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Russell Peak

· 4 min read
Ben Allfree
Ben Allfree
MeshEnvy Founder

For a long time we could not get a response from Russell Peak. I assumed the worst. Maybe a storm had ripped the node off the mast, or wind and vibration had finally finished what desert summers start. The peak sits on a lonely stretch of the backbone toward Poito Mountain and the Black Rock corridor, and when a site like that goes dark you do not get many clues from Reno.

Mesh node secured to a wooden mast on Russell Peak, desert basin in the background

The detour​

The other day I was out working the backbone toward Black Rock and Burning Man. Russell Peak was not on that day's plan, but I had the Jeep loaded with gear and a spare node, so I took a detour to see what had happened.

Last time I climbed this peak I only had tennis shoes and whatever I could carry by hand. This time I had the Jeep, a proper gear backpack, hose clamps, and an impact wrench. I also had my Baleaf sun hoodie in the pack. I bought it on purpose and keep it with me so I can get shade and shelter anywhere in the desert.

Desert valley at dusk with a distant jeep on a dirt track below Russell Peak

The hike up​

Russell Peak is not a casual stroll. The sun was high and the slope was exposed. The hoodie covered my face and neck without sunscreen, and I felt completely protected in the hot afternoon light. That is why it lives in the field kit. With it on, I feel like I can hike basically any time of day, which is a nice change for Nevada summits.

I also brought a T-post in case I needed a fresh mount. Now that I think about it, that post may still be up there. MeshEnvy follows a leave-no-trace policy in the field. If it is still on the summit, I will go back and pack it out.

What I found​

When I crested the ridge I saw an empty mast and wondered if someone had borrowed the node for a better cause somewhere else. As I got closer, the story got simpler and more embarrassing.

The node was lying face down on the rocks at the base of the mast. My professional, single rusty nail installation had failed us.

Summit view with the fallen node at the base of the mast

Close-up of the node on rocky ground after it fell from the mast

The original mount: one rusty nail driven into a weathered wooden post

The enclosure itself was not damaged, but a few parts inside had shaken loose from the fall. I swapped in a fresh node and secured it with a hose clamp and the impact wrench. That is a much more honest mount for a peak that sees real wind.

The rebuilt mast with the node at the top, cairn anchor at the base

Back on the air​

The replacement came up immediately. Within minutes it was picking up signals from Poito and the link was alive again. Russell Peak is back on the mesh.

That was the good news. The bad news showed up right after boot.

A firmware mystery​

This was the first time I have seen a node lock up badly enough that it needed a reset with the physical reset button. Something about sending adverts is triggering it. I suspect a regression in custom EnvyOS features I have added, not a MeshCore upstream bug. A regression that obvious in stock MeshCore would have been noticed and fixed by the community already. I will write more about that separately.

For now I turned adverts off on that node so it will not crash in the field. My hope is that remote firmware updates over the mesh, the same OTA path we have been building into EnvyOS, will let us ship a critical patch without another summit climb.

That will be a trial by fire. Russell Peak would be the first time we try to deliver a field fix to a remote repeater on a peak when the only way in is a long hike and a Jeep detour.

We do not have an approved 299 on any summit node yet, Russell included. It is back under casual-use field testing while the first applications move forward. That paperwork is getting close.

The rusty nail taught me humility. The hose clamp bought us time. The OTA stack is what has to finish the job.