Tamanos Mtn – W7W/RS-015 – 24 August 2014

Tamanos Mtn, in Mt Rainier National Park is accessed via the Owyhigh Lakes Trail, either from the White River Road TH or the Deer Creek TH along Hiway 123.

WTA knows the way to Owyhigh Lakes:
White River TH:  http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/owyhigh-lakes
Deer Creek TH: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/deer-creek-falls-to-owyhigh-lakes

Tamanos as well as some other SOTA summits can be seen from the Sunrise Visitor Center at Mt Rainier National Park.  This photo was taken from the Sourdough Ridge Trail.

Ms Pat WT7N and I decided combine this summit activation with a three day - two night backpacking trip.  From the White River TH we hiked this popular trail 3 miles to Tamanos Creek BC Camp (permit must be acquired at the White River Ranger Station).  

The Garmin map shows our route from TH to BC camp to Boot Track up to the Tamanos ridge.  The Owyhigh Lakes on the map is the popular destination of visitors in this area of the National Park.

The next morning we continued south towards Owyhigh Lakes.  About ¼ mile further is an open meadow at the apex of the trail at 5350 ft. The non maintained but obvious boot track to the summit begins here.  [Note:  At this point- APRS works flawlessly]  From the meadow we ascended up the side slope to the top of the ridge at 6280 ft in 4/10 mile.  Then we followed the ridge south for ½ mile to the summit at 6700.

There are two rock bumps on the summit that remind me of steam ship stacks which can be seen from afar at the right angle.  We did not climb onto the rocky stacks but were within 20 vertical ft of the summit.

Substitute Fishpole mast about 6 ft high.  A trek pole was used to place the Dan's Doublet center insulator at the highest point.

I had left my 21 ft carbon fish pole antenna mast in the car and became concerned that I’d have to make radio contacts with the antenna strewn on the rocks. The problem was solved with a scraggly dead tree about 5 ft high that became the apex for my Dan’s 44 ft Doublet antenna.

KR7W at Op Position.  Rig is KX3, 3S LiPo battery, Russian SK, Dan's 44 ft Doublet Antenna w/ Balun, Kenwood D72 APRS HT.  There's a red microphone that almost never gets used.

In the middle of the activation I looked up and noticed dark bottomed storm clouds.  “QRT BAD WX” was sent a few times and I went QRT.  Some kind chaser spotted me on sotawatch that I was QRT due to bad WX- a tip of the thank you hat to you kind madam/sir.  We quickly picked up and head back down.  At our BC campsite the rain started.  We quickly broke camp and headed to the TH in progressively worse rain.  Flash-Boom!  A lot of lightning and thunder- one strike ¼ mile away was scary too close.

Mt Tahoma (aka Lil Tahoma) looms really close to the west.  Looks like rain clouds coming in.

Looky here- Governers Ridge looms to the east.  In the valley between the ridge I am on and Gov Ridge is Owyhigh Lakes and the trail.

From the 6380 ft point on the ridge... Double Pk and Shriner Pk can be seen.  Both are SOTA destinations.

Our second night was to be spent at Dick’s Lake BC Camp in the Palisades area… but we took a rain check.  

End of Blog.  72   KR7W