Completed my second SOTA activation on Black Crater on July 23, 2013. Black Creater trailhead is located just east of McKenzie Pass on OR 242.  The trailhead is well marked.  Parking and the trail are both very good.  Trail to the top is about four miles with about 3000ft elevation gain. Trail starts in dense forest and the forrest thins out as you go higher.  There were lots of bugs at the parking lot but once on the trail, they were not a problem.

First Activation of Crossman Peak, Mohave County, Arizona.

This hike is near Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on the Arizona / California border.  Lake Havasu City is located on Lake Havasu, created by the Parker Dam on the mighty Colorado River.  The city is famous for   being HOT as Hell!, and having the famous London Bridge.

First SOTA Activation of Tamarack Peak, Washoe County, Nevada - Ace Number 3.

The reference to Aces is because of this mountain's proximity to Reno / Lake Tahoe (Nevada side) & proximity to gambling casino's.

This is a trail & scramble hike up to summit of Tamarack Peak, 9,897 feet elevation.  Trail is about 9 miles round trip, combined with first SOTA Activation of Mount Houghton on same day, with 2,000 feet +/- elevation gain.

The views are amazing!: Reno, Nevada; Carson Valley; Lake Tahoe region and northern Sierra Nevada mountain range.

First SOTA Activation of Mount Houghton, Washoe County, Nevada - Ace Number 2.

The reference to Aces is because of this mountain's proximity to Reno / Lake Tahoe (Nevada side) & proximity to gambling casino's. 

This is a trail & scramble up to summit of Mount Houghton, 10,490 feet elevation.  Trail is about 9 miles round trip., with 1,600 feet +/- elevation gain.  Together with the same day First SOTA Activation of Tamarack Peak, the elevation gain was about 2,500 feet. 

Great outing on sunny and warm day (80F at 2:00 PM).  With Loren Chotzen, Dexter the Labrador and Max the Husky.

This was a fun activation of Mt. Hood. I decided to splurge on weight and bring the FT-817 and Buddipole (no coils) for 6m and 2m SSB. Once I got the antenna up, I found a number of chasers waiting on 50.125, so I'm glad I brought equipment for 6m. The mast was supported by shoving it into the hard snow on the summit.

It was a beautiful day, all the way around.  Kelly Butte is a great hike, a bit steep and exposed on the beginning switchbacks, but with wildflowers this time of year, and open views from the fire lookout.

Rainier filled the view to the south, and Seattle was visible through the foothills.  Mt. Stuart, Glacier Peak and the "backside" of the southern Snoqualmie pass summits made a nice panorama.

Unicorn Peak was a short easy climb compared to the Little T attempt the day before. It's about a 6 mile round trip with 2500 ft of elevation gain. We were on snow most of the way. The snow conditions
varied significantly. Some places were soft and we post-holed to the rocks below. A steep shady section required the use of crampons. I suspect this is the last weekend this year for a snow ascent of
Unicorn. Once the snow melts, a boulder field route is available but this is not recommended.

Little Tahoma is a 11,138 ft summit on the east flank of Mt. Rainier. The route requires crossing the Frying Pan and Whitman glaciers. From the trailhead it is about 7400 ft of elevation gain and often done as
an overnight trip. We wanted some exercise so we decided to do it in a day.

We set a moderate pace and made good time up to the Frying Pan glacier. The snow was still hard enough that we only sank a few inches. There were some small crevasses starting to open up. One in