W6/SS-204 (Vogelsang Peak)

Summit: W6/SS-204

Date: September 25, 2022

Route: Rafferty Creek Trailhead (off Hwy 120 @ Tuolumne Meadows) -> Fletcher Lake (Vogelsang Backpackers' Camp) -> Vogelsang Peak -> Rafferty Creek Trailhead.

18 miles over 2 days, 3000 ft elevation gain.

https://www.summitpost.org/vogelsang-peak/151700

Equipment: KX-2 + random wire antenna

Scrolling around sotl.as, trying to find a good High Sierra hike before the summer turned snowy or smoky, I noticed that Vogelsang Peak in Yosemite had zero SOTA activations. I've always wanted to do a loop of Yosemite's High Sierra Camps (closed in 2022) - so hiking to the backpackers' camp adjacent to Vogelsang HSC seemed like fun.

The shortest route to Vogelsang starts from a parking lot near the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center (where you can pick up wilderness permits). The ~7 mile hike in to Fletcher Lake is relatively easy as far as Yosemite goes. The elevation gain is gradual and the trail is not very rocky. The backpackers' camp at Fletcher Lake has bear boxes and is close to the main trail.

It is 2 miles from Fletcher Lake to Vogelsang Peak. The first mile to Vogelsang Pass is still gradual and on a clear trail, but it's a tough scramble to the peak from there. The route on some maps (Topo Maps App, Gaia GPS, etc) from Vogelsang Pass to Vogelsang Peak is misleading - it takes you through a long field of rocks, but skirting the tree line (orange route on map) is easier.

The steep part looks impossible from a distance. I couldn't find a trail where the map said there would be one (purple on map), so I took a more gradual route up (orange on map). Below is a photo of the steep section, and for comparison a Sentinel 2 photo of the area 48 hours before I hiked it. It was possible to mostly stay on dry rocks, but would have been past my comfort level with much more snow than this. Internet writeups vary in calling this stretch Class 1 through Class 3 - I'll rate it as a 2. There was still no clear trail after the steep section.

The activation zone is narrow/long, so I just threw my random wire up the mast about 10 feet and left the rest on the ground. The view is spectacular! You can see Half Dome and Clouds Rest in the background of my operating position. Even with a bad antenna setup, I quickly got enough CW contacts on 20m and 40m to qualify the peak.

I'd planned for 2 nights at Fletcher Lake, but the first night was cold. Avoiding a second night in a tent was worth the extra mileage to hike back to the car. I was only away from the Bay Area for a total of 43 hours, so this peak can (but really shouldn't) be done in a 2 day weekend. If Vogelsang High Sierra Camp is open in 2023, hiking Vogelsang Peak would be a great 2 night trip!