Hey Bob -

After having looked at a map it seems San Simeon Road is your best bet. Locals will bring along a bike and finish the trek on the other side of the gate on two wheels. BTW, there are some interesting areas a little further south along the coastal range around 4k ASL with natural hot springs. Same kind of deal though, land locked areas requiring persistence to get to the top.

I'm not too sure I've got Pine Mtn dialed in just right, but if this is it, Google Earth seems to show a structure on top?
http://www.theradioroom.org/PINE%20CLOSEUP.jpg

Also, during my past explorations of the area north of the Hearst Ranch apparently did not get me very close to Pine Mtn. I have "four wheeled" from the ridge top as accessed from a dirt road near Gorda and come quite a ways south near HR, but still miles away (the other guy is right about the people living in the area off the grid - scary bunch).

When I have approached the area from the NE, I came in via hwy 101 to G14 thru Jolon out to Bryson Canyon and then SW as far as possible on dirt roads. I ended up at a creek crossing via 4WD that still appears to be 5 or 6 miles from Pine Mtn.

Lastly, there are roads on the south shores on Lake Naciemento that''ll get you near Pine Mtn, but still miles away over some rough terrian (oddly taking a boat to "the narrows" of the lake would get you closer).

As you likely know, San Simeon Creek Road will take you up and over the ridge to another series of roads (Rocky Butte Truck Trail) leading around to Pine Mtn.

Here's an overview of the areas I've described.
[http://www.theradioroom.org/PINE%20OVERVIEW.jpg

SJD wrote:I'm not too sure I've got Pine Mtn dialed in just right, but if this is it, Google Earth seems to show a structure on top?
http://www.theradioroom.org/PINE%20CLOSEUP.jpg

Yeah, that's the one alright. Hopefully the structure is some sort of radio tower and not one of the locals' homestead. The summit is going to suck for views, so maybe a nighttime visit isn't so bad.

Gary Schenk wrote:Have you tried calling Hearst Castle?

Might not be too wise to alert them to any potential mischief in the works

Wow, those pics were hilarious!

Bob, you know who to turn to when you need beta on encroachment onto nuclear power plant territory.......

1000Pks wrote:Diablo Canyon is so far away it's not any concern. If it were encroached on, Bob would be quite dead meat.

Dead meat is a bit melodramatic. In fact someone recently wandered across the Diablo Canyon property from Avila Beach to Montana de Oro SP without triggering terrorist alerts or black helicopter sorties. A bit of poison oak was all they got for their troubles. Pretty hardcore.

Fletch wrote:This has the potential for an epic thread... all the usual characters are here...

I'm still waiting for Bob to fill us in on who the fella (chick?) is who attacked him at his hotel.

mrchad9 wrote:I'm still waiting for Bob to fill us in on who the fella (chick?) is who attacked him at his hotel.

I was under the assumption that was you and Vitaliy having a few laughs, but perhaps I was wrong...

1000Pks wrote:Hearing stories about Area 51, I'd assume similar for any potential terror targets. Maybe they like to be low key if they see it's just a lost hiker. No use tipping their hand to all the high tech surveillance and alert systems, I guess.

I doubt it. Making such assumptions could be costly, so in principle, security would strike at any small disturbances. Similar to a spider striking at any sign of quivering in the web-false alarm or not.


Just a little poison oak................2 steroid administrations later, a crazed psycho rant about doctors and the evils of steroids in both russell/carillon summit registers, and a steady stream of severe emotional breakdowns, I think I've finally recovered.



Let’s all pretend that we don’t know what the below picture is showing….


Does anyone know what the penalty is for trespassing close to a nuclear power plant?
Success with trespassing on dangerous ground can be attributed to the following:

1. stupid security
2. Sheer luck

For Hearst Castle grounds, I have a few pointers/ideas:
1. approaching the peak from a different location/side. It might not be the most direct route/most accessible, and you would just be increasing your mileage. One idea is parking somewhere along highway one (beach side), hopping fence and just going for it. To do these sorts of things, sometimes you have to do some bushwhacking. But on the plus side, by avoiding all people, there is lesser chance of being seen.

2. Wandering around within the proximity of Hearst Castle during daytime hours is a bit risky-there are telescope viewing devices that the general public utilize to check out the grazing zebra and other random things. It may be easy to spot a moving object-the surrounding land does not provide much concealment unless you are deeper in the hills or start hiking from a place few people will be looking at, which goes back to my number 1 point-approaching the peak from a more obscure location.

3. It’s harder to utilize the “I got lost” argument while on Hearst Castle grounds, or if you make your stealth approach from there, since the surroundings consist of open land and a large mansion situated on a hill. So you’d have to utilize the “I got lost, and I’m blind” argument.

4. To my knowledge, the land around Hearst Castle is vast and generally undeveloped. So there is less chance of being seen and being caught if you start at a random location off Highway 1. In contrast, the land around Diablo and surrounding development is more condensed, so there was a greater chance of running into someone/something out there. There’s usually a good network of fire roads that you can utilize, which was the case on Diablo territory. It creepily reminds you that someone or something may be around the corner or there is human activity, but you can avoid some nasty bushwhacking that way.

My only experience with police and trespassing on private property was when I was hiking straight up to the hills above Shell Beach. When I came back down, there was a police car waiting for me and they asked me one question: where am I from? I answered: I live in Shell Beach. And then they drove off. I think Bob may have a harder time getting away with authority, because he’s not a young blonde girl

Which brings me to pointer number 3: Bob, you can just let me do the hike for you, that way you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Darija wrote:Which brings me to pointer number 3: Bob, you can just let me do the hike for you, that way you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

What, and get the reputation for being the Charles Manson of peakbagging?

Bob Burd wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:I'm still waiting for Bob to fill us in on who the fella (chick?) is who attacked him at his hotel.

I was under the assumption that was you and Vitaliy having a few laughs, but perhaps I was wrong...

Nice post. Scuba fag!

Bob just has a grudge on me because I beat him to the summit of Table mountain

Darija wrote:there was a police car waiting for me and they asked me one question: where am I from? I answered: I live in Shell Beach. And then they drove off. I think Bob may have a harder time getting away with authority, because he’s not a young blonde girl

The only time I have ever gotten pulled over and not received a ticket is when the cop was a chick.

and I didn't even have to show her my pecker!