mud 8″ deep and may be present on uphill sections. Grades to 25 degrees and sidehill to 30 degrees. Water crossings to 18″ and may have strong currents. 1-1/2 vehicles wide. 4WD required. Driver experience helpful.
ADVENTURE PASSES:
Adventure passes are required in the National Forests. You need either a Daily Adventure Pass ($5.00) or an Annual Adventure Pass ($30.00). Please purchase a pass in advance! We will not have time to stop. They can be purchased at Big 5, REI and other sporting goods stores or directly form the Forest Service at any of the District Ranger Stations. You can purchase one on line at http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/nationalforeststore. Don’s Liquor Mart at 616 Monterey Trail in Frazier Park sells them (661-245-1712) as does Midway Market 600 E. Border St. (661-245-1790 in Frazier Park. Check out http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/ for more details on the Adventure Pass program.
DRIVING TIPS:
Longer wheel bases will need to hold longer into the turns to clear obstacles and to get between trees that are close. Use low range first gear to creep over obstacles. Compression braking is required on the descents into the valleys. As long as you are no more then 3-5 MPH you will be able to make the turn as the trails works its way down. Stock vehicles should pick the easier lines and ask for spotters.
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Let me know if you have have any questions regarding this event.
-Steven