Casey Peak (W7M/HB-050) SOTA Activation
On 3 August, 2020, I drove into the Elkhorn Mountains for some solitude and adventure to hike Casey Peak for Summits On The Air (SOTA). Although my belief to disregard topographic maps for “short cuts” was tarnished by the end of the day, it was still an amazing hike to this nearby gem.
Getting There
From Montana City follow McClellan Creek Road for approximately 6 miles. You will see a small parking area on the left just before the East Fork of McClellan Creek and the TH just after the creek.
Parking is located at:
Summit Info:
The Hike
Up the valley to the meadows.
The first couple miles of this hike are relatively easy with a mild grade as the trail tracks east up into the meadows that sit below (north of) Casey Peak. The constant sound of the babbling creek along this hike and breeze in the trees made for ease of travel as it pulled me to what was potentially up ahead. Once into the meadows you are surrounded by a rewarding basin of green amazement. When I went this time of year there were still abundant wild flowers and green everywhere. There were also signs a herd of elk had used the area along the trail to rest and eat the lush grasses. As I turned to head south along the trail towards Casey Peak I heard a shift of rocks over my shoulder up the hillside behind me. 
Looking north into the meadow.
I could just narrowly see a black bear, who apparently wanted nothing to do with me, scampering well up the hillside. He raced in-and-out of the trees and across a rock field. Although he was about 3/4 mile away I paused to make sure my bear spray was still snugly in my backpack side pocket and within reach, then I continued uphill as the trail headed into the woods.
From the meadows is where I falsely believed, from a topographic map standpoint, that it would be shorter (easier) to head directly up slope to Casey Peak. What I could not foresee was the numerous dead fallen trees probably from a fire many, many year previous. 
Huckleberry carpet.
So I stuck to the trail. Along this part in the trees the forest floor was covered in huckleberry bushes. I mean carpeted with berries. I stopped briefly several times to scoop up some to take my mind of how much trail laid in front of me. 
One of many pleasant creek views.
As the trail turned west at a draw below Casey I realized I was not going to make the summit by the time I had planned. I hesitated a moment to consider if I should continue, but it was only for a moment. The lure to reach the top almost always quiets my body’s yearn to be done. So on I went. Up to a ridge. Up, south, up some more. 
The turn for Casey Peak.
Finally I came to the sign for the spur to Casey Peak. I could see the summit and knew it was still at least a mile away but I almost always get a boost when I see the summit. This last section of trail was a lesser grade and made the final push a little easier. As I approached the summit the trees thinned and the wind picked up a bit. There were some ominous looking clouds around the area and I hoped I would not hear any thunder. Just below the summit one of those storm clouds blew overhead and rained on me lightly for about five minutes. That allowed me a chance to huddle behind a tree and have a snack and some water.
The rain left quickly and I made the final push to the top and as I crested the summit I saw the awesome remnants of an old fire lookout that became a great ham shack for me to operate from. Sitting inside made me think of all those who had sat on the summit before me to fill their post to protect the forest. Because I was behind schedule I did not ponder this too long and began to set up my radio gear. Just over an hour on the hill and I pulled in 19 contacts. 
A bench to sit and a shelter. Fine by me.
I called the activation short as I could hear static crashes on my radio increasing in interval from approaching lightning. It was time to get off the mountain before things got interesting.
The round trip total for this hike was just shy of 11 miles. When I finally made it back to my vehicle I dropped my pack and took off my boots and wondered over to the nearby stream to let my feet soak in the cool and refreshing water. As that euphoria embraced my tired feet I reflected on what a great adventure I just had and I looked forward to exploring that area more in the future.
Gear:
Trekking poles
3 liters of water
Radio Gear:
HF: Elecraft KX3
Antenna: Homebrew EFHW.
HT: Kenwood DH-72; APRS work almost the whole hike up.
Cell coverage: Only worked along high points, ridges and the summit.
73 and safe hiking!
AL