https://video.benmook.com/about/instance/homehttps://video.benmook.com/videos/browse?scope=localhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hrBJ1MnjSKHPKvcN3gVFV1https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/81a0d9e5-fc08-47f4-8490-9c8a70935f49.jpgInky Yawning in the morningInky yawning in the morning.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8525d428-000c-4fcf-b451-5cb29fd6c7f6/6fb6de67-769d-4e50-8e41-97f7e20addc4-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hrBJ1MnjSKHPKvcN3gVFV135562026-06-01T02:16:01.875ZYESBad_vidsNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vrheWXESKj2y4NA1MbCmfjhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/dca8fd83-99c4-4cd1-b69e-ef63f63f0c7c.jpgSunsetSunsethttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ee609fba-6cbb-486e-b1e4-c5a1f1bb906e/7373bc68-5c91-4e81-af58-04cf0bf0608e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vrheWXESKj2y4NA1MbCmfj40512026-06-01T02:42:33.763ZYESBad_vidsNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/4b255D3jBGpkzeQMgBBHTqhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/0c28ad00-f894-47f4-a8f6-86760817e0a4.jpgW7N/EM-112 - Douglas BenchmarkThis was the first summit climbed on a trip out to Tonopah, NV with Kel. I was planning on climbing more hills in the immediate area but things don’t always go as planned. This was a a 1st activation of the summit in addition to being my 300th total, so kinda special for me. There is no trail. We parked the car off a decent 2-track desert road and started hiking up. The photos lie, it was pretty steep in some parts. At the top was a rock carin which I used as a mast support. A register was hidden within. Worked 20, 30, and 40M CW. On the way down I met a rattle snake who I apparently got too close to. Even though I could clearly hear the snake, I never actually saw it even though I looked for a good minute. https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/EM-112https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/19b18367-d5d2-405f-b350-a64eeac463b2/d0dcff84-9eb0-4e83-a04b-1a9887dda3c2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/4b255D3jBGpkzeQMgBBHTq84002026-06-01T18:08:37.129ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/gaefELdGFyrcYdAxktPSPRhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d13dceb2-fb5e-4ffd-9191-7e2deeaa2515.jpgEcho Park LakeThe Echo Park Lake was closed for 2 years while a restoration project was underway. Using open source software and a cheap webcam, a photo was taken every two minutes to document the changes. This video was projected at Machine Project in Los Angeles in May of 2013.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7ac2f0f3-da55-4b6c-8724-59313cd99b87/1aa3adb5-0ad3-4a31-92c7-53ea1eb5e603-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/gaefELdGFyrcYdAxktPSPR17558002026-06-01T19:04:20.874ZEcho Park LakeYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vC4QzwgBN2cBFBW3QrsuBohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/61f860ca-ed95-43b9-aee3-6e0550a43ea6.jpgKoreatown SizzlerExtreme dining at K-Town Sizzler. Music by No Loli -Gagging.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/efe2296d-fd92-4e65-8cbe-9beafa94e514/bb2bcf93-dfd2-468c-bc83-67aa3edc5cb5-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vC4QzwgBN2cBFBW3QrsuBo496002026-06-01T19:04:40.348ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/drLJdqFNmWhpRFsCD78MZQhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/fe237da1-a706-4c09-ab5a-c8704e2b771c.jpgSSL 9000 J console decommissioningTime-lapse decommissioning a Solid State Logic 9000 J series console. The video doesn't really show the extent of work required to remove one of these consoles, but you get the idea.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/64c6d29a-dc82-4a4b-a2bd-cb40303bb106/47a8d332-685e-4935-aa23-be99a7fe7608-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/drLJdqFNmWhpRFsCD78MZQ180002026-06-01T19:04:43.682ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6AMiiaUkeQ6hf9d8jCHmQuhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a3528d62-4ee7-4f9f-beaa-b08ef09da8ed.jpgYaesu FT-817 memory programing without cableHow to program VFO frequency selections into a memory location on a Yaesu FT-817 without a computer and a programing cable. A must watch video for traveling hams who use this radio.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2d58e5c2-0e69-452b-9f67-4444bc71e374/29a26822-692c-429c-9a76-5ef34d2ff3d3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6AMiiaUkeQ6hf9d8jCHmQu351002026-06-01T19:04:47.716Zham radioamateur radioyaesuYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cUVWdYpRaRkXysnGoHzdAYhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a96b9404-6d92-470d-a590-1694820a54a9.jpgYaesu ARTS explained, with example setupSetting up ARTS (Automatic Range Transponder System) on a VX-3 and a 817https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6078709a-7d0c-4340-83b4-c7a998dd6c94/d6fd639f-693c-4ffa-9e3e-7d200d820a18-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cUVWdYpRaRkXysnGoHzdAY552002026-06-01T19:04:54.150Zham radioamateur radioyaesuartscommsYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ruGtcY6M1FAtcSuAitJWC3https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8df9f1c8-1de1-4ce8-a7e8-b13bca9bea38.jpgYaesu YHA-63 6M CounterpoiseThe SWR was higher than I liked on my Yaesu 817 radio when using this antenna on 6M. Will a counterpoise help this stock antenna work better?https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ce763b65-366d-4225-b562-ab650145df22/83593a48-f47c-4a33-85cb-96a707091153-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ruGtcY6M1FAtcSuAitJWC3346002026-06-01T19:04:59.842ZAmateur Radioham radioyaesuVHFYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ttfj6Kg1AgCkQLje77LX3Rhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/295b2d59-01d8-4228-ac2c-d4f12c302aee.jpgCaptain Hammond HammockMom and I cruising the St. Lucie River when we stumbled upon Captain Hammond Hammock in Fort Pierce, FL. I'm guessing this place is only accessible by boat. There were overgrown traces of hiking trails, but I had sandals on and didn't adventure very far. I'll bringing boots next time!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/de74a54e-46fe-4967-ad0f-883ac95a18a1/b265e6a0-34cd-48b7-bebb-68c8e785da1c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ttfj6Kg1AgCkQLje77LX3R114002026-06-01T19:05:02.489ZFloridaFort PierceSt. Lucie RiverCaptain HammondNatureYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/gqgtcAhnGPnHzwVzBaGBpzhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/57eda3e3-1eb5-42ea-8b19-eded8fb95df9.jpgUS Islands On The Air - FL543 QualificationQualifying Spoil Island SL13, FL543 on December 23rd 2018. I made the the required 25 QSOs which includes two DXCC entities. I ended up using a random wire into a tuner as the dipole I made the night before gave high SWR and I had no idea which way it was off as I didn't pack an analyzer. Additionally, I forgot to pack a PL259 barrel connector so I didn't have enough feed line.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7cdc76a5-c48d-48b2-a488-6f4746cfe0b3/70a9b5c7-6086-4426-89cd-3e0da21a1324-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/gqgtcAhnGPnHzwVzBaGBpz443002026-06-01T19:05:10.195Zham radioamateur radioshortwavefloridaboatYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7xV9jCk6y34Mffoc5LJ7UEhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/78f5f98c-5c09-4885-b829-d7d4e62ef900.jpgSolid State Logic Duality - DecommissioningA time lapse video of a SSL Duality being decommissioned in Hollywood, CA. This console is headed down south to a new studio facility.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/350ba3c0-7a9c-482c-a9fa-bec8becfec56/5dd9f5a1-1e93-4c50-96fa-31f5852cb151-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7xV9jCk6y34Mffoc5LJ7UE553002026-06-01T19:05:16.795ZAudiorecording studiosmixersoundmusicYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8ncSQEZ3FapQFisscntGkNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a2559ab5-6a84-4536-aaf5-8987bb04f414.jpgSolid State Logic AWS 900 - DecommissioningA time lapse video of a small SSL AWS 900 production room being decommissioned in Hollywood, CA.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3ba5e8b2-0262-492b-ae8b-250e7267b704/a19c9d6c-17d0-4036-bb42-d4827c5e7298-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8ncSQEZ3FapQFisscntGkN207002026-06-01T19:05:21.086ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6VF69ZKHKy8Gz7bhvEq7Qxhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/82830cec-b758-4dd1-83ff-7a1b64a2b6eb.jpgVoici BernadetteVideo of the 180' Voici Bernadette in Fort Pierce, FL December 2018. The following was written by Ed Killer at TC Palm...... The Voici Bernadette, a cargo freighter built in 1965 and measuring 180 feet in length, was acquired this week by the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program. Thursday morning, crewmen with McCulley Marine Services in Fort Pierce guided the large steel ship from where it had been moored in the Miami River, up the coast and into the waters near the Port of Fort Pierce without incident. The ownership of the freighter was donated to the county by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. The federal agency seized the freighter in June 2016 when it was involved in a cocaine smuggling bust. The Bolivian freighter docked in Miami after leaving Haiti and was found to have 800 bricks of cocaine totaling 2,000 pounds worth an estimated $35 million street value. Recently, acceptance of the vessel was unanimously approved by The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners. Extensive cleaning and deployment will be completed by the county’s artificial reef contractor, McCulley Marine Services, Inc. St. Lucie County Coastal Resources Supervisor Jim Oppenborn said in a "best-case scenario," deployment of the vessel could take place late this summer. Deployment will occur on the county’s permitted Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club artificial reef site and will help increase recreational opportunities as well as provide essential fish habitat in the region. The 501(c)3, MMPS Environmental, Inc. has already started raising funds for deploying this ship and will organize further events throughout the summer. Costs to prepare the ship for deployment as a reef, meeting permit requirements established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Best Management Practices and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Artificial Reef Plan guidelines, are estimated to be about $147,000 total, Oppenborn said. Deployment will...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2ffc33d6-4df3-4f13-a6aa-0e51d9437617/d58b12ed-548d-42b6-b0cf-b5a54cabfb7d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6VF69ZKHKy8Gz7bhvEq7Qx35002026-06-01T19:05:23.679ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7ygPQtxAqMzqpVgnimMvKrhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5eca6659-8c0d-4cb5-8838-af4eb7af6680.jpgYaesu 817 + modulation meter?Should the modulation meter on a Yaesu 817 work in Digi mode? I tried two interfaces, a Wolphi-Link connected to a tablet, and Signal Link USB connected to a Linux machine.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3518628c-2f1d-4b61-b812-d1bd17525893/6fac1898-728d-4dfa-a05b-82bcc19010da-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7ygPQtxAqMzqpVgnimMvKr187002026-06-01T19:05:30.184ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ny29FNCAKEq3Z1usQBADzuhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/824c0da1-2e44-4d11-8054-3738548e4f24.jpgW6/CT-226W6/CT-226, Cerro Negro Benchmark - 575m, 1 pointhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ae886bcb-05a8-4de0-8d8d-71a31f8a58ca/0b97af01-c53f-432f-9f55-4e53c0e4e922-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ny29FNCAKEq3Z1usQBADzu85002026-06-01T19:05:32.825ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/r5qGjAKtkjbNgMq8LWBShJhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/684ad867-164c-416c-8f10-d1b423430d6f.jpgW6/CT-021W6/CT-021. Replacement fire lookout tower under construction. GPS tracks for this summit at http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-021/ November 9th, 2019 TIME CALL BAND MODE NOTES 18:45z W6RO 14MHz SSB Queen Mary 19:05z WW7D 14MHz SSB 19:06z WU7H 14MHz SSB 19:06z NW7E 14MHz SSB 19:07z NS7P 14MHz SSB 19:08z K6QCB 14MHz SSB 19:10z W4KRN 14MHz SSB 19:11z KJ6DQ 14MHz SSB 19:13z VA7VJ 14MHz SSB 19:16z K6LDQ 14MHz SSB 19:17z K7GT 14MHz SSB 19:18z W6RWS 14MHz SSB W6/SD-443 19:20z W7PMF 14MHz SSBhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/cb12a918-56d7-4d6d-a805-1c1ac50443ea/55f624a8-7fb0-4934-84fd-ae0bd71a4148-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/r5qGjAKtkjbNgMq8LWBShJ137002026-06-01T19:05:35.662ZSOTALos AngelesAmateur RadioYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/mn5CKfmDJk83KdazKLwouihttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c1f98dc7-5744-4ec0-8fc3-db8aaf2df572.jpgW6/CT-150This is a lot steeper than it looks. GPS tracks for this summit at http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-150/ November 9th, 2019 TIME CALL BAND MODE NOTES 21:35z K6HPX 7MHz SSB 21:36z W6JP 7MHz SSB 21:38z K6LDQ 7MHz SSB 21:41z KC6ARY 7MHz SSB W6/CT-015 21:43z WC6J 7MHz SSB 21:45z K6VVV 7MHz SSB 21:53z N4EX 14MHz SSB 21:54z WW7D 14MHz SSB 21:59z N0RZ 14MHz SSBhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a4e83f75-f6c5-4382-b73a-acb280383f91/4db156c7-2caa-434b-bc92-940b9d0a888d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/mn5CKfmDJk83KdazKLwoui132002026-06-01T19:05:41.232ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/nTBF5Uh1FPcAzotFUHbv45https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e0abdc11-c117-47c7-9e59-dbfa07d5e659.jpgW6/CT-225One isn't able to get to the actual summit here, so I didn't bother to setup the HF station. Worked 2M only. GPS tracks for this summit at http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-225/ November 10th, 2019 TIME CALL BAND MODE NOTES 22:08z KM6CEM 144MHz FM 22:10z K6LDQ 144MHz FM 22:12z KI6UCN 144MHz FM 22:12z KK6TDU 144MHz FM 22:15z KA6JAC 144MHz FM 22:15z WB2WIK 144MHz FM 22:19z KA6HGT 144MHz FM 22:20z KK6ZVQ 144MHz FM 22:25z KN6CJK 144MHz FM 22:28z KN6DFX 144MHz FMhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/b144d435-00e1-44fb-b9a5-1407c5430ea6/9bc9f41f-75d0-439f-a824-f5af30770211-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/nTBF5Uh1FPcAzotFUHbv4525002026-06-01T19:05:45.343ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vrNEzM6RRrKT76957sbQiHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bd85dcc8-6e89-4586-8afb-2ab02f40d635.jpgYaesu VX-3 screen RepairI broke the LCD screen on my favorite radio. Luckily, a new display was $0.97 from Yaesu in California. A bit of exploratory disassembly and fiddling with zebra stripes, and the display is back to normal! Yaesu part number for the LCD is G6090181https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ee735fb4-94bc-439f-b92d-9fde64fe57b3/55c8fdd8-6c28-4596-b044-3f94baf35f3b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vrNEzM6RRrKT76957sbQiH443002026-06-01T19:05:52.816Zamateur radioham radiodiyrepairrepeatersYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6s5rVVZHgek3Kzxvxib5Jqhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/636d5674-e744-42df-a289-f79f2910ea5c.jpgLava Tube part 1Walking to a lava tube with Kel - Mojave National Preserve, 2018https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2c21c59c-ac98-464b-bfcc-b071812469ec/43c857bf-0e62-49e0-8005-a929d66a2762-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6s5rVVZHgek3Kzxvxib5Jq143002026-06-01T19:05:58.713ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vpjPwoxMFLDEdDBFu1bK42https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/28ef16ce-5f89-4b3f-926b-abbb35f069c4.jpgLava Tube part 2Inside the lava tube - Mojave National Preserve, 2018https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ee1ab9c7-b734-4c1a-a522-f12a9b0df90b/5d647431-7823-41ab-83d0-32b29458f11a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vpjPwoxMFLDEdDBFu1bK42117002026-06-01T19:06:02.145ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6MgSzAJSGaTayHznW1itE5https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5e017a12-b5da-4af2-8c89-a02ac7651b06.jpgPixie Kit BuildI picked up a $6 Pixie kit on eBay, which included shipping from China and nice case for the finished radio. The kit didn't come with any kind of instructions, so I needed to find a schematic that matched the PCB. Over all, it was a fun build, and one I would recommend to a new ham, or anyone wanting to get into kit building. The schematic can be found here - http://blog.benmook.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Pixie.pnghttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2ecff1c7-a2f2-4172-922d-6fc899874a94/21f6d8ad-2be5-4d33-8b41-7f532fa3a3c3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6MgSzAJSGaTayHznW1itE5830012026-06-01T19:06:09.010ZDIYamateur radioham radiomorse code40MYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/uLG7DBp6F33rVGh7pWyHDFhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/db226f90-172f-4f5e-b71d-0ef2d97dd8f2.jpgW6/CT-146November 30th, 2019. W6/CT-146, Hoyt Mountain. 4 points. Follow the big fire road up to the base of the peak by the power lines. There is a hard to see, narrow trail which goes straight up. Further up, the trail gets better. GPS tracks here: http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-146/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e8fd5472-e07c-46cf-8d51-fe704eda468d/e561bd98-912c-46d9-be21-5e53b838f893-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/uLG7DBp6F33rVGh7pWyHDF41002026-06-01T19:06:11.790ZSOTAamateur radioham radiohikinglos angelesYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/2P1dqXw5zbv42fp2pTFzG6https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/30dad7d4-7fdb-473b-96f9-9b5671a8af25.jpgW6/ND-270 - Shadow Mountainshttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-270-shadow-mountains-hp/ This wasn’t a planned summit for me. While driving north on US 395 to camp and hike other various summits, I noticed some hills in the distance. I pulled over and checked the SOTA maps and found I was looking at W6/SD-463 and W6/ND-270. They didn’t seem to be too far off the highway and the day was still early and cool. I made the detour and headed down Shadow Mountain Road – A slow dirt washboard road. Navigation was easy, and W6/ND-270 seemed the easiest of the two summits, so I headed to the base of the mountain. There are two hills – One I believe is an FAA radar site, and the other is the Shadow Mountains. I parked at a clearing at the bottom and hiked up. At the top was an empty radio shelter with some pretty decent artwork. I heard some radio chatter on 2M simplex and made a QSO there before setting up on 20M CW. There was little breeze and the sun was intense. After working chasers I packed up and headed back to the truck, then continued my way north on US 395. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-270https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/0ea93a59-656b-42d8-8f3e-82192fca9621/a9cf6748-c91e-403f-9269-c8f0c96fa630-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/2P1dqXw5zbv42fp2pTFzG6154002026-06-01T03:29:20.778ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/1vqio8CFFKLrnrpaDjngE9https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/337d97b0-46db-4c73-a505-5a3c1e60e771.jpgW6/CT-019Nice 6 pointer close to Los Angeles. Tracks available at the link below. http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-019/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/041b8b67-0fe6-4efc-94a4-ad63bdf65708/5a706934-7cf5-468c-bc14-43609a4754e2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/1vqio8CFFKLrnrpaDjngE9117002026-06-01T19:06:14.769ZSOTAAmateur radiosummits on the airham radiohikingYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/rTSvy6ddfiABaQQeD1MtPohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7f3f10c8-b31e-4a1f-a061-708a8eb6868d.jpgW6/ND-283 - Red Hillhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-283-red-hill/ If you have ever driven up to Mammoth Lakes from Los Angeles, you probably drove right past Red Hill. The hill is an ancient volcano, which is covered in small marble sized volcanic rock called cinders. The surrounding area features fields of basalt, with Fossil Falls just to the south of the summit. I parked my truck on the side of Red Hill, in an area where it appeared to be mined for it’s cinder. From there I started up. You can make out a use trail most of the way. The small, loose cinders made the trek up slow, as it felt like walking on a beach, except worse. Take a step, slide back a bit. Once at the top I used the KH1 with the whip. Worked 6 stations across two bands – two S2S. While packing up I found the summit register hidden in some rocks. I signed it and started heading down. Loose rocks make the decent quick, and I was back on the highway heading north quickly. https://sotl.as//W6/ND-283https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d1b286c0-ca11-4063-bc39-0428758c15f0/1407408c-bcb1-4c03-a8c1-5b5d9f11a9fc-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/rTSvy6ddfiABaQQeD1MtPo144012026-06-01T03:29:25.246ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/4JgYDyLRodLX8PAT9kHCgChttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/30646b9c-beee-4dff-9657-7c364f4dff71.jpgW6/CT-025Tracks for this summit at the link below... http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-025/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1e328013-bf60-4af1-bb4e-ad4c086b76f2/fe38b4c7-e7ee-4cf9-96b3-99e49d2b01f1-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/4JgYDyLRodLX8PAT9kHCgC71002026-06-01T19:06:17.684ZSOTAsummits on the airamateur radioham radioYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ectbrf2oZPFPgXM2KYTMtZhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1b69f745-86c1-4955-82a3-dd371a7a2e4d.jpgW6/IN-049 - Red Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-049-red-mountain/ I woke up early in the morning at Tinemaha Creek campground, made some hot water, dumped in a tablespoon of instant coffee, gave it a stir, and drove the truck straight to Red Mountain. The air was cold and brisk with a slight breeze. It took longer to get to Red Mountain than I anticipated. There are several dirt roads which one could take but many were washed out or simply dead ended. I’m assuming there is a “main” road to bypass my adventure but I didn’t find it. Eventually I landed on a spot that looked like a promising location to start. After slathering on sunscreen and chugging the remainder of my coffee, I started hiking up. Red Mountain is really a cinder cone and part of the Big Pines Volcanic Field. I’ve read it sits right above an active fault line. Loose, red basalt makes up most of the ground. There is no trail and vegetation is thick in some places, but easy to navigate around. At the top, the wind was really blowing. Luckily I was able to find shelter in a small hole at the top, perhaps left from a prospector? Worked 20 CW and hiked down. While hiking around the rim of the cone I noticed a group of mule deer chillin’ in the center. Overall, fun hike if you’re in the area. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-049https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6ae0bbf9-0e48-44f8-9ecb-e6fd9340a8c3/9df4cbd3-4e10-4868-aaef-4fd341efff68-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ectbrf2oZPFPgXM2KYTMtZ120002026-06-01T03:35:03.695ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sgrNCB47dZ5V7a4QKd4kKjhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b76e5c6c-1971-4651-8814-5724a56577d0.jpgW6/CT-158SOTA W6/CT-158 4020, also known as Camp 9. This is the site of the Nike Missile Radar Control LA-94https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d4b5a9fa-9c88-4b79-97f4-a6af70ef6514/56a6ac71-94c6-41f0-8704-5efc1fb8fb6f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sgrNCB47dZ5V7a4QKd4kKj156002026-06-01T19:06:23.194ZSOTAham radioamateur radiosummitsYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/gqa67XErAEXk7dBdHiGyYbhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9ae0f156-c1da-42db-b171-766bd38ef3d9.jpgW6/SC-353 - Valencia Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-353-valencia-peak/ Kel and I spent the weekend in Morro Bay for her birthday where we enjoyed visiting various restaurants and bars, their downtown farmers market, a few beaches, and some fancy coffee spots. We made several return trips to the Grassy Bar Oyster Company, which raise and sell oysters right from Morro Bay. It’s a low brow kinda place and you can BYOB. I like it. There are a few SOTA summits in the area, we did two; First Valencia Peak, then Black Hill the following day, which is very easy and shouldn’t be missed if you’re in the area. From Morro Bay, we drove north up to Los Osos, found our way to Pecho Valley Road, and eventually the trailhead for Valencia; a nice drive mostly along the coast. It was somewhat early in the morning so heavy fog was in the area. The trailhead was well marked, and the trail was very easy to follow. The hike is a bit over 2 miles one way with 1,200′ of elevation gain. At the top is picnic table with good views to the east. The west was covered in fog still. There were several people on the summit enjoying their time, so I didn’t stretch out a long antenna, but instead used the KH1 with internal whip. Conditions felt poor but I managed to get 6 QSOs on 20M, one S2S out in W0C. We were above the fog layer and it was starting to get hot, so after activating, we headed back down to the car and headed to Los Osos for coffee and breakfast. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-353https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7cd887fe-9c02-45b1-a944-6565365802aa/6c194245-0b7d-4cba-8e7c-a5a186c2cdb5-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/gqa67XErAEXk7dBdHiGyYb11002026-06-01T03:38:42.602ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/afmbsVAdRe4EYR19UuHNWehttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f644080b-a3b5-4506-90d9-6a649ef6edbe.jpgW6/CT-098Summits On The Air - W6/CT-098 Photos and QSO log at http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-098/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4ae318eb-88e0-4310-9c21-28ffb4e73e69/76b55d57-063c-4389-86bf-67fa2be45ffa-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/afmbsVAdRe4EYR19UuHNWe203002026-06-01T19:06:27.065ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/eMcYjHu7T262puRkXegiJphttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bb5753c1-da5d-45ed-aa85-46176e2a3018.jpgW6/SD-497 – Lead Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-497-lead-mountain/ Lead mountain is a bit east of Barstow, CA. I first became aware of this mine form the Mineralogical society of Southern California when they hosted a field trip to the area. I didn’t make the trip, but I’ve been curious about visiting since. Additionally, I worked two SOTA stations from the summit above the mines for So.Cal Winter Field Day, so activating this would make it a complete. Getting there was pretty easy. I found a few interesting rocks while hiking up which appeared to host interesting minerals, but honestly I didn’t know what I was looking for. At the top I setup a 40M EFHW antenna and connected it to my MTR3bv2 and worked several stations on 40M and 20M. No DX or S2S unfortunately. Overall, this is an easy one to activate but it’s a bit far off road. I wouldn’t drive a sedan there. The total hike was less than a mile and 400′ of elevation gain.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6f96a650-ccee-46af-a5c5-040779eec7c7/05dc5d4b-195d-40f7-8f0e-8e6fcfb5368b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/eMcYjHu7T262puRkXegiJp80002026-06-01T03:38:45.646ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ojdCxPzc4XnVgbWCGQHCSahttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e9015028-168d-41cb-bd60-e0b2c10c74a4.jpgW6/CT-018Strawberry Peak http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-018/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/b4b438d4-09d6-4d13-90d2-b30d3ba85cd5/747e0685-17bf-48bb-aade-e1578bd84e81-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ojdCxPzc4XnVgbWCGQHCSa20002026-06-01T19:06:29.604ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8wvzLWpR9uShrg7htyAymMhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b1db4e2e-b582-424a-8900-eab7bf6ce9bf.jpgW6/ND-272 – 4097https://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-272-4097/ Kel and I woke up later than expected at our camp down on the dry lake bed. We quickly jumped in the truck and navigated several dirt roads to 4097. I used tracks from Bob Burd as a starting point, although, looking at the topo maps, coming from the south might have been a bit easier but longer. The way we took was mostly class 2, with a few class 3 sketchy parts. We started north of the watershed, but if you do this, you need to be on the south side. Kel found a snail shell here (see photo below). I assumed this was an ancient fossil from the various dry lakes in the area, but it turns out there are a few species that live out there, specifically in drainage basins/ watersheds on the sides of mountains – just like the area we hiked through. I’m assuming the example she found is a Victorville shoulderband, not the endangered Mojave shoulderband. Pretty neat! Near the top I started walking towards what I thought was the high point; This ended up being Spear which is 5M below the actual summit of 4097. At the top of the real summit, Kel and I found and signed the register. Not too many people come up here. The wind was cool and breezy. I tried to get some friends on 2M back at camp, but instead got a station from Phelan which was unexpected. I stretched out a 40M EFHW and started working CW, then switched to 20M. No S2S on this one. I started this hike with low batteries on my GPS watch, so unfortunately I don’t have a track of the whole trip. The way down was basically the same as the way up, except we didn’t hike back down through the watershed. I’d probably go up this way if I visit again; it’s a bit sketcher but shorter.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3cf283b4-a001-4ab0-a8b4-f63fc67d7865/e2bb814f-d0f3-4e29-8afd-038f02387831-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8wvzLWpR9uShrg7htyAymM61002026-06-01T03:46:12.652ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/5rY7UPcjxG3n4J9Vtubro7https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/6ed52323-0436-4bb7-ad5c-3ebbf248375d.jpgW6/CT-014W6/CT-014https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2404bbc9-84fc-4523-8ae7-59d6b3ae63f6/eb5d5a92-d287-44fe-8238-49b99a1d5326-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/5rY7UPcjxG3n4J9Vtubro7160002026-06-01T19:06:34.994ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/613qavHuSfu3ifQfavhPwVhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/996b0c1f-e44b-47b6-aa56-381cbe2d8942.jpgW6/SD-013 - East Ord Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-013-east-ord-mountain/ 2026 SoCal Winter SOTA Fest schedule – 1st – https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-080-4633/ 2nd – (This one) https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-013-east-ord-mountain/ 3rd – https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-010-ord-mountain/ This was my second hike of the day, and second hike for the SoCal Winter SOTA fest. On the drive out to East Ord, I wasn’t paying attention to my map so I ended up in the wrong place, which is listed on a map as Grand View Mine. This would be a nice place to camp, as KB9ENS mentioned in his trip report. I wanted to start my hike from the north so I back tracked and found my way to Guzzler, as it’s listed on the map. There is no trail, and the hike starts off pretty steep. There are rock formations which make route finding tricky; I needed to backtrack several times to find a safer route. Did I mention it is steep? My definition of steep is 1000 feet of gain in 1 mile. This was something like 1800 feet of gain in a bit over a mile. It took much longer than I thought to reach the summit. At the top there was a register going back to 1988. I signed it and setup the Yaesu 817 for 2M. Made some local S2S over CW, and a few more on FM. There was a bit more time before 00:00 zulu, so I quickly setup HF, 20M and worked that as fast I could. Since I started later than I liked, and it took me longer to reach the summit than anticipated, I was worried about losing daylight. I packed up everything and started heading down. The steep terrain and impact was hurting my knees, but I needed to beat the sun so I pushed through. About half way down, my knees really started hurting; stabbing knife pain. My stride shortened and I took breaks. The sun disappeared behind the mountains as the temperature dropped quickly. Soon, it was pitch black and the flashlight was in the truck. I still needed to navigate a dry waterfall and a wash, which was done by phone light. Luckily I was only in the dark for about 20 minutes. Had ...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/287f2ebe-92db-48a7-9a65-77f42c95d00d/facd4876-0f1b-454d-964e-c5941cc88dc4-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/613qavHuSfu3ifQfavhPwV107002026-06-01T03:46:15.736ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/a3BDXjSbrnibaGqE8oP7vuhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c2b85b7c-0bfb-4efb-9795-eb4dbe0c9a44.jpgYaesu FT2D Screen RepairHow to replace a screen on a Yaesu FT2D amateur radio. This piece of equipment is essential to my SOTA operations, so it was important to fix! Also, learn from my mistakes and find out how to keep you SD card intact. Cheers!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/493fb551-3947-43a8-94e5-cf0a8e7b351e/fe90624e-f900-4f57-a7e4-d9891d02f76a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/a3BDXjSbrnibaGqE8oP7vu785002026-06-01T19:06:44.841Zyaesuham radioamateur radiosotarepairYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/1cPjSqPMZ6xT4BQJGzMHYJhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8854a0f8-d878-4cc1-9ca4-f53a357f2add.jpgW6/SD-010 - Ord Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-010-ord-mountain/ 2026 SoCal Winter SOTA Fest schedule – 1st – https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-080-4633/ 2nd – https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-013-east-ord-mountain/ 3rd – (This one) https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-010-ord-mountain/ This was my third summit for SoCal Winter SOTA Fest 2026. I woke up in the morning, headed down to the hotel restaurant, and ordered breakfast with coffee. My knees were feeling “okay” but I was worried about doing more summits after East Ord destroyed them. I figured I could try an “easy” summit today so I headed out to Stoddard Mountain, W6/SD-060. Once I got close to the bottom of Stoddard, I parked the truck, slathered on some sunscreen and started a slow ascent. My knees were hurting. About 1/4 mile up, I wanted to make sure I could actually get down without stabbing knife pains, so I walked back a bit, and my knees were screaming. There was no way I could get up and down any summit today, so I continued back to the truck with the plan of heading home to Los Angeles early. Over 2M, I heard two local hams at the Slash X Cafe talking about how they were heading up to Ord Mountain. I interjected, introduced myself, and asked if I could joint them, and they agreed! I headed over to the Slash X to meet up with them, and after a quick chat we were on our way. (I’m leaving out all of details on who/ how we got up there) Once at the top I used a 2M HT and called CQ, which was quickly answered by others activating in the area. Two S2S. From there, I went on 2M CW with a yaesu 817 and got two more QSOs. I didn’t want my hosts to stand around waiting for me to work HF bands, so I signed QRT and packed up. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-010https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/01a658c4-3975-4d07-b223-e49ae44cb436/8fddfb2f-40fe-4723-868a-d5b51a36ee96-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/1cPjSqPMZ6xT4BQJGzMHYJ20002026-06-01T03:50:21.918ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/mRSKF8sLs4N6DabQUt1aY6https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2a318a56-e907-4312-8733-9f114cab7943.jpgW6/CT-163 - Yerba Buena RidgeW6/CT-163 https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-163https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a8ed7ede-98b9-4dbd-92af-0dcd85f09c29/7bc8e1a5-5355-4116-979b-fc1bfcf079db-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/mRSKF8sLs4N6DabQUt1aY616012026-06-01T19:06:47.668ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jjnTbrf449kR8v3CR27nLNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/647f8e0e-3e5d-43a9-8684-2daece42d3f1.jpgW7A/PZ-060 - Guadalupe Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w7a-pz-060-guadalupe-mountain/ Kel and I were driving out to Tucson on interstate 10 for the gem show. Guadalupe Mountain is East of Quartzsite with easy access from the freeway. It’s also a good spot to stop and walk around after being in a car for a few hours. Get off at Gold Nugget Rd, then follow it East until you get to the communications site access road, which goes to the summit. We drove a Subaru about half way up before it got too rutted out to continue. From there, it’s a steep hike up. The last bit it of road is paved which makes it easier. At the top are several communication shelters. I found a rock off to the side to operate from, and gave 2M FM a shot, with two QSOs into Quartzsite. Worked 17M with one S2S. Got a text from another SOTA op needing a complete, so I moved to 40M using the whip and coil on the KH1. That worked pretty well! There are a lot of unactivated summits around Quartzsite, and maybe it’s worth a dedicated trip out there to bag several of them. https://sotl.as/summits/W7A/PZ-060https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/94555e87-8889-460b-91db-a87b5385b0ba/f175e939-b529-4c9f-8761-7b79c239e76f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jjnTbrf449kR8v3CR27nLN73002026-06-01T03:50:24.702ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/chn9qa2ifRJELH6f8ztZ5Qhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ee83159b-caf2-4222-91f5-ed35108032ce.jpgW6/CT-030 - Mount LukensMountain bike ride and Summits On The Air activation of Mt. Lukens, the highest point in the city of Los Angeleshttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5b5d74eb-7764-4ae6-a72c-4c3d7ad7bbc4/f79e72bb-94d4-48a0-a88f-4914994511f2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/chn9qa2ifRJELH6f8ztZ5Q254002026-06-01T19:06:51.246ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8Xt3hBEUK3aZkq692EvKzzhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/462eccef-7b3d-46b6-91da-9aa335712d94.jpgW7A/PE-088 - Safford Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w7a-pe-088-safford-peak/ After making some coffee, Kel and I left our accommodations in Iron Horse and headed out to Saguaro National Park West to hike Safford Peak. This is also qualifies for POTA US-0060. We started at a popular trailhead at the end of North Scenic Drive, slathered on some sunscreen and got on our way. The trail is well defined and starts gaining elevation quickly, weaving through the beautiful landscape of the Sonoran Desert. The trail eventually becomes a class 2 scramble to reach the summit. At the top is a register and plenty of options to plant a mast. Using a KH1 transceiver with the internal whip on 17M resulted in plenty of QSOs. I added a loading coil and picked up a few more on 40M. Tried 2M FM but didn’t have any takers. The hike down was the reverse of the accent, however, looking at a map post hike shows there could be an opportunity for a small loop through Sanctuary Cove? Overall, beautiful area, nice hike, great day to be out in the mountains. I’d do this one again. https://sotl.as/summits/W7A/PE-088https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/406e8aa6-ab88-4953-b291-5c592b9911af/eef55dda-fab8-41d1-bc07-e22e33270bc3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8Xt3hBEUK3aZkq692EvKzz71002026-06-01T04:31:34.136ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/dbAiJKnGdHem7DvrPCq8Wxhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/dfdd3b19-d331-4d5e-8caf-fa9c2011e0fe.jpgW6/CT-170 - Kagel MountainSummits On The Air activation of Kagel Mountain in Southern California.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/62a83e4a-adc3-4c54-9193-6f0220e0a077/a6e3d12e-22c2-4781-a4d3-2619e213a46d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/dbAiJKnGdHem7DvrPCq8Wx70002026-06-01T19:06:54.520ZSOTAamateur radioham radiohikingsummits on the airYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cYiSkbM9Z7D47KgDsiBLL8https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4d2cf558-fd6b-46dd-87ca-fe41b6c14c09.jpgW6/CT-012 - Mt. WatermanW6/CT-012 - Mt. Watermanhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/60f13012-ba43-4c10-9331-2069d5ac0fb7/bb07c640-ce21-4abe-b1c5-a93df8c25d31-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cYiSkbM9Z7D47KgDsiBLL863002026-06-01T19:06:57.564ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sBycnGAQvrZ4ATx5iSLJofhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a65c7629-40c7-4d77-a8e9-9734b1f4b75f.jpgW6/CT-150 (Early May)W6/CT-150 (Early May)https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d7847a89-c8a8-4ab9-94ce-1b3535e29212/36e9fb3c-0ce8-45c4-882c-540cc6faa150-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sBycnGAQvrZ4ATx5iSLJof60002026-06-01T19:07:00.687ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/2kN1jAMmL93aHQkfwicNxVhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/cf121ef5-1f61-46f2-be27-2e9ac13b65b2.jpgW6/CT-010 - Mt.IslipMt. Islip summit above Los Angeles. http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-010/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/0adc9f48-cd49-440c-9a02-1e22f8fdf73b/2c08e5f3-50ce-4544-8165-accc5671a30d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/2kN1jAMmL93aHQkfwicNxV133002026-06-01T19:07:05.123ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/dcmWakdUrM1r4DpE6ETH9xhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4d6dbb8f-22e1-471e-82ee-a805d65b2b5b.jpgRaining in Landers, CAOut of the blue on a hot June day, a squall came over Landers, CA dumping a bunch of rain.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/62c3bf0e-04ed-4d50-a4ed-b736a004d52b/b4409f0d-0a73-4345-afcb-b87c1f991cc5-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/dcmWakdUrM1r4DpE6ETH9x38002026-06-01T19:07:08.013ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7BLbdGyzashkLnebM9NCJhhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4eeca1d7-39ce-4fd6-896d-ed20af7c2f31.jpgHoyt Mountain W6/CT-146This is the second time activating Hoyt Mountain, however this time, I hiked up for the ARRL VHF contest and only worked 6M and 70CM, with a few contacts on 2M. More info on my blog at http://blog.benmook.com/hoyt2https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/359516a4-e586-495d-93dd-8007a7cb2b74/31084e82-d921-4058-98b0-c768f3a84059-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7BLbdGyzashkLnebM9NCJh158002026-06-01T19:07:15.266ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/nYThtF2TcRURmgAnbZmEmshttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7941fe1b-acb7-4b8b-9905-377289a60bfb.jpg2020 ARRL Field Day stationField day station in Landers, CA.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/b2012afc-f183-4fb1-b764-a5ccd669972a/b8e64992-e6c9-4dc4-80b5-306eba6bdd26-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/nYThtF2TcRURmgAnbZmEms61002026-06-01T19:07:18.299ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7owowPAv5DmrpnK8m5XYe5https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c873ece3-80d6-4c29-a12e-ffa8e7db490d.jpgThroop Peak W6/CT-005More info on my website http://blog.benmook.com/Throophttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/33bbec26-6d4e-456d-8522-7b48650a946e/9171a172-9c40-4c0f-9946-772acff04bbf-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7owowPAv5DmrpnK8m5XYe5115002026-06-01T19:07:22.277ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9efneq7zjT4TEfpHz5CWt3https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/be67abcc-cb9c-4331-94c6-85e51e4c9878.jpgMount Gleason W6/CT-017http://blog.benmook.com/mt-gleason/ I originally planned on riding my bike up to W6/CT-087, which is on the way to Mt. Gleason, but I was feeling good so I pushed through to the further summit. The road up is paved, as there was a Nike missile site up top, which became a Forest Service fire outpost, which, tragically burned down in the 2009 Station Fire. Since it is almost 10 miles to the top, cycling made quick work of what would be above my pedestrian threshold. Once at the top, I setup the station under a grove of pine trees in the shade. I made a few contacts on 2M as the HF antenna got setup. I self spotted on 20M, and made a few contacts. Moving over to 40M and self spotting again, I quickly found it was noisy. I could clearly hear chasers calling me, but there was no getting out on my end. I made a few contacts regardless, including, a S2S. I moved over to 2M CW to practice my code. Made one contact, then another station called, which was a busted QSO because my brain still freezes when receiving. More info and photos on LA-04 http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/la-04.php https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-017https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/42a2a1b6-3eff-4b61-a10d-3bfb4324c6f8/6b1bf7e1-8861-4a64-b616-49b9b22a3688-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9efneq7zjT4TEfpHz5CWt3145002026-06-01T19:07:26.966ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kzTRgMctefEXeiYrjYrHeqhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a2f7128d-c653-4706-953a-88b3f44c7e94.jpgLittle Mt. Gleason (6080) - W6/CT-087http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-087/ I activated this peak in mid July after a bicycle activation up to (regular?) Mt. Gleason. I enjoyed the ride so much I came back for Little Mt. Gleason the following week. The ride up for the first few miles is tough, about a 11% grade according to my GPS. After that it calms down a bit, but it's still up hill. To find Little Mt. Gleason, look for a microwave tower off in the distance while traveling up the road. That's it. Eventually, there will be a dirt road on the right hand side that takes you to the summit. There is little to no shade on the road up, and there is zero shade once you get to the summit. I don't know if I will do this one again in the middle of July, as the temps were quite high. As for the activation, I brought my Yaesu 817, my standard 20/40M vertical and one of those cheesy MFJ 1810T antennas for 10M, which brought me more contacts that 20+40 combined. Longest QSO was out to Colorado Springs, on 10M. The ride down was fast and enjoyable, and I look forward to activating this peak again in the winter months.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9e9921e1-bc83-4d4a-95cf-8310120983b6/993a6e98-db57-4262-8703-8e08e82d961a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kzTRgMctefEXeiYrjYrHeq151002026-06-01T19:07:31.358ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/muEwppHkUdtcD6ZWZAawGhhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/972d6349-08f5-4551-a2ad-24d476f44cd8.jpgDelamar Mountan W6/CT-050http://blog.benmook.com/delamar-mountain-w6-ct-050/ 8 point summit near Fawnskin (Big Bear Lake). Do not follow my tracks on this one, as I completely missed the trail! We started out on a section of the PCT, scrambled up to the summit, then followed an old road down, which didn't really put us in a position to get back to the car easily. I didn't make a ton of contacts, but overall, a fun hike.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a5f75713-84d2-420a-a8b0-dc46da7fde80/649f1b27-8a04-4842-80b3-0abf2d7dbfef-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/muEwppHkUdtcD6ZWZAawGh58002026-06-01T19:07:34.564ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/pusB2idgn6hcyFtCPkeHEthttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2d506e44-6c91-40ca-9d8f-5e98b4f9e184.jpgAPRS2SOTA - Receiving other stations spots over APRS while activating a SOTA peakIt's a common practice to self-spot over APRS when activating a summit, but did you know you can receive other stations spots using the same tool? This quick video shows how it works. Give it a test drive on your next activation and try and work other SOTA operators.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/be3b68f1-7d30-44d2-bea5-f814a56c6793/ee3a9cf7-124d-4769-bb71-ccb097defd00-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/pusB2idgn6hcyFtCPkeHEt136002026-06-01T19:07:37.189ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vpAJwbjRYhVFBKBYQDin6shttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f0defd56-d4ce-4361-87aa-9ca73ecb480a.jpgMount Lewis - W6/CT-246http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-246-mount-lewis/ Mt. Lewis is a short, steep hike with easy access just off highway 2, which can easily be combined with any of the surrounding summits, such as Throop, Mt. Baden-Powell, exc for a 16 point day. At the summit, you get nice views of the Antelope Valley and plenty of shade. The peak is named after the first Superintendent of Yosemite National Park who worked in the San Gabriels in the early 1900’s. Mt. Lewis made it on the original 1946 Sierra Club Hundred Peaks List.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ee24886b-61cb-46d3-8986-093b92caada8/5a17ce4d-3a73-4cb4-9dac-6d4043e28011-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vpAJwbjRYhVFBKBYQDin6s92002026-06-01T19:07:40.900ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/bFt88xpzWe9BPPVYbpuLjvhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e7ee2072-d3d3-4dd3-860d-0dcb3846faf3.jpgMount Williamson - W6/CT-247http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-247 This is a fun 8 point SOTA hike, which is around 5 miles round trip. Note: If you’re looking at a map, the actual summit is past Mount Williamson; keep going and follow Pleasant View Ridge to a peak named 8248. If you keep going even further, you will run into Pallet Mountain, the site of a C-119 aircraft crash. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-247https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/567e1bd5-bfd9-466a-b1d8-1d870283e2f1/9bb1d1c0-4cfe-4128-9f3c-7066fd052146-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/bFt88xpzWe9BPPVYbpuLjv96002026-06-01T19:07:44.690ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/byT54KxcSqguwyubEDnsThhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bdcc835a-79d1-4f2b-896d-cf24742a0b26.jpgMt. Pinos - W6/CC-002http://blog.benmook.com/w6-cc-002 My wife and I were itching to get out of the house, so I suggested a day trip up to Frazier to check out some of the easy summits in the area. At the time, there was a heat wave throughout Southern California, so I wasn't in the mood to do much hiking! We started out by heading up to Frazier Mountain, W6/CC-003, a drive up. The first half of the road was paved, but after a few miles the road splits at a campground and turns to dirt. I attempted to pilot my Fiat 500 carefully down the dirt, but quickly found this wasn't the best idea with minimal ground clearance and low profile tires. We turned around and headed to Mt. Pinos. Getting there is easy on the paved road, which ends at a large parking area at several trail heads. The hike up is beautiful, through a tree canopy which eventually opens up to meadows of wildflowers. Made several contacts on 20, 40 and 2 meters, including three summit 2 summits. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CC-002https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5592a909-1ba1-4337-9a74-84e916e4b81e/19b8d954-f0b6-4029-8bb2-c41073dbc50e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/byT54KxcSqguwyubEDnsTh73002026-06-01T19:07:48.152ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9ACcsQAvmw9TMfjs9BGQ6Yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1b84d726-c121-4db1-850f-db892b8cd088.jpgSend CW from your Yaesu hand microphoneConfigure your Yaesu 857, 817, and 818 to use the hand microphone as a CW key.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/459eb47d-c23c-4773-9b44-56f5754e900a/5e213ea0-40fe-424b-8692-5e6fbb319cbf-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9ACcsQAvmw9TMfjs9BGQ6Y159002026-06-01T19:07:50.616ZYaesuamateur radioradiomorse codeshortwaveYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hoTxgRJyB6z6WGVp7UENQnhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/34c1de2f-23db-4664-9f45-6b41fd7b140a.jpgParker Mountain - W6/CT-153http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-153-parker-mountain/ The weather in L.A. is hot, and I wanted to get on the air. I also didn’t feel like hiking in the heat, but wanted to activate a summit. Doesn’t seem like a good combination, but I had an idea for a hobby stack. Earlier in the week I spent some time pulling my dual-sport motorbike out of the weeds in the backyard, and evicting the various spiders from the motor. After a quick hose off, fluid check, and battery charge, the bike was highway ready after being neglected for so long. I’ve been curious about summits along Hwy 14, as these appear to be drive ups, however, I don’t have a 4×4 to make it up there, but I do have a dual-sport motorcycle! I left my house and wizzed the 400cc motor for about 60 miles to the area of the summit. It was hard to find, and it took a few tries to get up there, which cost quite a bit of time. Some parts of this trail were quite steep and had me second guessing my skills on the bike, but I made it up without incident. At the summit, there is evidence of an old tower site, and a single tree which could offer a bit of shade. I started with 10M, moved to 20, then 40. Called out on 2M simplex and didn’t make any contacts there. I attempted to activate another summit nearby, however, I was hungry, running low on water, and couldn’t easily find the trailhead so I headed home. Next time I activate a summit in this area I think I’ll load the bike in the van, then drive to a friends house in the canyons and start the ride there. Being on a small displacement bike, on the highway, in the hot sun, is quite taxing!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/84c457f9-fd32-46bc-b9b5-f17417c81e9d/3f385bf5-ef9a-4c49-b377-2d32371abbf2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hoTxgRJyB6z6WGVp7UENQn91002026-06-01T19:07:54.392ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hymaCrFvNir7UcJup7akjNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5d3bdc49-4343-4637-804a-ccde22eab93b.jpg🐐 Goat Mountain - W6/SD-183http://blog.benmook.com/goat-mountain-w6-sd-183/ This summit is very close to my cabin in Landers, and I’ve always wanted to hike it. Generally, I’m pretty worn out from working on the property to do anything like hiking though. Goat Mountain was mined for gold as early as 1914. There are still places along the trail where you can see the mine shafts. The trail the top of the mountain is well defined, where I can only assume mule teams dragged carts of ore up and down. The hike up is relatively easy, however, it’s very rocky. The summit offers sweeping views of the surrounding desert. At the summit, I called out on 10M, and 2M without success. 20M and 40M was working well. Thanks for all the chasers!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8616726a-cff9-431e-8dee-71cbdf12d416/9f639832-373b-4f62-a94c-79d3cd7213cd-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hymaCrFvNir7UcJup7akjN76002026-06-01T19:07:57.268ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cmbEHhLKQVaraSvSZjsYJthttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/446b8dd6-4952-4da3-b2cb-5075d4bde88c.jpgW6/SS-285 - Bald Mountainhttps://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-285 This was my first activation in the Southern Sierras; quite a bit of a drive from my QTH, but it made a fun day with my wife. The station was setup off the side of the summit on a picnic table. I only made two contacts on 2M (one S2S) and two on 20M. 40M was simply not working. Either my station was in a terrible position, or propagation simply wasn't working in my favor.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5be5f986-6955-4c12-9771-2c20a65a6e4f/3b6b6321-f8af-498a-ba51-e83d402701d9-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cmbEHhLKQVaraSvSZjsYJt75002026-06-01T19:08:02.593ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3KMiTDQpF8wJtmEsWs6Znzhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c4ec09b3-d529-4542-82da-10ddbf888843.jpgMt. Pacifico - W6/CT-015http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-015-mt-pacifico/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/164f2e87-c608-4d96-bf99-9e05bf8a838f/4578090a-9d51-4cb8-9836-81534a255c6a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3KMiTDQpF8wJtmEsWs6Znz44002026-06-01T19:08:05.427ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/k3VZeAgZ6VtiZpeqkJyThHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e2989359-c9d5-4eee-822a-d891c68d81b2.jpg4460 - W6/CT-144http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-144-4460/https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9a466483-2dfc-41e3-8ed3-4f44b7a671f5/a0704f8e-1c46-463e-abc8-56c676aab952-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/k3VZeAgZ6VtiZpeqkJyThH84002026-06-01T19:08:08.489ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/wxm5xC6LDVi8zPEnW8hC9Yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/185e9b73-44b7-4850-aefa-8eca22551a12.jpgKit fox caught on a trail cameraShort video of a kit fox, caught on a trail camera in Landers, CAhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f7529724-997d-44f7-a5b3-73cd12705808/567dad37-ebfc-4547-9ce0-fd3a89557961-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/wxm5xC6LDVi8zPEnW8hC9Y10002026-06-01T19:08:10.352ZHere is %sYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vh7fnNnTCWq1NThV86jQPdhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2ee5f960-1a80-4311-937f-ad0a3ea4631a.jpgIron Mountain – W6/ CT-024Additional photos here: http://blog.benmook.com/iron-mountain-w6-ct-024/ Iron Mountain is one of those summits in Southern California which hasn’t been activated too many times, and for a good reason. It’s a long hike, or in my case, a long, hard bicycle ride. I started at Dillon Divide full of energy ready to tackle the summit around 11am, but quickly found this bike ride to be laborious, not because of the distance or the uphill grade, but because the road was covered in rocks ranging in size from a softball, to large marbles. Trying to put any kind of effort into the rear wheel resulted in a tire without traction. In the worst spots on the trail, the front wheel was bobbing around left and right, looking for traction as well! Needless to say, I had to push the bike up most of the way. Fallen trees and rock slides along the way made this hike with a bike more difficult. After a few hours of climbing over fallen trees, through deep gravel – wanting to give up and turn around, I made it to the bottom of the summit. Of course, I didn’t do any research on how to actually get to the top so I spent some time looking at contour maps to find the least steep route. This turned out to be an old fire break, which was quite over grown and not really visible. At the top, the benchmark was easy to find. I signed the summit log, which was last signed in May. Daylight was running out quickly, so I setup my station as fast as I could and made enough HF contacts to qualify the summit, switching over to VHF for additional contacts while breaking down the long wire antenna. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, I started the hike down to my bike, which I left near the road up. It was twilight, but the bike I was riding has a dynamo front wheel that generates light. Going downhill was somewhat easier than going up. You see, I’m riding a bike with somewhat skinny tires and brakes that don’t work well at all. This trip would have been better on a different bike! About a qua...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ed18c597-4da0-4c5a-a844-34d5290d6332/d0f0d470-b3f5-4ce1-83a9-051dac7868e5-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vh7fnNnTCWq1NThV86jQPd63002026-06-01T19:08:13.971ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kFzTxL2FyGw6RxmfVrQYZrhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/cc317d97-e5fb-46a8-9b9d-c4fe0c3482ec.jpgMt. Emma - W6/CT-029http://blog.benmook.com/mt-emma/ Mt. Emma had been on my radar for awhile, but the lower elevation and lack of shade pushed this down my list until cooler months arrived. My wife and I wanted to get out of the house, so this was a perfect spontaneous activity on a cool November day. Start on Mt. Emma road – there is a small parking area directly across from the trailhead, and a small sign lets you know you’re at the right place. At first the trail winds through chaparral up the first hill. After about 10 minutes of hiking, you will discover the trail was replaced with a recent fire break, most likely in response to the Bobcat Fire. Follow the fire break all the way up to the summit. It’s quite steep, my GPS reported a 15% ~ 30% grade. At the top, I found the summit marker, but no benchmark. Maybe it was destroyed by a land clearing machine? I also observed red fire retardant on the ground, the kind dropped form aircraft. Interestingly, it appeared that this was dropped before the land was cleared. I setup a long wire antenna into my Yaesu 817, self spotted via APRS. Made a few contacts on 20M, tried 17M with no luck, then moved to 40M and made several more with one summit to summit. I look forward to activating this again in a years time to see how the plants recover. Maybe I should plant a native tree up there?https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9f6486b8-a210-41b0-b966-53113c90bb93/4bc87246-db7c-46d8-bf70-4bd9abde8fe8-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kFzTxL2FyGw6RxmfVrQYZr81002026-06-01T19:08:17.041ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sZciD28XXtDaBcVUwZ5F4qhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/fa0bc6e9-fee6-451d-a888-c7009ace9504.jpgCucamonga Peak - W6/CT-006http://blog.benmook.com/cucamonga/ My pal E.Bun had been taking about hiking Ice House Canyon for a few weeks. This is a pretty popular hiking destination in Southern California which I really knew nothing about, as I have only been in that part of the San Gabriels once, maybe 15 years ago. After some research, I thought to myself “Oh, there are SOTA summits up there? I’m in!”. It’s a longer hike than I normally enjoy, and since it’s popular, you need to be at the trailhead ridiculously early or risk missing out on a parking space. I only brought an HT, with the idea that I could do a UHF only activation. Since this is a popular summit, I didn’t want wires everywhere. I enjoyed the additional bonus of a lighter pack. I was awake at 4:30AM, at the trailhead just before 6AM. The parking lot was filling up like an In-N-Out burger drive thru. Groups pf people were gathering at the bottom, ready to hike. We started on the trail just after 6AM just after first light. E.Bun was hiking fast, full steam ahead, and I needed to shed my jacket after about 15 minutes. Around about 4 miles of constant uphill, we reached Ice House Saddle. We found a nice spot away from everyone on a small hill in the sun to take a short break and figure out what we were going to do. One large group split off and headed to Timber Mountain. “Not going there”. Another large group split off to Ontario Peak. “Not going there either”. The only option left was Cucamonga, which we didn’t see any large groups heading up so of we hiked! This trail was much less traveled than Ice House which made me feel a lot better. Additionally, it was much more scenic and a bit more technical. Eventually the trail turned to ice on the north side of the mountain – when the trail winds around to the south side, one could imagine it’s the middle of summer. A short trek through ‘deep’ snow and we made it to the summit. We both took some time to relax and enjoy the views, eat lunch, and chat about the hike up. E.Bun we...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/da89f769-84d1-4e86-bab6-1f40cf4f41b2/4729270e-58b2-4778-9da6-f87ff6c152f7-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sZciD28XXtDaBcVUwZ5F4q38002026-06-01T19:08:20.750ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kZ7oadx4TyNHsWSTxJuqruhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ae44abdd-3ddd-49b4-8396-e53fa518eb91.jpgW6/CT-071 - Circle Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/circle-mountain/ I activated this summit in January, just before a storm system was coming into Southern California to dump snow on higher elevation peaks. To take advantage of extra winter bonus points, I set out early from my home and quickly bagged Table Mountain, a very easy summit before heading over to the Circle Mountain trailhead. Once there, the trail was well defined and easy to follow. At the top, I setup next to the summit marker and spotted myself. My wife hiked around the large flat summit while I operated on 20M/ 40M bands. Quickly, the temperature dropped and we noticed frozen rain falling from the sky. I quickly packed up the station and headed down to the car. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-071https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a1d6f666-e9c1-4e0d-bd38-78af19135a46/536bc2ff-8b03-446c-bc5b-402f3a2a52b1-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kZ7oadx4TyNHsWSTxJuqru82002026-06-01T19:08:23.901ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/k2jkvbdD2ZmKjkQv4orwaVhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/554d3f1b-a70e-4de7-8fd3-ee0220122078.jpgW6/CT-265 - 3819http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-265-3819/ I’ve passed by this summit several times but never made the effort to activate it. The trail up is pretty obvious, just follow it along the ridge line up to the top. It’s pretty steep with loose soil in some sections so be careful. Also, watch out for snakes! Worked 20M, 40M with 5 S2S contacts. Not bad! From here I continued on and activated W6/CT-167, which is nearby. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-265https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9a0cadad-a893-4e80-8002-887741d26adf/a130d051-3ac2-4836-a3b2-7fbd83e049b0-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/k2jkvbdD2ZmKjkQv4orwaV89002026-06-01T19:08:26.988ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kmV6eQVRQPj7tgv5WJiBdghttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/48592c3a-9d93-488b-808b-643323ac5e3b.jpgW6/CT-167 - 3788http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-167-3788/ This was my second summit of the day, activating W6/CT-265 earlier. Whatever you do, don’t use my GPS tracks to find your way up to this peak. I was 100% off making the ascent, however, I think I was mostly correct going back down to the start on Aliso Canyon Road. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-167https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9cc93a5f-1437-4184-9e10-2e38a64bae3b/f4e15541-4079-49f7-8e88-52d6028b583c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kmV6eQVRQPj7tgv5WJiBdg82002026-06-01T19:08:30.224ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/je55SD461C4gXn1hUZ98rohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/734fca55-af29-4bc3-9aaa-ef4addb7177e.jpgW6/CT-255 - Magic Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-255-magic-mountain/ Kel, Esther, Lars, and myself setoff on bicycles to reach the summit of Magic Mountain, which was used by the Marquardt Corporation as a rocket engine test facility. At the top, there are modern radio towers, and two large tanks which held water to cool the rocket engines under test on the pads below. The ride started near Bear Divide, off Little Tujunga Canyon Road, and follows the Santa Clara Truck Trail. Immediately you’re presented with an 8% ~ 11% grade, which lasts for around 2 miles. After a few hundred feet of slight downhill, you get right back to a steep grade for another 4 miles or so. Around mile 6, the paved road will make a sharp left turn through a gate, which leads up to the summit. We found intense winds and cold air at the top which made our time at the summit short. I worked 17M, and 40M. UHF/ VHF might be tough up here without filters due to the proximity to the big radio towers. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-255https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9397ae87-8b5a-4b32-b0bb-5b1a1447830c/42aa55c0-1fc8-4280-aa95-2cd24e05da21-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/je55SD461C4gXn1hUZ98ro34002026-06-01T19:08:32.976ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ju8rJFrd5XCa9N35jPdwMghttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7db57bc4-d99c-457a-b140-5e9631ff8cc8.jpgW6/CT-159 - Warm Springs Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-159-warm-springs-mountain/ I activated Warm Springs Mountain on Winter Field Day. My original plan was to cycle up to my favorite local park and work on my terrible CW skills, but my pal Tim just took delivery of a new custom built Crust frame and wanted to ride up some hills. I can’t say no to a bike ride, so I packed up my new seat bag with 5 ice cold beers, put the radios in the pannier, and headed up to the summit. It’s roughly 6~7% grade and 6.5 miles to the top on an exposed fire road. At the top I was surprised to find a weather station, an old lookout platform, a small radio shelter with a short tower. We got there roughly 30 minutes before 00:00z, so time was spent on top of the tower enjoying cold beer. I setup the station and immediately heard stations wall to wall on SSB. Once a clear frequency was found, I self spotted via APRS, however the reply I got said the summit was invalid. Luckily I had a phone with data, so I was able to confirm on the SOTA site that I was indeed on a summit. Self spotting through the web gui didn’t work either, so I called on 2M to a local chaser requesting a spot – who couldn’t spot either! Turns out the W6 database was getting updated, so nobody could send spots out! I worked as many stations as I could on 20M (three, but hands were too frozen to write so I missed one in my log) which was difficult due to several stations running kilowatts. I made a few more on 2M, enough to qualify the peak. The ride down was fast and quite enjoyable. Looking forward to activating this one again! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-159https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/95b1e8a6-dffe-42bd-82c1-f8fa23bf5989/a4402bd0-6983-46d2-95ea-da2bd1221b00-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ju8rJFrd5XCa9N35jPdwMg87002026-06-01T19:08:36.336ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/w5bXX2NrQPXrajjQuacs1Yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4580a13d-8da5-4713-a110-be2799067ee6.jpgW6/CT-145 - Tule Ridgehttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-145-tule-ridge/ Ebun and I activated Jupiter Mountain earlier in the day, and because the weather was so nice, it made since to keep hiking. I suggested Tule Ridge, because it looked easy on the map. This was completely wrong. Summiting Tule Ridge is difficult and uncomfortably steep. Going up was hard and required the use of two hands on the ground in the steepest spots. Going down was almost harder. I was fooled early on thinking the hike would get easier because of recent dirt bike tracks on the trail, but whoever left them was obviously some kinda dirt bike god. We finally got to the summit 20 minutes before 00:00z, where it was cold and very windy, Normally I would wait until the next 'day' to start an activation, but I felt we were at risk of loosing daylight so the station was setup as quickly as possible, and APRS spots for 40M were sent. 5 contacts were made before 00:00, and two additional contacts were made after. The radio was packed up quickly once again and we headed back to the trailhead as quickly, and safely as possible, with about 20 minutes of daylight to spare. I can't wait to do this one again in the future, hopefully with more time. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-145https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f387e45f-15c3-422e-875c-622ff4b999a8/2ff3d869-d0be-43ed-82b9-e9f54d5850c0-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/w5bXX2NrQPXrajjQuacs1Y31002026-06-01T19:08:38.723ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ghrNrJeV9pp3c5pbJYH8i2https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/535b9bb1-6584-424a-8195-b25970bc4b06.jpgW6/CT-158 – 4020 "The Beast"http://blog.benmook.com/the-beast/ This summit is a popular drive up, where you can earn 4 SOTA points for walking across a small field. I always figured I would activate this one again on some kinda field day with bulky QRO equipment, but cycling up 3n17 would be way more fun. Turns out, part of the way up is a popular mountain bike trail, called “The Beast“, where you climb up a fire road, then turn off onto a downhill single track back to the start. Hell yea! For this activation, I only brought an FM HT, two beers, water, and some snacks. Joining me was Ebun and Tim. The assent isn’t anything unusual – just a normal, steep, exposed fire road. About 5 miles up to the summit you will run into the single track that goes back down. Of course, we’re going all the way to the top, so another 3-ish miles further. At the summit I had no issues making contacts on 2M and 70cm FM. Excited to ride the single track down, I chugged one beer and headed to the single track. At this point I didn’t take any photos because it was way too much fun to stop. I can’t wait to do this again, and I’ll likely ride “The Beast” again soon. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-158https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7bc4e168-5011-4f2e-abfd-015dcbb6b9ff/2c521b31-7746-4f5a-9c4b-468fe00fba79-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ghrNrJeV9pp3c5pbJYH8i224002026-06-01T19:08:41.304ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/rXp9PNcojKBxQS8ysb9E4xhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/816716b4-be2c-4253-a214-65f1b907318f.jpgW6/CT-140 - Jupiter Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-140-jupiter-mountain/ With the forest directly above Los Angeles still mostly shutdown due to fire, I've been focusing my efforts to the western part of the San Gabriel Mountains above Santa Clarita, hopefully doing as much exploring and SOTA activating I can in the area before it gets brutally hot in the summer. There are two trailheads for Jupiter Mountain; The first trail is a steep firebreak which leads directly to the summit, where you will find a small bench. The second trail is a narrow single track, which is longer, but not quite as steep. These two trails together make a nice loop. Ebun, my hiking pal and I chose to ascend the steep firebreak, then go down the narrow single track, which seems to be the most popular route when referencing SoCal hiking blogs. We encountered a pair of jeeps driving to the top, so you could also drive up the firebreak to the summit in a 4x4 with low gears. I packed a G90 radio, which I acquired second hand, and haven't used on a SOTA trip before. Additionally, I haven't really used it at home either so I had a bit of a learning curve to operate the radio. Using APRS, I spotted myself on 20M SSB, then 40M SSB, where I made a bunch of QSOs. Once all the chasers were worked, Ebun and I hiked down to the starting point. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-140https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d230a451-19b5-4f47-bff7-d2d8d17101c5/046f8675-ce5b-4394-b376-7d3324dff8f6-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/rXp9PNcojKBxQS8ysb9E4x61002026-06-01T19:08:44.633ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/qTjGYAxYuriSNrk69j7Ur1https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/0f2c0b86-ccb0-4d2f-9a30-36904a0cfb41.jpgW6/CD-019 – Kelso Duneshttp://blog.benmook.com/kelso-dunes/ Kel, Ebun, and myself camped out in the Mojave National Preserve in February to do some hiking. I’ve always wanted to climb Kelso Dunes, and as it turns out, it’s also a SOTA summit! These dunes are neat because there are several endemic species of insects. In addition, the sand makes a very low frequency booming sound when you walk over it. The trailhead is easy to find, three miles down a graded dirt road that intersects with Kelbaker Road. The first mile of trail is pretty flat, with increasing grade for the last half mile or so. At the top, I was able to sink my antenna mast directly into the sand, firmly securing if from wind gusts. I self spotted on APRS so the chasers could find me, made two S2S contacts on 40M, didn’t bother trying any UHF/ VHF. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CD-019https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c985c9d3-bc77-4f10-b9d7-9847b570b1ca/6f9982da-39e9-4420-88a2-6dc1f760c288-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/qTjGYAxYuriSNrk69j7Ur165002026-06-01T19:08:47.046ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8z3JJDGf3ULQ4N5brzFCXBhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/55ce6c89-fc79-48ab-a10b-c10afdb12809.jpgW6/CT-259 - Bald Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/bald-mountain/ I was planing on activating Libre Mountain when I left my house in the morning, however, I got a bit lost and ended up on Bald Mountain instead! This summit would be considered a drive up, but the road to the top has deep potholes making it extremely risky to drive my tiny car all the way. I ended up parking at the bottom of Misty Ridge Drive and hiking the remainder of the way, which was very enjoyable. At the top you will be greeted with a tower site; half of the installation is decommissioned, so I set my station up next to the fence, furthest away form the active site. APRS was available here, so a packet containing my spot was sent. Worked 20M and 40M SSB, then got brave and sent a spot for 30M CW. One station came back to me but I couldn’t get one character in the call. Sadly, they gave up on me after I sent a ? for the third time. Too embarrassed to continue, I went QRT. Near the summit there is an old ranch – some old farming equipment, a rusty French car, and a small collapsing cabin. I wonder who, when, why the owner of this equipment abandoned it? https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-259https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3d4d339f-85aa-444d-99fe-c634ed17b1f1/c29d0fdc-0bd6-49d0-882d-3ff834257df2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8z3JJDGf3ULQ4N5brzFCXB112002026-06-01T19:08:50.907ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/gi7JsFC6eCpzEChke8HQU9https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/78e5e913-77ca-4120-bcb4-59c51a185bf0.jpgW6/CT-089 –🏔️ Mt. Lawlorhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-089-mt-lawlor/ This was my second activation of Mt. Lawlor. The first time I didn’t take any photos/ video and I wish I had, because the summit and firebreak has been cleared. Tracks from a large machine can be seen at the top; I have no idea how they got it up there. Helicopter? You can get up to Lawlor several ways – I parked at Red Box Picnic area and hiked to the firebreak, then, straight up to the summit. You can bypass the insanely steep hike by going around to Strawberry Saddle and hiking the ridge up, which requires a bit of scrambling over rocks. Worked 20M, 40M SSB, and 2M AM (yes, AM). Brought a new (to me) HT which added 23cm to my quiver of bands. Tried to QSO with K6LDQ on 23cm – he could hear me, but I couldn’t hear him. Maybe next time! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-089https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7bdcdf6e-340f-482d-9c59-5efb32a7a248/8a845f24-f83e-4d70-8da5-df63f4803b4a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/gi7JsFC6eCpzEChke8HQU9114002026-06-01T19:08:54.885ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/2UhF87phozs8FjSppg4vwBhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a9b00f9e-0c35-4ddb-bf19-dd38f3dcbcf0.jpgW6/CT-052 - Timber Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-052-timber-mountain/ This winter has been warm and dry, and the snowpack low. Bonuses are still on the table so I figured it would be a good time to get some extra points. Start at the Icehouse Canyon Trailhead, just off Mt. Baldy road. You will need a forest pass to park. I decided to hike the long way up via Chapman Trail, which adds another 2.5 miles and makes the hike a loop. At the summit I worked 20M, 40M, 70cm SSB, and 2M FM. I went on a weekday so there was little traffic trail. If you go on a weekend make sure to show up early to get a parking space, and be prepared for crowds, as this is a popular area to hike. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-052https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/0f66173a-e8e0-4721-b6ec-6ddc9bd8e88b/4e9ffff0-f7c0-45ee-a47e-59b25a87436a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/2UhF87phozs8FjSppg4vwB102002026-06-01T19:08:58.314ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/qF1C4vw4rMa5ZtZVY71wPPhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/56007b4e-0896-40e4-9a69-eb9668a53015.jpgW6/CT-263 - 4020http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-263-4020/ This is a fun area to cycle; not too steep and the fire roads are in nice shape. Started out on 6N53 which is paved. Eventually you will come to a split in the road, where commercial towers sit. For W6/CT-263, stay to the right down the dirt road, 6N53b. Eventually you will find a Eagle Scout project/ picnic area on the right hand side, which is the trail down to the scout camp. Form here, you can sorta make out an old 2 track trail which goes up the hill. I pushed the bike up this part until it was flat/ hard enough to continue cycling. Using my GPS, I found the summit and setup my station. Worked 20M, and 40M, then 70cm SSB. After all the chasers were gone, I decided to cycle over to W6/SC-076, Whitaker Peak. Go back to the transmission tower and take 6N53a all the way to another tower installation. From here, you need to sneak around the fence and traverse down the ridge over to the summit. Sadly, the tower site was extremely busy with workers, and I couldn't get the bicycle past all their idling trucks. Additionally, there wasn't anywhere to really hide my bike. Sadly, I turned around and went back to the car. I've summited Whitaker Peak before, but didn't activate it because my battery was dead when I got there. Doh! I did have a working pen and signed the summit log, which was pretty empty. Maybe I'll actually get to activate it on my third attempt, which likely won't involve a bicycle that I need to hide in the bush. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-263https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c7cdb7d0-8fc9-4714-8265-fdc454558d2d/420311e2-4205-4c00-8815-3a52711bd301-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/qF1C4vw4rMa5ZtZVY71wPP116002026-06-01T19:09:02.556ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/2ZxfWdS3SGSAYYsGy3mh8bhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8dc2506c-e287-4942-b16d-f30fbc116529.jpgW6/SC-057 - Slide Mountainhttps://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-057 I thought there was a road of some kind all the way to the top of this summit because of the fire lookout tower, but I was wrong! Because of this, I thought it would be a good bike ride. Park near Frenchman's Flat Campground at the gate. You need a forest Adventure Pass displayed to park. Continue almost all the way down the paved road. You will see a small gate on the right, blocking a fire road - this goes to the summit. This road gets narrower and narrower the further you go up, ultimately ending up as a single track. At the top is a lookout tower which was built in 1969. This summit also offers nice views of Pyramid Lake. I setup my vertical and worked 20m, 40m, and 2m bands. About half way down the trail, I got a flat tire - but left my patch kit in my other bike bag - doh! Ended up walking most of the way back to the car. Overall, it was a fun day. Can't wait to come back again!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1021cbf2-6301-48ac-9943-fea4afc07820/453436fc-9cfa-4ae1-951b-05b4148d5396-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/2ZxfWdS3SGSAYYsGy3mh8b126002026-06-01T19:09:06.697ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8oK4sAXBygKPr48MhMHeNthttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bb475b01-bc62-4b5b-9e0e-1cc481ab0383.jpgW6/CT-022 - Sunset Peakhttps://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-022 Sunset Peak is rad. I started at Glendora Ridge Road across from Sunset Ridge Fire Road, and followed that up to the summit. At the top is a big chunk of sheet metal, I think from a lookout tower. I thought about ways to use this as a ground plane next time I'm there. Worked 20, 40, 2, and 1.2GHz. I got snowed on, which was a nice surprise. The way down I was having so much fun, I went wayyyy past the turn off back to the car, but I eventually ran into GDR and cycled back on the road.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3bdcdeb8-64c8-483f-aa5f-54ffc390bf53/3418756b-2fde-40e4-ad70-8ec67c74cc9b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8oK4sAXBygKPr48MhMHeNt121002026-06-01T19:09:09.914ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/p3Dfj9CYT9LjKCurUsatk5https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/47765799-f39c-4b7a-b9fb-ebedcc50e9d1.jpgW6/WH-009 - 10660http://blog.benmook.com/w6-wh-009-10660/ This summit starts at the Ancient Bristle Cone Pine visitor center parking lot. Take the trail to the Mexican Mines, which winds past some old cabins and mine shafts. Continue on the trail until a second set of collapsed mine audits. From here, just head straight up the hill a short distance to the summit. There, you will see another collapsed mine audit; this is where I setup my station. Worked 20, 40, 2, and 1.2GHz. Did a bit of rock hounding, then headed back to the car. This is pretty high elevation, and I was feeling the effects having just come from Los Angeles. No .gpx data for this summit, as I thought I would use a phone app instead of a hardware GPS. Phone app crashed. Doh!https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/baa0a180-0add-4223-bf01-f1f2a83bf6e6/be9e5cb2-8e01-4434-a3bf-54c3308bce55-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/p3Dfj9CYT9LjKCurUsatk528002026-06-01T19:09:12.668ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/wv7QBS224WgwfFBG6jjTqwhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bb9f6ad1-2cf3-4238-b390-28144d341400.jpgW6/ND-378 - Sheep Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-378-sheep-mountain/ Sheep Mountain is near the end of White Mountain Road. I don’t have a car that will make it down this road reliably, so I brought my dual sport motorcycle which ran well at elevation. I was worried about it, as other carbureted motos I’ve owned completely loose power or refuse to idle when faced with altitude. While the hike wasn’t far, less than two miles, and not insanely steep, the elevation 12,439′ according to my GPS, really slowed me down. After reaching the top and catching my breath, I setup my vertical antenna with 8 radials and spotted myself on 20m via APRS. Made 3 S2S contacts, and 1 POTA contact. Unknown to me at the time of activation, this summit qualifies for summer bonus points, which was a nice surprise. I can’t wait to come back to this area for more hiking in the future! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-378https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f702f17f-5248-4296-a4a6-0aa45e8a7e4a/929c1a81-daae-449e-907c-90b8b1c71901-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/wv7QBS224WgwfFBG6jjTqw115002026-06-01T19:09:15.970ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/uczpyq31BURWM1qaGsQQi8https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/622b3711-b1e2-49f4-85c7-84796092cee3.jpgW6/WH-007 - Clem Nelson Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-wh-007-clem-nelson-peak/ Access to this summit is pretty easy from the Bristle Cone Pine Visitors Center, either by taking the Discovery Trail, or by walking down White Mountain Road, then hiking up. See my .gpx file for more info on this. The assent is steep with loose rocks. Watch your step! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/WH-007https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e45da6b7-efe5-4dae-be0e-1b47af347d01/28b17d62-5e2e-4872-9951-3ef0c5e6c263-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/uczpyq31BURWM1qaGsQQi835002026-06-01T19:09:18.644ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6ZHhmqQLRT78dFiKkiRWBEhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4d8b5c02-313a-4871-b652-6114ee8ded0c.jpgW6/WH-006 - County Line Hillhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-wh-006-county-line-hill/ This summit is in the White Mountain range. I hiked an old two track road to the east side of the hill, then headed straight up to the summit through thick, knee high sage. Once on the ridge it was easy to get over to the summit. Worked 2M FM, 20M, and 40M SSB. On the way down, I took the ridge down to see if there was anything left of old prospecting mines marked on the forest service maps. I found a couple old tin cans and collapsed mine shafts. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/WH-006https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/308c8772-301a-4589-8f6b-dc38bcf86284/8e0491b1-c78c-4054-bccc-dca1ae2f9368-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6ZHhmqQLRT78dFiKkiRWBE66002026-06-01T19:09:21.528ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/bcfWFCKbXFeM4nsPU79MeBhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/3cc08193-4331-46f4-bbe8-3d82c061629c.jpgW6/WH-008 -10940http://blog.benmook.com/w6-wh-008-10940/ If you’re in the area, this is a very easy summit to activate, it’s right off White Mountain Road, and a short, 5 minute (if that) hike up from a small parking area. Activation zone is pretty small, so I’m not sure one could stretch out a dipole. Worked KM6QCE on 2M FM, who then drove by to say hello! Also worked 20M, 40M SSB. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/WH-008https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/528dc6e3-6996-41db-85d2-f410aa2dbc49/68246ca2-7a12-44ce-9685-9e89c45a597d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/bcfWFCKbXFeM4nsPU79MeB72002026-06-01T19:09:24.935ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hDCVbaLCpJ9xMQ5uqxvgJDhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9abea0ab-a7d7-4dbd-b43c-7d8c0bbedc82.jpgW6/ND-037 - Lookout Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-037-lookout-mountain/ This is a drive up, but you may need 4-wheel drive for the last bit through sharp obsidian, which is everywhere in this area. I hiked up from a parking area off highway 395, 6 miles round trip through a beautiful forest. Worked 20M, 40M SSB with one S2S in Utah. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-037https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/86d37d25-01a9-462d-9485-30c581e7b83d/e84a3fd0-64ff-42ea-b8df-45c09e8dfce9-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hDCVbaLCpJ9xMQ5uqxvgJD72002026-06-01T19:09:27.953ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/aMTfowf7LnWL9mgPcm9VTNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e487c642-37cd-45e0-a581-e306e674f758.jpgW6/ND-012 - Bald Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/bald-mountain-w6-nd-012/ Bald Mountain is a drive up, I think you would need a 4×4 to make it up all the way, as the last bit is steep, with loose sharp rocks. This being said, the dirt road leading up to this summit is well graded, and I believe a sedan could make it most of the way down the 10+ mile dirt road, stoping where it starts getting rough, then hiking the remainder. At the top, there is a fire lookout station, a small log cabin, and a picnic table. Since the lookout station was unoccupied, I took the stairs to the top with a 2M radio and looked for contacts on 146.520. Nothing heard. Next, I went to check out the cabin, which was well stocked with supplies and a cast iron stove. I set my station up inside, with my tri-band vertical just outside the door. Worked SSB, conditions were bad, but I was able to make enough contacts to activate this summit. Sadly, the cabin was kinda a mess inside with empty bottles/ cans/ random trash, and other objects out of place. I took 5 minutes to straighten things up and remove several right-wing authoritarian political stickers. There was also tons of graffiti inside, which by looking at the dates, was mostly recent, within the past 2 years. Hopefully this behavior doesn’t get this cabin locked up so nobody can enjoy it. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-012https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4f4a4ce2-ef38-490e-a9f1-396167b3bfd0/b03d5c61-a9ba-4e85-9cba-a2f380e4f578-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/aMTfowf7LnWL9mgPcm9VTN89002026-06-01T19:09:32.520ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/bv2TSnPNLdxuc77tuAGumLhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/83530e79-71b7-4613-97b6-9a940d0e03ce.jpgW6/IN-050 - Poverty Hillshttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-050-poverty-hills/ On the way home from several activations in the White Mountains and the Inyo National Forest outside Mammoth Lakes, I decided to bag one last peak along Hwy 395. I started this hike just off Tinemaha Road. The map I was referencing listed a mine at the bottom of the trail but I didn’t see much evidence of that. It was later in the day and very hot; I sucked down a bit over a liter of water in the mile or so to the top. I used about half of my other liter to dump on my head to cool down. At the top, a small rock pile was used to support my vertical antenna. I worked 20 SSB, 40M SSB (which got no contacts) and 30M CW, two S2S there. This summit has outstanding views of the Owens Valley, and I hope to activate this one again soon. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-050https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/55091f92-3672-4e17-b032-87736cb27844/f362d612-2446-4b17-89f0-2b71ac546828-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/bv2TSnPNLdxuc77tuAGumL106002026-06-01T19:09:35.671ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/17MwFBWaMkVsMs4SwFMMLphttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/579263c6-cbb4-47cb-8b8f-e93e8693b522.jpgW6/ND-026 - Gilbert Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-026-gilbert-peak/ This summit is named after Charles Merwin Gilbert (1910 – 1988), you can read more about his life and career here — https://eps.berkeley.edu/content/charles-merwin-gilbert. I didn’t do any internet searches on how to summit this peak before attempting it myself, but I think there is a better way up than the way I went. I took the moto through the forest on an (unnamed?) road and parked as close to the summit as one could, then hiked straight up the side of the hill. It was hot; I was quickly moving from shady spot to shady spot to stay out of the blazing sun. Drank almost a liter of water on the way up. At the top, some interesting rock formations and a plaque dedicated to Charles Merwin Gilbert. I setup my station just off the side of the rock formation, under a shady tree, where I got attacked by crawling insects that liked bite me. Called out on 2M, made no contacts. Worked 20M SSB, and 30M CW. Two S2S contacts. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-026https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/00f28558-0d59-4f10-bbb6-1c474d9fbc9b/f85787ce-7c1b-4902-bc50-541512c4123e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/17MwFBWaMkVsMs4SwFMMLp65002026-06-01T19:09:39.273ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/xe9e9bGqvbRxFSS9CkYurchttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1527a279-40dc-47a1-bfc3-ce151b8a4833.jpgBertha Peak - W6/CT-054http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-054-bertha-peak/ From North Shore Drive near Fawnskin, take 2N09 to roughly 34.28215, -116.91535 – near a gate. I parked my van here and rode a mountain bike most of the way, pushing where it got too steep, or the rocks were too loose to get any meaningful traction. At the top were two radio shelters and various towers. I setup just outside the fence of the highest building. Hearing activity on 2M, I puled out the HT and made a few contacts there, all of whom were camping with the SOTA group. Quickly made several additional contacts on 40m, then packed down the equipment and headed on down the hill before it got too dark. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-054https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/fce1098a-cb9f-4118-8c10-948ed2be5c15/f4f0d36a-f48e-441b-b661-0bd86e56a80f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/xe9e9bGqvbRxFSS9CkYurc86002026-06-01T19:09:42.500ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hnNDKhjYhppeEiY7rJG8Fohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1f10c9d2-7361-464d-a49d-362245492fe3.jpgW6/CT-121 - Snow Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-121-snow-benchmark/ Snow Benchmark is just off 3N17, which was closed for 11 years to motorized traffic. I was planing on riding a mountain bike to this summit from Sand Canyon, but the forest service opened the road which allowed me to drive my van right below the summit. From there, it’s 1/2 mile round trip hike. Worked 2m FM, 20m SSB, and 10m CW, three s2s contacts. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-121https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/849d9659-9f7c-4a05-82ab-2ce2fc7e76e8/55073bf2-4235-4a4f-9a42-72287f6cdf23-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hnNDKhjYhppeEiY7rJG8Fo105002026-06-01T19:09:46.239ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/5C1XUYBmEL8QMgBewChB9Hhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f9a20fd4-f3b1-4897-a2a4-58024bc7dd04.jpg7940 - W6/CT-060http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-060-7940/ 7940 is the second summit I activated for the SoCal Sota Fest up in Big Bear. After waking up at camp, I headed across the Holcomb Valley via 3N16 and parked the van just off the side of the road when I was close enough to the summit. I heard this would be easy to cycle, so brought my mountain bike and started climbing up. The road was recently graded and somewhat hard packed in some areas, so it was a pretty easy ride. Turns out this whole area is a strip mine, and these roads were graded for mining efforts. Other than a few parked earth moving machines, there was no actual mining activity, or official personal around at all. When I got to the the highest point I could find, I still wasn’t at the actual summit according to the GPS map; the actual summit had turned into a giant pit! Across this large pit, I could see two other stations in an area with some flora left, I think it was N1CLC and KX6I? After working a few stations on 2M, and SSB, two other hams came up to the summit, AE6NH and KG6MWQ, who setup a 4 element yagi for 2M. My HT picked up at least one packet from the APRS digipeater in Goldfield, NV, they pointed their beam that way. Worked 20m, 40m SSB, 30m CW and 2m FM. I packed my station up and blasted down the hill on the MTB. Excited to be in the shade with an ice cold drink from my cooler, I realized my GPS was not with me anymore, so I hiked all the way back up to the summit looking for it. Luckily I found it on the ground, a short distance from the gate. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-060https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/256beca9-752b-43c4-a619-05cef5cc0925/18637f27-757f-4e03-bf75-1bbd3026b8b6-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/5C1XUYBmEL8QMgBewChB9H18002026-06-01T19:09:49.128ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/e7TCX9U6nRDwdqtDewQU3yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d21d0417-2459-4f3a-b1ec-0179ae7d3a63.jpgW6/ND-392 - Dry Creek Knollhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-392-dry-creek-knoll/ Dry Creek Knoll is just outside Mammoth Lakes and, a pretty easy summit to bag if you’re in the area. This could be a drive up, but I don’t think a sedan would make it. I took Mammoth Scenic Loop from Hwy 395, then took one of the several off-highway roads and meandered up to the top by loosely following my GPS. Once near the summit, I parked the moto off the side of the road and hiked the rest of the way. At the very top is a small rock pile, which wasn’t a great place to setup my vertical and spread out the radials. I ended up setting up slightly off to the side of these rocks. Worked 20m, 40m SSB, and 30m CW. One S2S to Washington State on 20m. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-392https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6a3d1672-768c-473b-8cf6-1c8887535724/c4cb55e3-4d79-4614-a7e6-311652e037ec-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/e7TCX9U6nRDwdqtDewQU3y97002026-06-01T19:09:52.802ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vvbuxJ98yvDneR4vaAXWXThttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/14c4a874-1b9a-40c5-9f7c-f57f4247ce9e.jpgW6/ND-041 - 8126http://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-041-8126/ This summit is just outside of Mammoth Lakes and worth the journey if you’re in the area. I started out from my campsite off Owens River Road, and meandered through various forest roads on the moto to get as close to 8126 as I could. There are quite a bit of small spur trails in this area and my GPS isn’t granular enough to navigate the correct intersections, which meant, I needed to travel down a spur a few 100 feet before the GPS would indicate which road I was actually on. Often times, I was wrong and had to turn around. Eventually, I got as close to the summit as I could. A large tree blocked a road which goes to the top. I stopped here and hiked the rest of the way up a short, but steep, rocky and rutted path. At the top, there was little shade, and it was hot. Worked 20m and 40m SSB, and had a S2S with N6MKW on 2m, who found and returned an antenna I lost on Mt. Pacifico in the San Gabriels. Thanks again! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-041https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/eeec0e77-87fc-4b3d-b59d-6a4930a79359/b23451a5-2847-40e7-8529-914c9084dd0c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vvbuxJ98yvDneR4vaAXWXT92002026-06-01T19:09:56.729ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sGxtPzciTFCvuQDwGwWgT6https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/122bc5b5-374c-4ea9-9e30-d81cb1406068.jpgW6/SD-181 - 3690 (Little Bell Mountain)http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-181-3690-little-bell-mountain/ I started hiking up to 3690 just before sunset. The area where I was parked is used for target practice, as evident by discarded household items riddled with bullet holes and spent shells littering the ground. Hopefully, nobody would show up and start shooting at the hillside I was climbing up. or coming down. At the top, I was greeted with a beautiful sunset and warm desert winds. I setup my antenna mast in a pile of rocks and spotted myself on 40m SSB. No takers at all. Spotted myself on 40m CW, no luck there either. As it got dark, my mast fell over in the wind. Digging through my pack, it seems I forgot my headlight! Unable to fix the antenna system in the dark, I turned to the HT. Made two QSOs on 70cm simplex, C4FM digital. Moved to 2M FM and was greeted by KN6EZE, who called out on a local repeater asking people to chase me on simplex. Made enough contacts to qualify this summit. Thanks Mike! I packed up the radios and hiked down with a small light. I think it would be rad to camp up here on a warm summer night, maybe next year! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-181https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d836c188-7ad3-4b11-bbc9-f9dba20129ff/5f57829a-b62f-45a6-9de6-de997b32c782-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sGxtPzciTFCvuQDwGwWgT661012026-06-01T19:17:36.621ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/mQZQPJn5micLcAugMTkVqghttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e4686a2c-cd08-467e-b692-c8f3a0ea574f.jpgW6/SD-152 - Bell Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-152-bell-mountain/ The forests in California have all been closed to reduce the potential for fire, which means, tons of SOTA summits in W6 are off limits, however, there are tons of desert summits on BLM land which also qualify for a summer bonus. Looking at a map, I decided to hike Bell Mountain, and Little Bell Mountain, 2 points each with 3 bonus points. I left Los Angeles around 8am and headed to Apple Valley, then made my way to the trailhead via a dirt road. The hike was well defined with a bit of scrambling, which I found quite enjoyable. At the top, you will find a post flying an American flag cemented into the ground. Here there was a swarm of seemingly angry flying ants. Because if this I set my station up off to the side, adjacent to a small rock outcropping which offered a tiny bit of relief from the blazing sun. Worked KK6FR on 1.2GHz, then again on 70cm C4FM. Put spots out on 20m SSB, 40m SB and 30m CW. As the day proceeded I lost all my shade, which was my cue to start hiking down. Thanks for all the chasers! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-152https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a8ce1ed3-d8cc-4f5b-a3fa-a95815c0b1fb/5bc01ca2-2400-4001-9b6e-81d2cfb51e88-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/mQZQPJn5micLcAugMTkVqg58002026-06-01T19:09:59.168ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/71kBXwjGQw3h37FGk1Ckn9https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/81a2a54f-e0fd-4003-8934-031310147ec6.jpgW6/CT-274 - Saddle Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-274-saddle-peak/ At the time of this activation, the Angeles National Forest was closed due to fires, so my SOTA efforts move to the Santa Monica Mountains. Saddle Peak is a 2 point summit and is well hiked by locals. An quick mile up, and a mile down makes this an easy summit to bag, but please note there isn’t much shade. At the summit, paragliders were starting their flights to the beach in Malibu. Worked 20M SSB/ CW and 30M CW. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-274https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/30a2ec55-e6b1-428e-9e4b-cc9e86db4476/2d1f2ffd-a493-4939-bd13-8dfb61634769-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/71kBXwjGQw3h37FGk1Ckn930002026-06-01T19:10:02.491ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7wJH4NDn82pwD84Hnzryf5https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/78300275-d11d-4d8a-a1ca-e7dd8e43aaba.jpgW6/SC-001 - Cerro Noroestehttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-001-cerro-noroeste/ Cerro Noroeste is a super accessible summit and campground near Pine Mountain Club/ Frazier Mountain. At the entrance there you will find an iron ranger asking for a $10 day use fee. I parked down the road and displayed my forest service pass on my rear view mirror and hiked 5 minutes to the summit instead of taking a camping spot. Lots of trees available to string up an antenna. Worked 20m, 30m, 40m, cw, 2m s2s with K6STR and W6LOR on San Emigdio Mountain, just one peak over! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-001https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/34e176fe-3ee0-4665-93a7-4b3a4a13f388/1697e97d-537d-4498-b133-8361fe980e85-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7wJH4NDn82pwD84Hnzryf558002026-06-01T19:10:05.706ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/g35pQYp5e3FY2WtgftJ5pMhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/0492bf71-cca3-4eaf-9b24-d6de7cb2edd4.jpgW6/CT-262 - 4300http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-262-4300/ There is something about the lower elevation summits along highway 14 that I really like, and while I’m not sure exactly what that thing is, 4300 has it. I started this hike from Aliso Canyon Road and followed the transmission line service road under a support tower and started hiking up cross country style as there was no trail. After a false summit, I made it to the top where it was quite windy. I was able to find a place to sit next to a thick bush which provided some relief from the wind, and a burned tree provided good support for the vertical antenna. There was good cell service, so I spotted myself on 30M. While calling CQ, I noticed some strange noises from the receiver, thinking nothing of it, I continued calling but got no replies… I figured I would try another band. Changing bands require a switch to flipped at the feed point, which adds a loading coil for whatever band was selected. To my surprise, the loading coil for 30m was sitting on the ground – no wonder the radio wasn’t working! The good news was I could still activate on 20M, as this antenna design resinated well there without coils. Made one S2S. On the hike down I picked up a faint use trail and followed it back to the service road. What a great day! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-262https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/79c3492f-9b1d-4633-9659-c42e1ef5d533/3cf9449f-eb91-4505-b7e6-e8bf8fd4553b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/g35pQYp5e3FY2WtgftJ5pM130002026-06-01T19:10:10.972ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fC4rXge1o8LU5HubrgPjeNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/575edebd-5ed2-4312-bf65-4eb76c9f74c9.jpgW6/SC-161 - Townsend Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-161-townsend-peak/ This is a pretty easy two point summit just off Interstate 5 north of Santa Clarita. Park near Templin Highway and find the fire road along the south side of the highway. Follow this up to a locked gate and continue up the hill. Eventually you will come to a saddle, with a light use trail which leads to the summit. Watch out for rattle snakes! Worked 20M, and 40M CW, no S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-161https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7668d76e-c31a-406b-9634-e44f656ff310/e121634b-c618-4abb-b9c0-872f1559e029-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fC4rXge1o8LU5HubrgPjeN62002026-06-01T19:10:13.786ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/e9Hn6zHMDPGaWbwy1DWFyphttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4bb4bc01-f17a-4bf1-b950-ec1d2a2b12d7.jpgW6/CT-214 - Calabasas Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-214-calabasas-peak/ Calabasas Peak is the first summit I activated in the Santa Monica Mountains. I parked across the street from the trailhead on Stunt Road and walked up the steep fire road to the summit. Once there, you will find a couple different benchmarks and a sturdy post to hold an antenna mast. There is little to no shade on the hike up, and very little shade at the summit. I drank 2 liters of water on the short 3.5 mile hike, as it was quite hot the day of my activation. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-214https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6a7e3e79-9ab0-47d9-a09c-d2d14b4a6c93/ac8a56c1-da78-4da3-984a-eac065a49f20-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/e9Hn6zHMDPGaWbwy1DWFyp91002026-06-01T19:10:17.568ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kGpN7zkV1xcR1XkZkmW6Jahttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/378d04cd-1b70-4824-b2f9-fc0fe51bb885.jpgW6/CT-048 - Ontario Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/ontario-peak/ Ontario Peak was my 100th activation in the logbook, but really only my 97th or 98th activation as I’ve stayed on a couple summits past 00:00z a few times and worked chasers a second time so they could get double points. All that being said, I wanted my 100th activation to be a long hike, in addition, I wanted to hike to a summit I’ve never been to. Ontario Peak fit that description, and having hiked Ice House Canyon twice before I knew what I was getting into. Originally I was only going to bring an HT for UHF/ VHF to save weight, but at the last moment the FT817 kit found it’s way into my pack, however, I omitted the antenna mast and Bioenno battery and just brought some twine to support my vertical antenna from a tree, and some AA batteries to run the rig. The hike up is somewhat popular, and about 6 miles to the summit with a bunch of elevation gain. Once at the top I was surprised to find how small the actual summit is. I ate a burrito and relaxed a bit before calling CQ on my HT. This immediately got me 4 contacts, 1 S2S. Feeling pretty exhausted from the hike up, I wasn’t feeling motivated to set up the HF station. Good trees to support a wire are all kinda off the edge of ridge and likely outside of the activation zone. Since I hauled the equipment up there, I figured I would just lay the vertical over the chaparral and see what happened. I sent a spot on 20m CW and to my surprise, made several contacts. Moving to 30m, the AA batteries in my radio were acting up and the rig shutdown several times while calling CQ, so I gave up. While packing up the rig, I heard 3 S2S stations on 2m. Whoooohoo! After working the S2S stations, I finished packing up for the 6 mile hike back to the trailhead. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-048https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9f820cb0-4f36-4701-8e20-9005963f1e91/40b2e21a-49db-4629-874c-9617ee79df3f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kGpN7zkV1xcR1XkZkmW6Ja166002026-06-01T19:10:21.568ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/anX8rKEpge3VnGfA6gSGo2https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b1d5a161-70cc-4b26-8736-ac6a5ccd0cfd.jpgWA6APQ/BWA6APQ/Bhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4bf2d756-3d64-493d-8528-cd763229e3fd/dda0c35e-0aae-4c0d-b7ca-6e73a146a11b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/anX8rKEpge3VnGfA6gSGo258012026-06-01T19:10:23.822ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cGhuMZ5dc9v6Gn1gJqmaAZhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bdd9df37-c9b8-494e-91f2-8b1aaf620a2c.jpgPiutesPiuteshttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5eb4713d-83a9-4203-9ae8-d2f59759add1/c3e6dc04-0995-4379-9059-77b91fcd4010-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cGhuMZ5dc9v6Gn1gJqmaAZ202042026-06-01T14:44:47.579ZYESBad_vidsNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7fR4T5PZryhkTbdo1qUxEUhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/85a750ef-e4ab-4d33-acce-056889469b5d.jpgVE4ARM/BVE4ARM/Bhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/32a97bb9-5e53-4470-90d4-7100bfa0954c/a601c89d-b05f-400f-8368-9da9d75c1031-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7fR4T5PZryhkTbdo1qUxEU56002026-06-01T19:10:28.573ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/nBk8m1tviqExCAFa6DVaNXhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a38359e2-62cf-419a-a019-0c45c0fc22c0.jpgW6/SD-166 - Bartlett Mountains 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-166-bartlett-mountains/ This is a rad hike in Yucca Valley. I tried to summit this one earlier in the year when summer bonus points were on the table, but I couldn’t find the trailhead. Returning a few months later after a bit more research, it turned out I was just one hill away from the trailhead the first time. With that sorted, my wife and I started to head up. The trail is pretty obvious, but it’s easy to loose track of it in some areas. Once at the top I setup my vertical and called out on 30M, then 40M, then 20M, self spotting on each band. Made on S2S to Timber Mountain, W6/CT-052, which makes that a complete for me. I look forward to hiking this one again. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-166https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/aefebb24-0d67-419a-b058-96006415e25f/11a05f7d-8c55-4398-a0c9-6466da4b5713-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/nBk8m1tviqExCAFa6DVaNX27002026-06-01T19:10:31.180ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/32DKE4Wjs7NxBAx3Vgcs7uhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d8ed106b-ae8a-48fc-8e7a-d135654d6077.jpgW6/CT-228 - 1821http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-228-1821/ This was my third summit of the day. I decided to hike this one last minute because SoCal traffic was going to start loading up, and I figured why not hike instead of sit in traffic? I parked in a neighborhood somewhere in Thousand Oaks/ Westlake Village right next to the trailhead. Not entirely sure the name. Also not sure if this is still the Santa Monica Mountains? The path up is well defined and easy to follow. At the top is a single bench. I setup my station here as the sun set and called CQ on 40M, but only two takers. Pulled out the FM HT and called CQ on 2M and had a few local contacts. At this point the dew was setting and everything was getting extremely wet, to the point my paper wasn’t working anymore. Made two additional contacts on 40M then packed the station down and headed back to the car. I took the fire break down instead of the trail the wraps around the back side of the summit. My flashlight died on the way down so I used the white LED on my Yaesu, ha! I should probably pack a spare set of cells next time. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-228https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/106d4979-d537-4dff-9db9-6eb546ce82e8/164275c0-5c3c-42f1-a9fa-364a207c70b8-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/32DKE4Wjs7NxBAx3Vgcs7u45002026-06-01T19:10:34.006ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/q1GqEZRW8gpa1pRZEGbXCXhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1c196ef2-2f3a-423f-b3f4-2abb7f4567a6.jpgW6/SC-285 - Ladyfacehttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-285-ladyface/ Ladyface is the second summit I did on a warm January day. The trailhead is easy to find, located just off the 101 on Kanan Rd. I parked on the side of the road and followed Ladyface Peak Trail to the summit. Quite steep in some areas and the road noise from the 101 and Kanan Rd never disappeared. I took the opportunity to rest several times and marvel at the McMansions below, and thought about how many tennis matches are actually played at all the tennis courts in various back yards. At the summit, I found a fiberglass fishing pole. I emailed the last activator asking if they wanted it back, but it wasn't their pole! I setup my vertical and worked 10M and 40M. Two S2S. Tried 2M FM, but no takers. The weather turned and it got very cold quickly, which I was thankful for as it had been so hot hiking up. I packed the station away and headed down, thinking about how brutal this one would be in the middle of summer, and how I was glad to be doing it in January. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-285https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c2743da9-9524-4173-86bf-974810bceaab/365e3ee2-46d7-4323-9bd7-14b4693d360c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/q1GqEZRW8gpa1pRZEGbXCX85002026-06-01T19:10:37.399ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vYeVZqdVqjwQhpGDajPoMHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d06cd7e1-dc90-44db-bec3-d62069235356.jpgW6/SC-347 - 1470http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-347-1470/ This was my first summit of the day out of three, one point summits in the Santa Monica Mountains. The trailhead is right off Mulholland Highway near Agoura Hills, and after about a mile hike in, you’re at the summit! No shade whatsoever. No rock pile to jam an antenna mast in. I ended up keeping my pole in my backpack and used my trekking pole as a secondary support which worked pretty well. It had been a few weeks since I thought about CW so I was super rusty and couldn’t remember how to send some things; I’m pretty sure I send David the wrong summit ref for our S2S. Worked 10M and 40M. Called out on 2M FM but had no takers. I packed the station up, headed down the hill and over to the next summit, Ladyface. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-347https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f2b341e8-c500-42f4-a5fa-4420fdef38cb/53d7bc45-a402-4e91-88db-e3f37ce9635c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vYeVZqdVqjwQhpGDajPoMH94002026-06-01T19:10:41.679ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/nEMgaMLaFMSfA7S2Dd8HgBhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ec2b6301-2795-422a-97b3-ca7c10028595.jpgW6/CT-136 - Burn Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-136-burn-benchmark/ This was the second summit of the day, having just activated Grass Mountain on the other side of the paved road. Like Grass Mountain, you could pretty much drive this one but I took a mountain bike. The road up was a nice gradual uphill until the last mile or so where it got steeper. The surface condition on this part was deteriorating to to aggressive off road vehicle tires so it was difficult to cycle so I walked a few chunks. Near the summit, I followed a dirt bike trail up, which lead straight to the summit. Sadly, the whole area is a dirt bike hellscape and isn’t very nice. There were several benchmarks, one 90 years old, which I found interesting. Worked 30M and 20M, one S2S. Sadly, I forgot to turn my GPS on, so no recorded track. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-136https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/af7a118b-1f2c-4f10-8289-6629fb847785/1682c71e-7c8e-4812-8d8b-630b5fd9e0d5-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/nEMgaMLaFMSfA7S2Dd8HgB171002026-06-01T19:10:46.552ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9uPz6MRGNtFB4dNqqEpeaGhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8729ed9c-d6ec-48e9-b595-63b972d852ff.jpgW6/CT-130 - Grass Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-130-grass-mountain/ I like this one because there are several large trees on top, which is kinda unusual for this area. From what I’ve read, most people activate Grass Mountain as a drive up, but I parked the car at the paved road and took a mountain bike up the service road. The ride is under 3 miles and ~1000′ of elevation gain. Parts of the road were deeply rutted after recent rains, and I don’t think a passenger car would make it, however this will likely change once it gets graded. The top sports a few radio towers with equipment shelters. Adjacent to that is a nice grass field, where I setup my HF station. Worked 20M, 30M, 40M with several S2S contacts. I would have loved to stay up there longer, but I wanted to activate a second summit on the next ridge over, Burn Benchmark. I think I’ll bring a hammock and a cooler with a few drinks and a sandwich next time I’m here and spend all day in the trees. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-130https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/44cf4056-5515-471e-9e28-4e081df284fe/0d3b231f-e0bb-4be5-aa5f-cd0fe68067a1-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9uPz6MRGNtFB4dNqqEpeaG90002026-06-01T19:10:49.730ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fsdY4AKJ39XvSHYk1uTh79https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/45a6e55d-f5fc-409b-ba05-31baf7fe3f60.jpgW6/CT-272 - 2843http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-272-2843/ This activation wasn't really planned. I was actually going on hiking a different summit, however the trailhead had a large "Trail Closed" sign. This didn't stop anyone though, as I could see several others hiking up and down the switchbacks.... Anyways, I went back to the car and tried to figure out a plan B, which happened to be 2843. The hike starts out on a fire road. Around the one mile mark, split off road and head up a very steep firebreak. Luckily, we got some rain the ground was grippy instead of loose dust. Eventually you pass another road, but continue straight up the steep firebreak. At this point I felt like I was being stalked by a creature, but I never saw anything. Near the top, the hills were green with fresh grass, that reminded me of Windows XP. Once at the summit I setup my HF station, but I forgot to charge the battery! Doh! I was able to activate the summit with a HT only, on 2M, with one S2S. Hiking down, I wish I had a second trekking pole, because it was very steep! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-272https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7509452c-07da-4f32-988c-b23a6ece431c/902aa087-fc11-47ae-b34d-5b0da798e996-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fsdY4AKJ39XvSHYk1uTh7995002026-06-01T19:10:54.185ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/dBwLNXkcuru2s8QxXDJaCWhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/06f5b04a-8b74-435c-af67-2dab502a7f88.jpgW6/SD-037 - Inspiration Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-037-inspiration-benchmark/ One of my hiking pals rented a house in Wonder Valley for their birthday, so, of course we needed to go hiking somewhere, and since we were right by Joshua Tree National Park, that’s where we went! At the crowded trailhead, we were able to easily find a parking spot. Others were not so lucky and had to turn around. In addition to passenger vehicles, there were a few tour busses, full of people, all headed up a paved walking path to a vista. Luckily, Inspiration point was the opposite direction of the tourists, and after a few minutes of hiking, they were out of sight. At the summit, I mostly worked 10M, with one S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-272https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6623a8ff-45f6-4016-b7ac-b3780605caa2/2668617f-bb76-49e4-9652-26626cdf8e29-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/dBwLNXkcuru2s8QxXDJaCW25002026-06-01T19:10:56.761ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7V4r9SN9NVND7z5nZyfKxKhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/3c7855dc-e590-443b-b8ce-e2736700e5e1.jpgW6/CT-037 – Cahuenga Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-037-cahuenga-peak/ If you live in Los Angles chances are you have looked at this summit several times, it’s right next to the world famous Hollywood sign. I live just a few mile away, however It took me awhile to actually activate it, and honestly, I tried to a few times but got discouraged and did something else. Why? From the parking area, you can see streams of people hiking up and down the hillside. Way too crowded for me, way too crowded to put up any kind of antenna without being in the way. One rainy day I wanted to get out of the house and thought the weather might keep people inside, so I headed over to the trailhead. While the trail wasn’t completely empty, it wasn’t jam packed as I’ve observed before. Since rain has been scare around here for the past few years it was either now, or maybe next year, so I headed up. he trail was steeper than I imagined, but nothing that difficult. At the top of the ridge, I went to look at the wisdom tree. I could see this single tree from my old office on Wilshire. Rumor says it came in a McDonald’s Happy Meal in the 70’s as a sapling, and someone planted it up there and returned with water every few weeks to keep it alive. I have no idea if this is true or not but it’s a good story. After trying to grab a photo of it without people taking 100 selfies in the background, I continued up the ridge to the summit marker. Shortly after leaving the tree I arrived at the summit marker. Since this is a ridge, there isn’t a lot of room, but I was able to find a small offshoot to setup the station that was mostly out of the way. I setup the vertical and got everything setup. Worked 30M, 40M, and 20M CW. This was hard at times because at one point there were loud kids just a few feet away from me. In addition, hikers would use the small offshoot I was on, and I worried about someone tripping over one of the wires I had going everywhere. After working all the chasers, the station was packed down ...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/37ff5e2b-28dd-4356-b82d-7bd22a4ddb4d/fd0cce25-188e-4026-95d8-3ef1fc2b0d11-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7V4r9SN9NVND7z5nZyfKxK71002026-06-01T19:10:59.719ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/pi8GGeTQJW82VdFajWQmj7https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/62467e8a-0980-4b9a-8fbd-90ebe7b6da17.jpgW6/CT-230 – San Juan Hillhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-230-san-juan-hill/ This was my second planned summit of the day, having activated W6/CT-240 earlier. I parked somewhere in a pretty affluent Orange County neighborhood and took what looked like an equestrian trail up to the border of Chino Hills State Park. By this point in the day the wind was becoming pretty strong, but the breeze was welcomed and kept me cool on the unseasonably warm day. After about 2 miles, I found the San Juan summit marker with the date of 1896. This stone and concrete structure was a nice windbreak and kept me up on the summit much longer than if it wasn’t there. I was able to secure my mast to a sturdy post, then setup my vertical. Worked 30M with one S2S. Got no calls on 40M. While packing down I made a few more contacts on 2M FM. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-230https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/bca6945e-08e6-4371-84d4-6a5b1d2434ca/1db6643c-bb97-4526-8d33-9d991183abdd-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/pi8GGeTQJW82VdFajWQmj791002026-06-01T19:11:03.429ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cnpQiz9p9YJftGKGTo2Bighttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5add496f-26a7-485c-a582-6888831d80c3.jpgW6/CT-273 – Agua Dulce Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-273-agua-dulce-benchmark I had a couple days off work without any real plans, so off to Agua Dulce! I parked just off the 14 and hiked down a dirt road where I was met with a "Keep Off" sign. At this point I almost turned around, but decided to go past the sign as there were several foot prints and dirt bike tracks all over the place, so it was clear people use this area for recreation. I continued on the dirt road until it ended at a set of power line pylons, then turned south and headed along the ridge line firebreak. The wind was incredibly strong, and at one point almost knocked me over! One false summit with benchmarks along the way. At the real summit, I found additional benchmarks and a summit register. I was able to setup the station just below the ridge which kept me out of the wind. Worked 30M and 40M, one S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-273https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5c11d4f8-c056-4bf1-bd9f-6fb49e1ec3bd/a843aeab-307c-4b3b-9725-b83c40c43cec-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cnpQiz9p9YJftGKGTo2Big84002026-06-01T19:11:07.089ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9fjyFFdFiZJYywfDixpY7whttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5208a1cd-3aef-423f-a0e1-699d12b506aa.jpgW6/CT-168 – 3784http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-168-3784 I parked on Escondido Canyon Road, then hiked through a parcel which has a “For Sale” sign in front. I kinda felt like I was being watched by the neighboring houses, but once I was out of sight the hike was enjoyable. There is an established trail so it seems this summit is hiked often. The hike itself it pretty short, just over a mile and about 600′ of elevation gain. At the top, there is a large pile of rocks which I used to support the antenna mast. It also offered some shade from the sun, which felt brutal, even in February. Worked 20M, 30M, and 40M CW. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-168https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/42c8f655-02a3-461b-9bde-c47f259737c2/8a74a8f4-b3bd-4a76-9dd4-a32ffb72f900-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9fjyFFdFiZJYywfDixpY7w82002026-06-01T19:11:10.970ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/owQ1o8KTM264hHMKZGo9Cjhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/01e6600e-fd9c-4293-afe5-1c2a6821e64f.jpgW6/CT-126 - Harold Beacon Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-126-harold-beacon-benchmark/ There is something about the summits along the 14 and into Palmdale which I really like, but to date, Harold Beacon Benchmark is probably my favorite because of all the flora and fauna. I parked my car on Rebel road and started hiking, first, down a dirt road which wasn't so bad, then, to a steep moto track which goes straight up the hillside. This side of the hill was covered in Juniper. The end of the trail meets up with a fire road, which leads up to the summit. There are several different types of trees up here with several kinds of birds I couldn't identify. At the top, there were three benchmarks of various vintage, and evidence of an old tower. I wonder if that was the beacon? I setup my station using an EFHW cut for higher bands. Worked 12M, 17M, and 30M CW. 4 S2S. I hiked down the way I came, although it seems like there are several ways up and down. I'll look forward to activating this peak again. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-126https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/b676f2df-ae70-499f-a273-d87f56bdde2a/f019f63d-8965-4b37-9dc9-90a6e87cee40-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/owQ1o8KTM264hHMKZGo9Cj113002026-06-01T19:11:14.992ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8BZfZxq8xD8QErmbZKgVU1https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/28102b63-7964-4187-b36e-be8a2fbc62a2.jpgW6/SC-371 - Niguel Hillhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-371-niguel-hill/ Niguel Hill is probably the easiest SOTA activation I've ever done. Grab some street parking on Talavera Drive, then walk on a flat path for 5 minutes to one of the picnic tables along the path. I setup my antenna and worked 20M, 30M, and 40M. The trail was pretty busy and I received a lot of weird looks, and several questions about my fishing pole. Worked 20M, 30M, and 40M. After an hour or so I packed up and headed over to Temple Hill, W6/SC-369. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-371https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3db64a13-ce5d-4fc6-9d41-e4ff47335c64/c3271938-ddae-4743-b10b-a93700650370-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8BZfZxq8xD8QErmbZKgVU168002026-06-01T19:11:18.437ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sZEMV8vtzQJ1jD2hB3ZN5yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c78c1429-4ad9-4438-a1c6-1963be38248e.jpgW6/SC-369 - Temple Hillhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-369-temple-hill/ Temple Hill is another easy costal summit. This was my second activation of the day, having just come from Niguel Hill, W6/SC-371. I believe this summit is a reservoir tank, and the actual, real summit is the parking lot/ playground. It’s less than 10 minutes to hike up to the highpoint from the parking lot. Up top, I found a good spot to setup away from others, as the area was pretty busy. Worked 20M, 30M, and 40M. Two S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-369https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/da9ae800-7366-41e8-82d9-f05d63c216e8/246ec28f-4f77-4e4c-a8c7-7f374ed3679c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sZEMV8vtzQJ1jD2hB3ZN5y31002026-06-01T19:11:21.154ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/x31AyudjMA1WzMEKwJkksyhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/37524009-a924-4119-8b60-df073353e441.jpgW6/CD-016 - Ryan Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-cd-016-ryan-mountain/ I was in the area to attend the Experimental Music Festival in Wonder Valley and thought a SOTA activation would be a nice addition to my weekend plans. Ryan Mountain is inside Joshua Tree National Park, and not too far from the north entrance, which, wasn’t too far from the music venue. The hike is about 3 miles round trip, and a bit over 1,000′ in elevation gain, however the scorching February sun made it feel a bit longer. At the top I found a place away from others and setup my vertical antenna with an MTR4B. After a few questions on why I have a fishing pole in the desert, I started operating on 40M CW but didn’t get any QSOs., and only two on 30M. When I moved to 20M, I ended up with a small pileup with one DX call from Japan. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CD-016https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/fb532739-0683-43e6-9c56-621f57ae58c8/87048201-569c-415b-a909-a9a495b8c2f3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/x31AyudjMA1WzMEKwJkksy20002026-06-01T19:11:24.024ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7PJ3ZBWAvVMjHud44yp4CFhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5e6dd6ac-fff1-4f8f-8da0-45dc2f044212.jpgW6/IN-048 - 5213http://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-048-5213/ This was the last summit of four I activated on a solo camping trip in Lone Pine, and my third climb of the day. At this point, the temperature was quite warm, and the wind was starting to get a bit unruly. I parked the car right off Movie Road and started hiking up to the summit. Once there I used the EFHW, which was tough to wrangle in the wind. The golf umbrella I used for shade was useless in these conditions. Worked 20,30, 40M CW and got back down to the car as quickly as I could. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-048https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3740b451-fcfa-45c8-bf61-89ae0ce102f3/74ffc9a7-b3bc-4c67-bc2b-746402e906ce-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7PJ3ZBWAvVMjHud44yp4CF104002026-06-01T19:11:27.423ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/iKLSFMwrmhUBjKCBkAvoXihttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d1671aae-5fb4-4331-b833-0f949bded8fa.jpgW6/IN-045 - 5396http://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-045-5396/ This was my first summit in a series of four while solo camping in Lone Pine. I had just drove up from Los Angeles, found a place to camp, setup my tent, relaxed a bit, then headed over to W6/IN-046, also known as “Rattlesnake Hill”. There was no apparent trail to the summit, so I parked my car in a small clearing and just headed up the mountain, watching out for rattle snakes on my way. Once the steep part was out of the way I picked up what looked like a use-trail and followed it up the the geographical summit. Used a vertical and worked 20M. One contact on 2M with a local who told me to watch out for snakes. When heading down, I picked up on a much better trail. I’ll take this way up next time. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-045https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8fc7fe6c-fdc9-447b-8d32-be3eb27f9ae7/6f02edd8-304e-432c-bec3-95b40397a039-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/iKLSFMwrmhUBjKCBkAvoXi119002026-06-01T19:11:30.996ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kmgJxdr3CcKgwY9X1x1fnLhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5e3d9429-1c7a-438b-b1c5-97ef3c8fb141.jpgW6/SS-449 - 5200http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-449-5200/ This was my second summit of four on a solo camping trip in Lone Pine. After waking up at Portuguese Joe campground, I packed up my tent and made a quick breakfast before pointing my commuter car down movie road to the trailhead. This was an easy drive in my small car. One could take a 4×4 all the way to the top, but it gets kinda sketchy in a couple spots. At the top I used an EFHW and worked through a pileup on 40M, then over to 30M. One S2S up to San Francisco. 2.5 miles of hiking and a bit over 1K elevation. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-449https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9cb234bc-937d-4f5a-9aaa-bca7fa1a4596/66f17195-0470-422f-b3c1-af26174e8035-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kmgJxdr3CcKgwY9X1x1fnL116002026-06-01T19:11:35.361ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/rzugVnjRBYoDDG7xMEesnFhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8cf04b76-9998-490d-88bc-d4f32014771c.jpgW6/SS-636 - Alabama Hillshttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-636-alabama-hills/ This was my third summit of four on a solo camping trip in Lone Pine. The hike up was a relatively short cross country jaunt, less than a mile, but just under 1K elevation gain so kinda steep. Up top I used a tri-band vertical; not much room for a end fed. Worked 20,30,40M CW for about 30 minutes before packing down and heading to W6/IN-048 https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-636https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/cf216f88-bd8e-4b2b-8d9d-5a54781a5ad9/1cd2a4e9-ccb1-48f6-b34e-84b24499300d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/rzugVnjRBYoDDG7xMEesnF116002026-06-01T19:11:38.993ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/qX7QRiQ42cVX9WAfeytBAdhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/bbe45631-58e2-45a7-884a-3c0df6056970.jpgQRP Guys Multi-DCQRP Guys Multi-DChttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ca0d73ad-e4c3-4781-9c25-be3ddd40a784/b9b1d488-90c9-48f9-92c0-bac638b2ced7-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/qX7QRiQ42cVX9WAfeytBAd39002026-06-01T19:11:42.533ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/86iSAq4vSw3RRp7s3ZqeRFhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/184efd0f-704a-4d37-acf9-91dfb935f8ae.jpgW6/CC-003 - Frazier Mountainhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-cc-003-frazier-mountain/ This was my third time attempting to activate Frazier Mountain, but this time I found success. The first time I wanted to drive to the top, but my small commuter car with low profile tires was not the correct vehicle for the task. I returned 6 months later with a mountain bike, but deep snow stopped me a few miles up the road. This time, I drove the commuter car a mile or so up Frazier Mountain Road until it got too rocky, parked on the edge of the road and hiked the rest of the way, which was a bit further than I thought! At the top, I pulled out my HT and immediately heard N6JZT for a quick S2S. After, I used 23cm for one microwave QSO, which I believe was just over 100km, my furthest. I then worked 40m, 30m, and 20m CW for additional contacts. I wanted to activate a few other summits in the area, so I packed everything down and headed down to the car. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CC-003https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/396db423-6f91-4a10-8f33-18da6e036425/bc540857-5ba4-4d6a-b182-e8ec85aa6631-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/86iSAq4vSw3RRp7s3ZqeRF153002026-06-01T19:11:46.424ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3g72of2oUvMAeGgHpntvHahttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/24744251-9ecd-4769-b35a-86e18f8f35dc.jpgW6/CC-005 - Reyes Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-cc-005-reyes-peak/ Reyes Peak is one I’ve wanted to activate since starting SOTA in 2019, but hadn’t because it’s a pretty far drive from the our home. On a hot July day my wife and I wanted to get out of the house, so we decided to jump in the car and go for a long drive out to the summit trailhead. Getting there took longer than expected due to slow winding roads. Shortly after starting off on the trailhead, the path splits. Go straight there, up a steep embankment. If you make a left turn to will end up at Haddock Mountain. At the summit is a rock formation you can scramble up. You can find evidence of an old fire lookout tower here. I signed the register and setup my HF antenna; worked 40M, 30M, and 20M. No contacts on 30. After getting back to the car we headed over to Rainbow Falls, then eventually over to Ojai for dinner and a beer. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CC-005https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/124e256d-7386-44e7-829e-3388914c840f/fcc271ec-7bb0-44aa-a62c-73f0ddc8abec-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3g72of2oUvMAeGgHpntvHa49002026-06-01T19:11:49.520ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/toKUH3aUvhXJZCbR7mcCPWhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2d5165c7-a0a4-4876-91c8-4724bc6b8626.jpgW6/IN-014 - 8500http://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-014-8500/ After waking up at camp in Big Pine, having a small breakfast and packing up all the camping gear, I headed back out to Death Valley Road to hike the summit of 8500, or Papoose Point, as I’ve seen it named elsewhere. It was quiet except for a few singing birds, and the air was mostly still, only disrupted by low flying F35 jets ripping through the canyons. I started hiking up the two track road, then eventually making a 90-ish degree turn straight up the mountain, over a ridge, down into a valley, then back up another ridge. This was unexpected and perhaps I could have found a different route. Once at the top, I found the summit register and signed it. There is enough room to stretch out a antenna. Not much natural shade at the actual summit, but there are trees just below to take refuge from the sun if needed. Worked 40m, 30m, and 20m CW. Two jets flying below the summit were so close I could almost see inside the cockpit, and so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. I’d love to take a ride in one! I took a different route hiking down which was steeper with more rocks, but more direct. Back at the car the temperature had really risen, so I was happy to turn on the A/C and cool down. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-014https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ddd42a9f-0257-4b7c-a484-073548c353e4/64b4b332-c2d6-4b8e-9af3-976fef8dbea3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/toKUH3aUvhXJZCbR7mcCPW128002026-06-01T19:11:53.852ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/qoRoZaLeHL9utyq5kJiHhMhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a3386915-5a50-412f-b52b-0c8880482ad0.jpgW6/IN-017 - 7900http://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-017-and-w6-in-036-7900-loop/ I wanted to hike some new terrain, so I mapped out a route through the Cow horns, east of Big Pine. Leaving Los Angeles around 6am got me to Big Pine before noon, where I bought some drinks and ice for the cooler before heading over to Death Valley Road. There is no actual trail that I could find. I started hiking up a wash, which had various levels and looked as if it would be a waterfall in times of rain. This was too sketchy for me, so I tried to get as much elevation as possible instead by climbing out of the steep wash through loose soil. It was starting to get hot, but I brought a giant golf umbrella to offer shade, which offered relief. After hiking for about 45 minutes I found the ridge line and headed straight to the summit. Once there I looked for a register, or a geo marker, but didn’t find anything. Worked 20,30, 40M CW. Wanting to activate the neighboring summit, I packed the station up and headed over to W6/IN-036 https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-017https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c58c21e0-a3f3-4b41-a77f-b656acee7db9/2b81a4e0-ba2c-4ac4-97c8-b630745e5290-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/qoRoZaLeHL9utyq5kJiHhM151002026-06-01T19:11:58.017ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/pwp56hjfXWfGJifnRig8tBhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/535f96de-eaab-4742-b72f-681a3e238144.jpgW6/IN-036 - 7900http://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-017-and-w6-in-036-7900-loop/ The route I took over to W6/IN-036 was steep, and at one point I was questioning myself why I do things like this. It was hot, the ground under me was loose and I was consistently slipping. There are several nice shady trees on the ridge which offered additional shade. These trees felt a bit out of place as the whole journey thus far had seemed to be a bit treeless. Once at the summit, I looked around for any markers, or even a register but found nothing. Feeling fatigued, I setup my station and spotted myself on APRS. At 00:00 I shut the station down and headed back to the car. Going down was also steep and I only slipped once. I’d like to come back to these summits on a cooler day, and maybe place a register, and hopefully find a less steep route. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-036https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/be80b852-139a-47e9-9a0e-099ea0440785/456181ae-b7b8-43f4-97cc-e2c26be4289c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/pwp56hjfXWfGJifnRig8tB130002026-06-01T19:12:02.582ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/bzxdWnPJvL8gMWtqQsk8b2https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/fe582462-5353-499e-8ea7-305393934898.jpgW6/CT-218 - Temescal Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-218-temescal-peak/ I left work a bit earlier than usual one day to for a night activation, my first since starting with SOTA. Temescal Peak is kinda close to my office so I wouldn’t need to suffer through SoCal traffic so much. I pulled up to an area which looked okay to leave the car, collected my equipment and started to hike up a paved drainage system, at which point I was welcomed by a sign to the Topanga State Park. A cool coastal breeze was welcome as I hiked along. I kept thinking how it would have been a nice on a mountain bike. At the top, I wasted no time to get the antenna setup. The summit is kinda small, so not much room for an EFHW, but that’s what I had so I made it work. Worked 40m, 30m and 20m CW in addition to 2m FM. Made 4 DX contacts on 20M in a row. Maybe I should do night activations more often? Hiking down, by flashlight started to die and I forgot spare cells. Luckily, the moon was bright which was enough to see where I was going. Next time I’m doing this one on a mountain bike. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-218https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/55aa2c43-7c06-47f8-a33e-b9b6d4a11e59/0245208d-bcf6-44cc-aa37-68e10aae427e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/bzxdWnPJvL8gMWtqQsk8b281002026-06-01T19:12:04.924ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/caMM4QmqUNJt1eVSTuBAJWhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9b83092d-efba-4251-9fc5-f359c9388150.jpgK5AB 10M beaconK5AB Beacon received in Los Angeles Historic Park.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5a726e26-24c1-45da-84b4-3a675327c69a/728c9f19-76e2-41c6-b2c6-c34d6d427dff-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/caMM4QmqUNJt1eVSTuBAJW45002026-06-01T19:12:07.419ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/ffU4mvKTf4si4EThSGpBMyhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/6a917a5d-4ca7-42a0-98bf-05fd6ad21c37.jpgW6/ND-334 - Alpine Buttehttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-334-alpine-butte/ This was my second activation of the day, having just left Lovejoy Butte earlier. I parked my small car as far up 136th Street East as I could and walked the short distance to the base of the butte. From here it’s just a short scramble to the top. Once at the summit, I found thousands of red flying ants, the same I’ve seen at other desert summits. I wonder why they like peaks so much? Not wanting to get friendly with them I setup my endfed half wave just off to the side. I had just over an hour before UTC time changed so I worked quickly while I noticed a monsoon coming my way. The the middle of a QSO on 20M, I felt a big fat raindrop, then a few more. I quickly tore my station down, scrambled down the butte and over to the car. By the time I got to the intersection of 136th street and Ave O, the rain was absolutely pouring to the point my wipers couldn’t keep up. Driving around a bit I noted the washes, dry most of the time, were starting to turn into rivers. I stopped at a high point and walked around in the desert to enjoy the rain before heading back to Los Angeles, where it didn’t rain at all. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-334https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/73746f90-1915-4c11-813e-e134d21ea716/595963bb-34fb-4486-a83d-3e9c7250294d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/ffU4mvKTf4si4EThSGpBMy181002026-06-01T19:12:12.622ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/qExA59wUSscwKPfwmwV6Jahttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/811c2f91-8071-466f-86f3-4c180afb0e97.jpgW6/ND-323 - Lovejoy Buttehttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-323-lovejoy-butte/ I set out from my home in Los Angeles to activate three buttes in the Antelope Valley area. Lovejoy was the first of the day. Of course, I can never get out of the house at a reasonable time so I arrived around noon to my starting point on 145th Street East. It was hotter than I expected but I have a large golf umbrella for days like this, and it proved absolutely critical for both the hike and activation. You can make out a faint use trail up to the summit from the road, and accessing that trail requires navigating various moto trails, deep soft sand, and piles of dumped construction materials. Closer to the top is a faint use trail which goes to the summit. Worked 2M, 40M, 30M CW with a S2S on each band. Worked 20M CW with zero contacts which surprised me. The hike was under two miles but I drank two liters of water. Back at the car I had a snack and more water before heading over to the next butte. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-323https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c7bd0ebb-ab3a-43e9-8b3a-1d98ea893969/9a75a9af-e88d-4615-84e8-33a78e282c9f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/qExA59wUSscwKPfwmwV6Ja160002026-06-01T19:12:17.460ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/szn9uHYBzzEsfuzN9anVc6https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2785193e-1ae4-4534-b9ba-5fd073d83cd6.jpgW6/CT-009 - Butler Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-009-butler-peak/ The road up to Butler Peak was closed for several years due to a washout, however, repairs were made and the road opened July 4th. I drove my low clearance commuter car from Rim Of The World to Forest Road 2N13, and parked near the gate up to Butler. Hiking up to the summit was enjoyable and offered views not normally seen in the San Gabriel mountain range. Once at the top, the fire lookout volunteer invited me up to the tower for a tour and mentioned I was the only hiker of the day and that everyone else arrived via off-road vehicle. After the tour I climbed around on the rocks just below the tower in search for a place to setup the radio. There isn’t much usable room but I found a place I could put my endfed wire between two rocks. Since I brought my Yaesu 817 I decided to start on 70cm CW, which got me one contact. Moving to 2M FM only got me an additional contact. Moving to HF afforded me the contacts needed to get points. I made it down the mountain and back to the paved road right when it was starting to get dark. Perfect timing! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-009https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d7362e79-b599-4c2f-b1f3-da6002c72ccf/e21a6d0b-ac20-41de-a548-5babe012c703-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/szn9uHYBzzEsfuzN9anVc6148002026-06-01T19:12:22.392ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fXWwJAFCMBB7Rr7utmTLUHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f014db20-7ebc-4518-8767-66e09c0aacdd.jpgW6/CT-120 - Smith Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-120-smith-mountain/ Smith Mountain has been on my list of summits to activate since I started with sota. I made an attempt to hike it the the previous year, but restrictions from the Bobcat fire were in place and the area was closed. The trailhead is easy to find; next to a pit toilet just off Hwy 39 above Azusa. From there the trail winds for three miles through beautiful canyons, gaining about 1,000 feet in elevation along the way. Once you hit the saddle, take a break because things are going to get steep. It took me some time to navigate the thick vegetation, rocks, and steep grade on this one, often finding a use trail but almost immediately loosing it. At the top, there was a benchmark and enough room to stretch out an EFHW antenna. Worked 20, 30, 40M CW and 2M FM with the HT. Coming down the mountain was a bit easier as I could locate the faint use trails a bit easier. Overall, this is a fun hike that's accessible and close to the city. I'll be visiting again in the future. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-120https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/792f742e-af86-4a86-bf63-64be31d4b239/601912e1-d569-474a-9514-9f1a12f225c9-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fXWwJAFCMBB7Rr7utmTLUH126002026-06-01T19:12:26.227ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vQ8HHsXzWG4jDyaKrNcJAwhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/23ab22a6-1a9a-4503-afaa-ff5c47e0ea1e.jpgN4SO/B 10m RX in LAXN4SO/B 10m RX in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f1917aaf-72b4-4d7e-a807-1df577df7232/168208bb-a5e5-4a4d-8f09-00b1ca956630-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vQ8HHsXzWG4jDyaKrNcJAw33002026-06-01T19:12:28.825ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jVXSb7R4SQyW54Mbq8VJD2https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8aecf613-2a9d-4a54-afd3-9a34b6e8da80.jpgW0WF/B 10M RX in LAXW0WF/B 10M RX in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/994d5801-15f5-4439-9d3d-fb1efda81703/11c723e8-4d25-4ebe-8b0d-da57b43dd26b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jVXSb7R4SQyW54Mbq8VJD237002026-06-01T19:12:33.274ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jDqCY9jcjTRSq8QPLbGW4Hhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/32c6e196-dcf3-418f-9711-e773ac8d5955.jpgKG8CO/B 10M RX in LAXKG8CO/B 10M RX in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/96fe32dd-9eb3-43f1-8689-2ea513648b8f/99e4e801-362a-4c4d-9a2b-255a9f43148b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jDqCY9jcjTRSq8QPLbGW4H60002026-06-01T19:12:36.019ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/b8d7xVVVfyWJL3tHYrrzvShttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4d5d9214-9eb3-4055-868b-5b2e5e984063.jpgN5TIT/B 10M RX in LAXN5TIT/B 10M RX in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/51fd0ecf-8aae-47c5-be61-3355d1abf5a0/00ecd386-09a8-4ff1-b473-31c62664e1ff-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/b8d7xVVVfyWJL3tHYrrzvS69002026-06-01T19:12:39.710ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/a7sbcwy1JocA5ynb8EuBgUhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f86246d3-12e4-4b14-9f05-5a20fe34793f.jpgVE4ARM/B in LAXVE4ARM/B in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/49c8d78c-f608-4b91-b659-36c3df18f6a6/a4929aef-e8dd-476d-9982-62890d1819bd-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/a7sbcwy1JocA5ynb8EuBgU114002026-06-01T19:12:42.721ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/nmwnf7FPtydQUwyDcfGwmthttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/36501cbd-ec7c-418a-8f46-6909a4c6cb17.jpgK5TLL/B in LAXK5TLL/B in LAXhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/aced804a-69dd-4ddc-9263-c99ec6eda71b/8735967e-34ea-4f51-8ec8-a424251b957f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/nmwnf7FPtydQUwyDcfGwmt44002026-06-01T19:12:47.809ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fs2UkBYjLByYdpP3mKso1shttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/364184c6-7ba0-4bad-81a4-aadfee4417e0.jpgW6/CT-041 - 9465http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-041-9465/ This hike starts off Hwy 38, across the street is a large area to park. I placed my Adventure Pass on the dash of my car, although I don’t think it was needed. After crossing the road and made my way through the woods a bit, I realized I couldn’t find the jeep road others had mentioned. Luckily I had a .gpx track saved on my phone, which I used to get back on track. The first mile of this hike is the steepest, gaining ~500′, 600′ in elevation. From there it relaxes quite a bit until the very end which is steep and covered in loose rocks. The summit is obvious, two large posts and a pile of rocks. There is a register here, but unfortunately it was soaking wet and covered in black mold. Worked 20, 30 and 40M CW, and 2M FM on the HT. I was able to open the 2M repeater out in Yucca Valley but nobody was available to chat. I took my time hiking down, enjoying the view and the beautiful juniper trees. I’ll be back soon! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-041https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7502739f-0dbb-496d-8985-35b0ca82a472/9b0170ba-2361-464b-9000-ba6f9dba00a2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fs2UkBYjLByYdpP3mKso1s196002026-06-01T19:12:53.546ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/4iZ7csUFcDKtrYLWPCn5mMhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e3f65853-1b5a-416f-82a2-4aca95af93ce.jpgW6/CT-076 - Constance Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-076-constance-peak/ This was my second activation of the day, having hiked W6/CT-041 earlier. I was starving from a light breakfast so I stopped at a small diner in Angelus Oaks for a late lunch burger. From the diner, I took a small dirt road behind the post office as far as I could in my small commuter car, parked and started hiking to the summit. It had just rained, so there was quite a few large water puddles. If it was drier I could have just driven to the use trail that leads to the summit. The trail is pretty obvious, just steep. At the top there was a small rattle snake curled up right where I wanted to setup. The snake was there first so I put the antenna a bit further down the hill, but well within the activation zone. The clock just passed 00:00, and I was loosing daylight so I worked through the bands quickly, with a few S2S and a Japanese DX station. I rushed to tear the station down and hiked down the hill. I git back to the car right before the last light of the day. Perfect timing! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-076https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1ace40e0-2a29-45aa-9f0b-56ae668962ad/9bfde342-2a91-4d7a-8de3-f140e447a6d1-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/4iZ7csUFcDKtrYLWPCn5mM110002026-06-01T19:12:57.304ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6ZmHiGpf2MRwXPT1g91MhChttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c9ad355b-1f84-46cc-97f2-a1a5a9ba3d8c.jpgW6/SC-027 - Triunfo Lookouthttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-219-triunfo-lookout/ I had always overlooked this summit because it's kinda far away from my house, the hike isn't very long, and it's not worth many points. Having just activated Sandstone Peak earlier in the day, it made sense to hike up to Triunfo Lookout before heading home. At the trailhead is a gate with a small sign telling visitors they are entering a national park. I immediately noticed the unique biodiversity on this trail on the way up to the summit. At the top, a concrete structure which I believe is from a fire lookout tower built in the 1930's remains. Worked 40, 30 and 20M with one DX station in Japan.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/307fda3e-1d3d-4d12-aab3-8a4280f9ec78/3d2ea2f9-7cc8-4c0d-bc36-a44d0f0f5824-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6ZmHiGpf2MRwXPT1g91MhC37002026-06-01T19:13:00.633ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/1RhknBLz8dqyXGGhWqWnu6https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5d4ed750-4bf1-44ae-bd99-d40233bd5688.jpgW6/CT-064 - East Twin Peakshttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-064-east-twin-peaks/ I hiked this in December 2022 with Esther and 4 months later at the time of this writing I've forgotten most of the details of the activation, as such, no real report. I do recall rain in the forecast, however there was just heavy fog which made scorched trees from the Bobcat fire look eerie.. Overall, there is a bunch of elevation gain on this hike which made it challenging. We looped back through Mt. Waterman where I activated at 23:50 and 00:01 to give local chasers on FM points. Photos and .gpx below. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-064https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/06e182cb-d2e6-4f8f-8668-54e54b256e01/eaecc3f2-9ef6-4ac7-b251-e8d9a75d9d88-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/1RhknBLz8dqyXGGhWqWnu658002026-06-01T19:13:03.784ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/65umnTqbQDsY5Mta1KWKnshttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/eaaffe5f-982c-4b7b-b1db-0ac3c8426ee7.jpgW6/CT-027 - Condor Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/?p=3817&preview=true This is a pretty long hike for 4 SOTA points, but since the Lowel Life crew rebuilt the Condor Peak Trail, Esther and I wanted to check it out. Most of the trail felt pretty flat (it’s not), with multiple switchbacks and a waterfall. The last mile or so was a bit more difficult but that might have just been me being fatigued. Getting to the actual summit required some scrambling, but nothing too bad. At the top I worked 40M and 30M, then hopped on 2M to work local chasers. Worried about running out of daylight, we headed back down after about an hour. I hoped to activate Fox Benchmark on this same trip, but there just wasn’t enough time. By the time we got back to the car it was dark. Perfect timing. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-027https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/291e23f8-78ab-4c61-b015-afff5bc258c8/47d638b8-c051-4dcf-9277-1a1d47558932-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/65umnTqbQDsY5Mta1KWKns76002026-06-01T19:13:06.966ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/m4biwB9HXWbTbtKSpyBd5jhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/28c1210f-2876-461e-ac27-6d3be9d37050.jpgSummits On The Air - Field kit walk throughI enjoy seeing whats in others amateur radio field kits, and how they are packed. Here is a quick walk through of mine. #sota #summitsontheair #amateurradio #hamradio #morse #cwhttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a2685a7c-d17e-45cf-8339-0b62d6575c82/e3c16bee-3b28-4e40-b7df-a71501837610-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/m4biwB9HXWbTbtKSpyBd5j137002026-06-01T19:13:10.979ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3hLMDqcFRqe9JJwJeVcb8fhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/91ab804c-2bb7-4a1a-b75e-61e60b73fc84.jpgW6/CT-116 - Sierra Pelonahttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-116-sierra-pelona/ Last summer I installed a new rear tire on my dual sport moto, rode it around the block once, parked it in the back yard, then promptly forgot about it over the wet winter. I’ve wanted to visit Sierra Pelona and Mt. McDill for some time, with the idea to take the mountain bike up there on a cool winter day. Well, the moto was in the back yard all sad, full of spiders, chain rusted, and had a dead battery. What better way to wake the bike up for the next season than a 100 mile round trip SOTA activation? After hosing the bike off, evicting the spiders, installing a new battery and applying copious amounts of gear oil on the chain, the ole’ DRZ was ready to go. I left my house in Echo Park and headed up Hwy 2, made a left on Angeles Forest Highway, over to Acton and up the road to Sierra Pelona. The road up was somewhat steep, but paved, which caught me by surprise. I was under the impression you needed a truck or something to get up there. At the top there is a radio installation, including a AT&T long lines tower. This isn’t where the summit is though, it’s further along the ridge, and the road isn’t paved at this point. I think a regular car would still be fine. At the summit, I looked around for a benchmark, but couldn’t find one. I setup my EFHW antenna and started working the bands, 40M, 30M, and 20M + 5 S2S. After exhausting the chasers, I packed up my gear and headed over to Mt. McDill a few miles away. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-116https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1289c752-5642-4912-ba0e-17e2189c09b4/cf865996-ed10-4714-b62c-740f883f7775-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3hLMDqcFRqe9JJwJeVcb8f124002026-06-01T19:13:15.243ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/n5peDSH9XLLB3hrCZztbbGhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/06e8fe84-05cd-4202-aeb5-2a84f50e0a07.jpgW6/CT-118 - Mount McDillhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-118-mount-mcdill/ This was my second summit of the day, having just come from Sierra Pelona. You can read about that summit here. I’m kinda glad I didn’t ride a mountain bike over to this summit like I had original planned, as there is some steep elevation to tackle on the way out. That being said, I think there are a few other ways up here that might be a bit easier on a bike than the was I took the moto. The top was easy to find, I looked around for a benchmark, but couldn’t find one. I did find a register going back to 2008 which I didn’t expect to see. I used the pile of rocks to support my antenna mast. I worked 40M, 30M ,and 20M with 4 S2S. Thanks! While I didn’t really notice at the time, where I was setup was almost directly on a moto trail. A group of bikers stopped for a minute to take in the great views, and luckily my antenna didn’t get snagged on anything. Wanting to explore the area bit more, I packed up and headed out after working all the chasers. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-118https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/aaad34cd-9191-49b1-bfdc-69ac0ce61f3c/9ad6ae6f-ed17-41eb-bfbc-bab7cda95257-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/n5peDSH9XLLB3hrCZztbbG157002026-06-01T19:13:19.991ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3EBEpFr8xWFbYUywRtHD3ahttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a719318a-670d-412a-9bef-bfb6999fe8e4.jpgW6/CT-132 - Granite Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-132-granite-benchmark/ Granite Benchmark is a summit I’ve wanted to visit for awhile but couldn’t get to with my tiny commuter car as the trail head is down a long fire road. Sadly, the clutch in the car was going out and the replacement cost exceeded the value of the vehicle. In addition to the clutch, it needed a bunch of other work so it made sense to sell the car and buy something else. I ended up with a 1st gen Toyota Tacoma 4×4, manual everything. So far, it’s a rad truck. From Bouquet Canyon road, I turned on the forbidden Leona Divide fire road and headed to the trailhead, where there was a large clearing and plenty of room to park and not get in anyone’s way. The hike it’s self it pretty easy; It follows a power transmission line service road around a mile and a half one way, and maybe 700~800′ of elevation gain. Close to the summit, you cross under the lines and follow a short use trail to the top. On this particular day , it was extremely windy. I had a difficult time getting my wire antenna up. In addition, my mast broke twice. Worked 40M, 30M, and 20M CW. No S2S from this peak. After packing up and heading back to the truck, I continued my way down Leona Divide to activate Burn Benchmark, one I’ve previously activated before via mountain bike. You can read about that here. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-132https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/159684a8-ac89-4502-8b52-e5cf90032ae9/81d6317e-e523-4bde-8f33-a291a51e0aa0-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3EBEpFr8xWFbYUywRtHD3a117002026-06-01T19:13:25.663ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jcwJu9fszUuRpNFQR3ZhNihttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/6ec16877-2d8d-41b4-82a2-e39b91107af4.jpgW6/ND-238 –Lane Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-238-lane-mountain/ Lane Mountain is an easy drive up summit, although, I would recommend a high clearance vehicle as the road up can be kinda rough. In the sprit of SOTA, I didn’t drive up all the way, but parked just below the top and hiked up. At the top is a communications site with several microwaves. You can walk around the fence housing the facility for great views of the surrounding areas. Once there, I immediately heard a couple friends I was camping with on 2M; it was nice to get them in the log. Worked 40, 30 and 20M. After exhausting chasers, I packed up and headed home to Los Angeles. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-238https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/93609def-0012-41f8-9cd0-44fb964b5ae5/d8e7f161-e3f2-4021-ab81-ef9ddcc727c6-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jcwJu9fszUuRpNFQR3ZhNi100002026-06-01T19:13:29.808ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hH4ijTN7dGgLy9kMxo2VzJhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/a898e810-15d4-4e2d-8517-de4f8c2b6153.jpgW6/ND-289 – Wells Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-289-wells-benchmark/ A few times a year I camp with a group on a dry lakebed near the edge of Fort Irwin, and while I was aware of opportunities for SOTA in the area, I never activated – until Wells Benchmark. This summit is easy to find, located right off Copper City Road In addition, the hike up was easy, only taking 20 minutes or so. What made this activation difficult for me was the wind, which was extremely strong and relentless. I was able to get my antenna up and thankfully nothing got destroyed. Worked 40, 30, and 20M but didn’t make a ton of QSOs. I hiked down basically the same way. Back at the truck, I had a light breakfast and made my way over to an unactivated summit which turned out to be just on the other side of the Fort Irwin boundary fence, thus, no access. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-289https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/874dbefc-599a-4a85-8e35-2e00e002c8c0/7edd2a1a-1442-4101-8a2d-1f7743d9d4e7-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hH4ijTN7dGgLy9kMxo2VzJ86002026-06-01T19:13:33.529ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/pRLWrcGnfj1NDX8Kh1XfLwhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e86de38e-1bae-4554-b3ec-c5e7d53ada59.jpgW6/SS-405 - Wyleys Knobhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-405-wyleys-knob/ Wyleys Knob is a drive-up summit west of the 14 in the Southern Sierras. To get there, I pulled off the road into Jawbone OHV area, and wiggled my way over the California Aqueduct, past Kiavih Wilderness, and over to Bird Springs Canyon Road. From there, you go through Bird Springs pass which was well stocked with water for PCT hikers. Shortly after the PCT, make a left up to the summit. Once there, I was delighted to find an old AT&T long lines tower (I think these are neat). At the top, I found refuge from the heat in the shade of one of the equipment shelters. This didn’t allow me to setup my antenna in an optimal way, but I gave it a shot anyways. Worked three bands, 30m, 40m, and 20m, but only made 5 contacts in about 20 minutes of calling CQ. Was this solar conditions or my crummy antenna deployment? At this point, I was hungry, so I packed up and headed to a interesting rock formation with a shady tree below the summit for lunch. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-405https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c1355408-e009-4bd9-a05e-5a0d9c8cc1e6/3c7e286f-d9d4-4a9f-b7eb-8bf302100477-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/pRLWrcGnfj1NDX8Kh1XfLw71002026-06-01T19:13:36.738ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/npVNUubRqxAuuC6rTcrK6Bhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/79d8528d-5b9d-4fe4-93c6-b4913b63504a.jpgW6/ND-308 - Saddleback Buttehttp://blog.benmook.com/saddleback-butte-w6-nd-308/ This was a fun one for me. After hitting up a few easy summits with summer bonus points in the Crestline area, I kinda wanted to camp before heading home to Los Angeles. Saddleback Butte caught my eye because there are camping facilities right by the trailhead – the idea was to head up to the summit just after dusk and activate, come back to camp, sleep, then head home in the morning. The hike up was easy, sandy in some parts and calm with a slight breeze. It took about an hour to get to the top, where I was greeted with extremely high winds, so high my antenna mast broke at the fattest, bottom piece. It was impossible to get any kind wire up in the air. I ended up with my 20M wire segment blowing like a flag over a ledge. After calling for about 20 minutes on CW, which I knew wouldn’t work at this hour – I gave up, packed my battered equipment down and went back to camp. I didn’t sleep well because the campground is situated near a busy road; trucks and motorcycles kept me awake. At first light, I headed back up to the summit where is was much calmer than the night before. I worked 20, 30, 40M CW. After I exhausted all the chasers I headed back to camp before the summer desert heat took hold. I’d do this one again, but I’m not sure I’d camp there again. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-308https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/ad672dea-b9d7-4812-abba-9fedbb9b3f89/6f44d7b9-f11c-40f3-b5a4-c2cad99bdb92-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/npVNUubRqxAuuC6rTcrK6B94002026-06-01T19:13:41.067ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/m4xt8UBkyJDckfqtshrzYQhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/0ce7bee3-3740-4efc-ad8c-4f5cde504c8f.jpgW6/SD-044 – 5352http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-044-5352/ This summit is in Joshua Tree National Park, so it qualifies for POTA in addition to SOTA if you’re into that kinda thing. I woke up early in the morning and headed out to JTNP to try and beat the heat of summer. While this hike isn’t very long, the wet winter was kind to various plants which were eager to seed. Of course, these seeds are scratchy and pokey, and moving through this knee high stuff was enough to cover my shoes and socks. Writing this blog post out two months later, I think those socks still have seeds stuck in them from this trip. Anyways, at the top was a nice flat area to setup an antenna and relax while operating. Worked 40M, 30M, and 20M CW before heading down. An easy, fun summit to bag, in an interesting area of JTNP. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-044https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/a27565b3-a365-4709-b5de-25751090046c/776cf061-2d23-41c1-a3a5-bab15b2b6441-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/m4xt8UBkyJDckfqtshrzYQ143002026-06-01T19:13:45.786ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/iwsLGFsAthfZ9FtptyZgCfhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7ae990e2-60fd-49e7-bf94-692a91df10a6.jpgW6/SS-630 - 6244http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-630-6244/ This was my 3rd summit of the day. I parked my truck near the PCT and cooked some ground beef patties on my small gas grill in the shade before hiking up to the summit. Beautiful short hike along the PCT among stands of Joshua trees. I got as close as I could to the summit on the PCT before heading up through a small canyon. This probably wasn’t the best way as this route required hiking along a rocky ridge. At the top I setup my equipment and get to work on the bands. Worked 20, 30, 40M CW, no QSOs on 30M. Called out on 2M FM, and got one station out in Phelan, AC – that’s pretty far away! I found a summit register placed by Bob Burd which was mostly empty, I signed with my call and placed the register back. I hiked down a different, easier way. Back at the PCT temperatures dropped so many through hikers were back on the trail. Back at the truck, I packed everything up and headed back to Los Angeles. What a great weekend out in the desert! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-630https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8dec2b19-8612-4a72-ae93-0cb90e05a05a/b8446d07-e38e-460b-9b2d-9c6eefd83352-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/iwsLGFsAthfZ9FtptyZgCf73002026-06-01T19:13:51.128ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/sQN7XrgNxNMQMXr4GRWy6Yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/273748dd-0b24-427b-9b2d-be8d8cbe9a91.jpgW6/SS-425 - 5924http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-425-5924/ Second summit of the day, an easy hike from the truck trail I was traveling down. I parked near an old mining operation, crossed the PCT and followed a wide moto trail to the summit. No more than 1/2 mile round trip. Rocky, plenty of space to stretch out an antenna. Had good luck on all three bands, several S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-425https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d95dba81-4237-4c1b-be11-848c99bd159a/9d0762ec-5b45-4b24-b78c-d3686c7548f3-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/sQN7XrgNxNMQMXr4GRWy6Y112002026-06-01T19:13:55.417ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/43ckhSekPdYCdVYjywUYaHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ebe07fb3-838c-48dd-a26c-887b1544ef5d.jpgW6/SS-414 - Pinyon Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-414-pinyon-mountain/ This was my first summit of the day in a series of three. The day before I activated Butterbredt Peak to the south and camped at what might be my new favorite spot. Unfortunately the overnight wind was relentless and I got cold, so I didn’t get a good nights sleep. For the activation, I parked the truck near Dove Springs Canyon Road, and followed a moto trail to the top, where a several pinyon pines and some nice rocks lay. I found a summit register overflowing and signed mostly by moto riders upset about loosing land to ride dirt bikes on. I did notice several fences cut in the area so perhaps they are not allowed up there. There was also a benchmark which someone tried to pry off; I’m glad it’s still there. Worked all bands, then headed back to the truck to visit another summit. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-414https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1899e332-128d-4769-a9b1-af123b03e793/2504d791-ac98-4761-8bf7-9c59a09b844b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/43ckhSekPdYCdVYjywUYaH115002026-06-01T19:13:59.677ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9ZeHAs9tBmY1b6Q5ev3nhNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/78cd5d82-301d-4907-be20-fc8abde3c1ab.jpgW6/SS-423 - Butterbredt Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ss-423-butterbredt-peak/ Butterbredt Peak was my first stop on a trip to activate several summits around the northern edge of the Mojave Desert and the south edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. I left Los Angeles for my trip late in the day which had me rushing to get up to the summit before 0:00 zulu. This also put me square in the hottest part of the day. The hike up Butterbredt started easy, but maybe a half mile in the path got steep and extremely sandy, to the point where I felt like I was on a sand treadmill, only making a few inches of progress for each step. Thankfully, this section was short and I was able to continue on. Along the way, fighter jets ripped through the sky along with the defining sound of their engines. I sat and watched them fly around for 10 minutes or so. The top was windy, which is expected on desert summits. I spotted via APRS and started calling CQ on 40M. Not too many takers. I moved to 30M and picked up one more contact, then moved to 20M. Picked up one more contact there. Just 4 contacts on 3 bands… Was my radio broken? Nope, there was a solar event which was blacking out HF. I hiked down the same way I came up, got into the truck and looked for a place to camp for the night. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SS-423https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/48c6f528-f670-4a9d-b164-8d08bc507a02/8ff24809-b1a6-4927-a414-ab3fda1c1628-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9ZeHAs9tBmY1b6Q5ev3nhN111002026-06-01T19:14:03.580ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/w8eY8QEHWhM2UMC4aZdoN9https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/170573d3-1d68-4496-aebb-34c869446c46.jpgW6/SC-002 - San Emigdio Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-002-san-emigdio-mountain San Emigdio Mountain is basically a drive up. This could be done in a 2wd vehicle with enough clearance; at the time I visited as the road seemed like it was recently graded. I parked at a large turn around area and started hiking up to the top. Once there I realized I went the long way, not a problem though since this was a short hike. I used the Yaesu 817 on the high bands. Worked 10M, 12M, 15M and 17M. Two s2s contacts. I signed the register and started heading down, where I picked up a faint use trail back to the road. I explored an area that looked like it might have been a mine at some point, then headed up the hill to the truck. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-002https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f3f4f963-f687-4ee4-a610-5cdd4c817e5c/ebcc3bc1-6b32-4559-9458-bd3f72ecd694-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/w8eY8QEHWhM2UMC4aZdoN963012026-06-01T19:14:07.866ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6bWn6QoYvwRvPqihumR78shttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/31086af8-7049-4b16-8d83-f6056fe140d6.jpgW6/CT-151 – Frankish Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-151-frankish-peak/ Mike – KN6EZE started with SOTA around the same time as I did, so when we were both close to earning goat status- 1,000 points, we decided to do it together. Originally we were going to snowshoe up to Sunset Peak, however, that morning an avalanche blocked the road to the trailhead which forced us to quickly change plans. Had we been any earlier to Sunset Peak, we might have been stuck in Mount Baldy Village until the snow was cleared. Nearby, Frankish Peak would satisfy the points needed for both of us to make goat status. This was a summit I’ve never climbed, in addition I already made a contact here so it would be a complete for me as well. The hike starts out on a narrow use trail that leads to a fire road, then another use trail which is quite steep, perhaps more of a climb to a ridge line. Here, there was plenty of snow accumulation which made the hike even more enjoyable. At the top we spread out. I setup a 40M EFHW and Mike setup a 2M j-pole. After I exhausted all chaser on 40M Mike and I switched stations. Mike used a uSDX in SSB mode which made me want to get one of these inexpensive little radios. He then switched it to CW while I worked 2M FM. After reminiscing on the summit of all the adventures and summits before, we hiked back to the car the same way we came up. Traffic was terrible so we went to a restaurant and got a well deserved meal and a beer while things settled down on the highways. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-151https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2a04a246-3af1-40d3-8198-5964de3b0570/16f09bd6-ec84-4333-84e1-31a26c7edb72-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6bWn6QoYvwRvPqihumR78s37002026-06-01T19:14:10.877ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/aVkQZRA4nFFquEHsQJ8N39https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d29d804a-c97d-43e0-8d0a-cb0f291e5af3.jpgW6/CC-008 - Alamo Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-cc-008-alamo-mountain/ I’ve had Alamo Mountain on my radar for awhile but never thought I could get up there without lugging the moto on my van out to the OHV area, ride up to the side of the mountain, hike up, activate, hike down, then moto back to the van, load up and head home. It felt like a lot of effort for 6 points. Well, last year my wife bought a Subaru Crosstrek and ended up putting a suspension lift in along with 30″ tires. The vehicle is a beast. So, my wife and I ended up driving through Gorman OHV area (free, no need to pay for access if just passing through) on Gold Hill Road. Here the pavement ends and turns into 8N01 which leads to a loop around Alamo Mountain. At the intersection we made a left and stopped at the back side of the summit. Here we grilled some burgers before the hike, then headed up. There is no actual trail up, so this was kinda a bushwhack the entire way through knee high flora. This means there was a ton of spikey and pokey things getting stuck in our socks – so much that I think the socks I wore on this hike might be ruined – otherwise a beautiful day. Worked 20M, 30M, and 40M CW, two 2s2 QSOs. Signed the logbook and headed down the hill. Back at the car we completed the loop around Alamo. There are a few more SOTA summits which start around this area, so hopefully I can return soon to activate them. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CC-008https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5054e5c4-b68f-4fd5-9ff3-e5b5c8b0ddac/f23d8f05-aa93-4aaa-bbda-36d63bf183b4-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/aVkQZRA4nFFquEHsQJ8N3952002026-06-01T19:14:15.484ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/u1zpVvNuu51yowXgZPQ9vXhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7d9ad8cc-870b-4c7b-90e0-6359a05d57aa.jpgW6/CT-207 – Semi Peakhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-207-semi-peak/ It was a wet winter and all the plants were very happy. While this summit is only worth 1 SOTA point, it’s totally worth hiking for the views alone. I hiked this with Jeff C. on a Friday to avoid weekend crowds. We ended up doing the “secret passage” route by following the tracks posted by N6ARA. Worked 20, 30, 40M CW at the summit. This is a beautiful hike and I hope to visit this place again in the future. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-207https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e2d47940-7018-46c3-8fd6-c9f274e38739/2f507022-23af-4083-abad-b6ad817acd0f-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/u1zpVvNuu51yowXgZPQ9vX28002026-06-01T19:14:18.201ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/vMDfrPngnkPGDtwqPpungrhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/3caa102a-6126-4da3-b474-a8feb92769d5.jpgW6/SD-481 - Waterman Hillshttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-481-waterman-hills/ This is a easy summit to access, but hard to operate as there is tons of RF noise. In addition, there isn't much room on the actual summit to stretch out a wire. This limited me to 20M, my shortest antenna. The noise was so high that after I got 4 contacts I signed QRT and headed to another summit in the area.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/f1387242-fcd8-4045-a7da-223939e08ea3/b5e3cf52-35c4-49de-bc58-226d509dc076-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/vMDfrPngnkPGDtwqPpungr45002026-06-01T19:14:21.810ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6DfMMPn2szWc9k7bs9LCEbhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ed9c72f3-2e0d-4fcc-a232-b8c8b2a510e2.jpgW6/ND-284 - Opal Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-284-opal-mountain/ This was the second summit of the day, having just come from a short activation of Waterman Hills. By surprise, my wife and I ran into our pal Buck on the corner of Copper Canyon Road and Irwin Road. He had come up from San Diego to camp with us, however I didn’t expect him to arrive to early. That being said, I invited him to hike up to Opal Mountain with us. On the way to the trailhead we stopped in various locations to look at petroglyphs, Indian circles, and possible places to camp in the future. A bit over an hour through the desert trails, we got to the start. The hike up is pretty steep and rocky, but short. I didn’t find a summit register or a benchmark. Worked 20M CW and headed down pretty quickly. Back at the truck we drank some beers and headed over to a dry lake where we were meeting other friends to camp. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-284https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2db153be-ea9d-42f6-adbf-56ca27be87d6/09868b56-d868-4e49-81dc-8cfe8853a40a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6DfMMPn2szWc9k7bs9LCEb40002026-06-01T19:14:24.730ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/p5TJYPSn2u4jsAS8rNTjrHhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/7abe9e04-eeca-4af0-b117-981e0d019c37.jpgW6/ND-268 - Mesa Benchmarkhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-268-mesa-benchmark/ Kel, E.Bun, R. and I woke up in the morning on the dry lake bed. Hoping to beat some of the desert heat, we quickly ate a light breakfast and headed over to Mesa Benchmark. Distance is deceiving – We could easily see this one from where we were camped, however it took about 45 minutes to actually get there over the rough desert terrain. I parked the truck in an area which had been used for shooting, close to the gentlest contours on a topo map and started heading up. There is no trail I could find. After about 20 minutes or so, there is a class 3 section which will take some care to navigate. Once past this section, it’s mostly flat, like a …..mesa! At the top, we signed the register. I setup my EFHW driven by a Mountain Topper radio. I was getting extremely high SWR on 40, and 30 meters, so I was limited to 20M. Turns out my antenna was broken somewhere. Made one QSO with Buck down at the camp on 2M FM. We decided to take a different roue on the way down. This involved a sketchy class 3 hike down to the desert floor, with a lot of potential for someone to get hurt. Thankfully, we all made it down without injury. Overall, this was a perfect morning hike! If you use my .gpx track, don’t go down the way we did! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-268https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/baf10d01-64b4-493d-9938-523ed6f3dc93/7d05db0c-9765-427b-be7d-58b3e9360c51-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/p5TJYPSn2u4jsAS8rNTjrH16002026-06-01T19:14:27.206ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fsh7uzWwfa4csWWvF7TqVmhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/63dfac5e-be26-4794-94ee-fc3908468777.jpgW6/ND-285 - 3951http://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-285-3951/ This was our second summit of the day, having just come from Mesa Benchmark. While most of the trails in the area are in pretty good shape, driving the trail to the bottom of this summit was pretty rough in some places. I was happy to have 4L in two spots, although, I sure you could just “send it” and it would have been fine. I’m assuming there is a better way than the path I took. The hike starts out pretty steep, tapering off to a flat ridge before one last final climb to the top. It’s around 1/2 mile one way, but a tad over 500′ of elevation gain. I setup my broken antenna which only works on 20M and started calling CQ. Made several S2S contacts to Washington State and Colorado which is always a treat. After exhausting the chasers and packing up everything, we headed down the hill the way we came, then headed back to our camp. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-285https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/750b3566-c0f7-4c36-8b73-9463bc86516e/58e18087-68db-45c8-a43b-8c5bec00e411-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fsh7uzWwfa4csWWvF7TqVm55002026-06-01T19:14:30.082ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/knwXXWCyfmG8pXSXRdre3uhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f33ba623-a2f7-4520-aa68-7c2ab53e57b7.jpgW6/CT-080 - Buck Pointhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-080-buck-point/ I read that 1N34 was open for deer hunting season which means there is access to Buck Point. I started out by driving out from Los Angeles to the 15, getting off on Sierra Avenue, then continuing straight until Lytle Creek road. From here, there is a forest gate on the left which might be open. When we got there, it looked closed from the road, but upon further inspection, it was unlocked and slightly ajar – so perhaps wind blew it closed, or a hunter closed it to keep others out? Either way, my wife pushed it open and we drove through. It’s a long way up a forest road, which gets narrower and rockier the further you travel. There are several switchbacks and not very many opportunities for two way traffic. About three quarters of the way there is a large commercial communications site. This is where the nice part of the forest road ends. You need to continue further down the road which is overgrown, rocky, and sorta steep. You will not make this in a 2wd car. I would be very uncomfortable in a 2wd high clearance vehicle. Your paint will get pinstriped from the woody brush. Near our target, we parked the truck in an small clearing where the topo map lines of the summit seemed gentle, slathered on some sunscreen and attempted to find any kind of trail that would lead us to the top. I had read this was overgrown, so I brought some garden clippers to help maintain the trail. This effort was abandoned after 30 minutes of fighting through dense vegetation and making no gain in elevation. We turned around and went back to the truck to come up with another plan. Leaving the truck we continued down the forest road on foot to a gps location AJ6KZ said was the trailhead in his write up about Buck Point. (34.21503, -117.53971). From the road, there was no obvious trail or carins in sight, but I shimmied myself up the steep embankment and scrambled up a field of loose rocks anyways. Kel followed. From here I saw a carin, then...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9cdf5625-9244-4c4a-a051-bc423b89476c/271dca4f-4382-4e28-9d30-97908f0c5941-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/knwXXWCyfmG8pXSXRdre3u74002026-06-01T19:14:35.891ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/1cijbnCuu6oumiKRZhrYyehttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c57b1a2b-5013-4eb3-a5be-42034452f6cf.jpgW6/CT-084 - Bare Mountain 🏔️http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-082-bare-mountain/ Kel and I started this trip from Mill Creek Summit at the intersection of Pacifico Mountain Road (3N17) and Angels Forest Highway. From there we took a Subaru all the way down Pacifico Mountain Road, past Alder saddle to Little Rock Canyon Road and stopped at a locked gate. I was surprised to see several hunting groups here meeting up to head out of the forest after a long night. It’s deer season, but the hunters I spoke to said they didn’t see any deer this year. No time was wasted after arriving at the trailhead so we quickly started hiking down 5N04 to a fire break that runs up to Bare Mountain. This is on the left side of the forest road by a water culvert. See the attached .gpx for more details. The hike is steep with several false summits. There is no tree cover or shade of any type so the name of this summit is appropriate. For me, hiking this in the summer would be uncomfortable. At the top, I worked 40m, 30m, and 2m, with 4 S2S QSOs. The return trip was the same as the accent. I don’t know why it took me so long to visit this mountain; I really enjoyed everything about it and will be back next year to activate again. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-082https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/0193d9eb-7999-429e-b72f-193ab3757575/7fce5346-c9f7-4c54-9232-500023123500-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/1cijbnCuu6oumiKRZhrYye106002026-06-01T19:14:40.281ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9xwvsQK1MH11EMwxXMadrkhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8f70190e-2762-4665-86e5-3a6787683578.jpgW6/SC-352 - Mount Helixhttp://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-352-mount-helix/ Kel and I made a completely random trip down to San Diego to eat seafood, drink beers, and visit some summits. Before checking into our room in Point Loma, we headed east on Mission Valley Freeway, exiting on Fuerte Drive. From there, the GPS guided us to the top. We parked on the side of the road and walked around the amphitheater before finding the very top. I brought my Yaesu 817 to work high bands with a short antenna. I don’t think there would be a good spot for a full length EFHW without getting in the way, but maybe I didn’t explore the area enough. A security guard was curious what I was doing and after explaining, concluded I wasn’t a threat haha. After 30 minutes or so, I packed everything down and we headed back to the coast. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-352https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/452ff7a4-e46a-4cf5-a3bb-9b87567b95c5/62f80ecd-8a35-462b-adf3-caf264a95cca-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9xwvsQK1MH11EMwxXMadrk61002026-06-01T19:14:43.343ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/1Hioeu8vEPawWdcrNNqWqshttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f2aa6399-c143-4979-b734-3881008ff5c4.jpgW6/SC-335 - Cowles Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-335-cowles-mountain/ Kel and I woke up at our hotel in Point Loma, grabbed some breakfast and headed to Cowles Mountain. It was obvious at the trailhead that this is a popular place to hike. We had to pace ourselves, otherwise the potential for getting stuck directly behind a slower group hiking several abreast unaware of their surroundings was real. At the top were several groups relaxing and chatting. Because of all the people, I used high band (shorter) antennas to keep myself out of the way. After working two bands, I packed up and headed to the next summit. I’m not sure I’ll do this one again. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-335https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/05c43519-89e1-470b-a08c-9c827cef6242/4f7f8fee-3062-4799-96bf-7f072040423a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/1Hioeu8vEPawWdcrNNqWqs16002026-06-01T19:14:46.177ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/aSH1aFkWy8sjThtZpfGbSehttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b961f287-0b7e-402e-86d2-a9a44e51112f.jpgW6/SC-460 - 906https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-460-906/ This summit is right off I5 by the San Clemente Denny’s, the one with the neon sign. Access is easy – park in the cul-de-sac at the end of Del Dios and walk up the obvious path, then turn right. If you pass an old AT&T long lines tower you went the wrong way. Most of this is paved. The true summit is just off the paved path. At the top I setup my Yaesu 817 and worked high bands. Japan was booming in with good signal reports both ways. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I crossed the UTC time threshold, so this ended up being two activations on separate days. As the sun set, I packed up and headed back to the car. https://sotl.a10Ms/summits/W6/SC-460https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4ff6b492-849b-4739-85e5-803bb304d309/636c0129-1776-4079-a485-6a027d5ca744-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/aSH1aFkWy8sjThtZpfGbSe26002026-06-01T19:14:48.531ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/aq7NEfcs8ZmJjhm8GRJq9Dhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/218e7080-e7aa-40dc-8812-a8b2faddf2b9.jpgW6/SC-338 - Black Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-338-black-mountain/ This was a nice, relatively easy hike up; I didn’t know there was a communications site at the top, so I was a bit surprised. While setting up my 817 Kel and I watched para-gliders fly back and fourth gaining altitude until they were out of sight. There was a cold wind blowing at the summit, so the para-gliders must have been extra cold with their extra altitude. Worked the high bands, heard my 2M radio squak which turned out to be another SOTA station up in Los Angeles. We hiked down the same way and got on the freeway North to try and beat some commuter traffic back to L.A. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-338https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4c404ab5-0a14-48e2-9c1c-518c1ec0c2b5/905d525b-3220-47fd-bb08-6b222417cb11-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/aq7NEfcs8ZmJjhm8GRJq9D12002026-06-01T19:14:51.450ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jc6FBWFVS7GJP4f3ZofJXxhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b0e3b67a-45df-489b-8b45-35c2cf26caa5.jpgW6/SD-116 - Su Casa Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-116-su-casa-benchmark/ I activated this summit with E. for So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest 2024. Having worked Kevin on this same peak the day before on two meters, it became an attractive target to get a complete in the log. This is basically a drive up, but the last bit is steep and washed out. The trail stops on a ridge where there isn’t much room to turn around. You probably want 4×4. If I were to do this again, I would park at the end of the easy two-track road when it starts making it’s way up a hill and just hike – It’s not that far. You will know what I’m talking about when you get there. It was pretty windy getting out of the truck on the ridge, but surprisingly it was pretty calm at the summit. I worked high bands with the 817 and a vertical, and worked 2M for locals and other Winter SOTA Fest operators who were also crawling around on hills in the area. After exhausting the chasers, E. and I headed over to Daggett Ridge. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-116https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/93512dff-bec6-4b84-9714-78002215232d/236d816a-1d79-4c4b-b9a2-9d598171400c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jc6FBWFVS7GJP4f3ZofJXx50002026-06-01T19:14:54.642ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/oGTZZK2sdaNCss3RjnXvrAhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/0fdc7d04-1fb4-4270-a9b5-7744a65d3510.jpgW6/SD-128 - Daggett Ridgehttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-128-daggett-ridge/ This was the second summit of the day for So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest, having just finished up Su Casa Benchmark to the north. I missed a open clearing to park off the narrow dirt road and couldn’t turn around after realizing my mistake, so I ended up parking a bit further away. After slathering on sunscreen, E and I started hiking up the summit, following a track provided by Kevin, the event organizer. After getting through a wash and dry waterfall we started the steeper climb up out of a box canyon. I kept thinking of my great uncle, Jack, who lost a leg in WWII. He would always joke that the lack of a leg was an advantage when walking sideways across a hill. I think he might have been comfortable than me because most of this hike is side-hilling, haha! The summit was super windy, so I only worked 40M and 2M. On the way down, we took a much better route as we had gone through a sketchy area on the way up. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-128https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/b7ded8ef-eeac-43e8-adbc-8d045cd1ee48/f0bd53e9-241e-44bb-bbbd-4a85e7e49de9-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/oGTZZK2sdaNCss3RjnXvrA63002026-06-01T19:14:58.248ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/h8LG6PXXzEDXEYt9TTCVtmhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/55f1c3ef-fad5-43a7-a4b9-7987294a7370.jpgW6/SD-064 - 4835https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-064-4835/ This is the first summit of four E and I completed for Winter SOTA Fest 2024. Until my activation, this was only activated once in 2012 - 12 years earlier. I'm not sure why. Hiking around this was really fun, the rocks were interesting, and it wasn't that hard of a climb. I'd definitely some back to this one. Worked 7 and 14m CW. After packing up we chose to hike a different way down, through a wash with large boulders to make it a loop. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-064https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/82a7f78d-0a57-40ce-9f57-96d1a089dad6/a317bdcb-dd9a-4a75-a04a-8fca5d7bff52-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/h8LG6PXXzEDXEYt9TTCVtm32002026-06-01T19:15:00.916ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/hYZmE99WNiozpYAHvbbpejhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c4cbf2ff-e847-4aca-9cd1-a5067475372a.jpgW6/SD-087 - 4590https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-087-4590/ This was the second summit E and I climbed for the 2024 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. We parked the truck in a small box canyon and scrambled up a wash to a ridge line, at which point it became a class 2 hike, eventually leveling out flat again. The top is large and flat, so plenty of room for antennas. Worked 40M and 2M only as it was pretty windy and the temperature was dropping quickly as the day was coming to an end. We scrambled down a different way which was kinda sketchy. I recommend the ridge route over just going straight down. Back at the truck we headed over to the camp to meet the others crawling around the hills in the area. The weather forecast predicted the temps in the low 30’s with strong wind. E and I noped out of that situation, got a hotel room in Barstow, and had a nice dinner at a pretty good Mexican restaurant. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-087https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/89873777-dc5d-4fb7-a39e-4b439115a3d0/771d7acb-633e-4a05-b3a0-f38140af8f7a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/hYZmE99WNiozpYAHvbbpej62002026-06-01T19:15:03.968ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3Pk5Z7Jv5E23wf7A2ueA7Whttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1323b109-c2b5-44f7-99cb-3db80e57fb47.jpgW6/SD-220 - Spy Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-220-spy-mountain/ Spy Mountain is right next to Giant Rock – the largest freestanding boulder in North America and, perhaps, the largest free standing boulder in the world. It was a sacred place for Native Americans back in the day and has some interesting history which is more recent that revolves around aviation, UFOs and other conspiracy theories. I parked the truck in a super sandy area by a rocky ravine that leads to the top, maybe an eighth of the way around Spy. You probably want 4wd here or park out by the trail before hitting the sand. Heading up to Spy was slow, as it was boulder hopping all the way up. Recent rains created puddles between rocks some areas, and I was surprised to find some rather large desert sage bushes and various blooming plants along the way. At the very top it was pretty windy. I found the summit register, signed it, then setup my antennas and tucked behind some rocks to operate 7m, 10m, and 20m. On the way down I tried a different line to make it some kinda loop, but you can loop so much in a ravine. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-220https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/16cdff23-dcaf-449e-8645-6e0833465542/bfca7131-5218-49f9-ac48-5914118afc72-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3Pk5Z7Jv5E23wf7A2ueA7W90002026-06-01T19:15:08.546ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/3LoMq3EzLwWy44PjmkEN4Qhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e7aecb48-2c4e-4197-ac5c-17ec65a955cd.jpgW6/ND-196 - Dome Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-196-dome-mountain/ So, this hike was kinda special in the since that the summit has never been activated before. Additionally, after 250 SOTA activations under my belt, I’ve never gotten a first activation. Since I was camping and hiking around in the area, bagging this peak was a priority. My hiking partner E. drove up from Los Angeles very early in the morning to meet me at the place I was camping near Fremont Mountain. From there, we got in the truck and headed over to the trailhead, which was clearly marked with a hiking register. From here we traveled a bit west to check out some petroglyphs, then east to get back on an old jeep trail which got us closer to the bottom of Dome. Hiking up past the jeep trail was steep, with loose rocks and several false summits. I stopped several times to rest and enjoy the views as we ascended from the desert floor. It was windy and cool. At the summit, I used my new Elecraft KH1 with the telescoping whip for the first time ever on the 15m band, then to 17m. Relentless cold wind was getting to me and E. We signed the summit register which was placed in 1979 and started the trek down. Caution needed to be used going down as rocks were quite loose. Once down the steep part we jumped back on the old jeep road and headed back to the trailhead. Along the way I think we found the steam well which I’ve seen on maps. Unfortunately, there was no longer any steam that we could find. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-196https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/16650b31-cfad-4ded-b495-5b507a0166f6/49af18b6-93bb-42b7-bbec-91c2b32799d7-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/3LoMq3EzLwWy44PjmkEN4Q61002026-06-01T19:15:12.244ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/igHvME8Tr3V46uMecQCsVChttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/cec5e025-d4b3-40ae-8714-74f2394576bd.jpgW6/ND-228 – Grass Valley Wilderness HPhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-228-grass-valley-wilderness-hp/ I woke up in the back of my truck after a long night of camping shenanigans. E. was up making coffee and was on the fence about doing another hike after climbing Dome Mountain the previous day. I was too honestly. E. headed home and I said, “screw it, I’m basically already there”. I think that extra bit of motivation came from the fact that nobody had ever activated this summit before – I would be the first! It took an hour to drive dirt roads which lead into a wilderness area. Near the summit there was a small area to park off the road. I left the truck and started slowly hiking up the hill. It’s about two miles round trip with 1,000′ of elevation gain, so pretty steep. There was several areas of loose talus and scree which required careful movements. I slipped multiple times on this one so maybe I wasn’t careful enough haha. The top is a sharp ridge with enough space to put up a dipole or EFHW antenna. There is a register from 2012 which had more entries than Dome Mountain. Worked 15m and 17m on the new KH1. When I went to connect it to my 20m, 30m, and 40m EFHW antenna it had high SWR on all bands and I couldn’t figure out why; luckily I had a backup radio for 40m. I headed down the same way I went up, sliding on the scree made for a quick decent. Once at the truck I back tracked to HWY 395, but made a few stops to explore some mining ruins and various other desert curiosities. By the time I got to the paved road it was dark. Perfect timing! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-228https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8bdd18f0-5f84-4a04-8382-b023baa36c0e/cdf8f436-fe07-4409-8393-e9de5e221360-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/igHvME8Tr3V46uMecQCsVC109002026-06-01T19:15:16.754ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fncEWnXA8FbzQJfQ6kFdvxhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5dd9b572-5ca5-4c70-842b-c13154d2d36c.jpgW6/ND-232 - El Paso Peakshttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-232-el-paso-peaks/ After activating Government Peak, I headed over to El Paso Peaks for another easy activation. Getting here was pretty simple; make a left turn on Motocross Road from Hwy 395 and take it all the way to a commercial communication site at the top of a hill. The road is paved, but very rough – so much that people have been driving off to the side where it’s much smoother. Once there, I parked in a large area between building and started hiking over to the summit by following a jeep trail, eventually breaking away and heading to the highest point. At the top was a narrow knife edge ridge where I strung out my linked 40m EFHW antenna. Weather was perfect. These desert summits can be absolutely brutal with high wind and hot/ cold temps so I was happy to relax a bit while waiting for the UTC day to change. Worked 20M and 40M CW. After running the pileup I packed everything up and went back to the truck the same way I came. I took a bit of time at the communications site to look at an old AT&T long lines tower which had been striped of it’s antennas. From there I headed over to Randsburg, stopped at The Joint for a few beers and a smash burger before heading out to my camp for the night. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-232https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/7455c0cc-ee67-4743-af3d-842672a4f1c9/3f83df68-ae5d-47e7-8104-b97e5972699e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fncEWnXA8FbzQJfQ6kFdvx102002026-06-01T19:15:20.686ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/5WxwGBrzMDbrzPKZnKFtAvhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8327771c-fe6a-44bf-85ba-0a87b3ecd718.jpgW6/ND-224 - Government Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-224-government-peak/ I spent the weekend camping in the area and planned 4 or 5 summits to hike while I was out there. It took me some time to actually leave the house, so by the time I got to the desert it was much later than I would have liked. As such, I started my SOTA day with the easiest one – Government Peak. This is basically a drive up, however, I took many wrong turns on the maze of roads. Recent rains washed out a chunk of one such road and my rear tire fell into the resulting hole, and with an open differential the tire just spun. I needed 4wd to get out. Not far from where I got stuck, I stopped the truck and hiked the remainder of the road up. You could drive straight to the top, but I was in the vehicle for a few hours already and wanted to stretch out a bit. The top is a narrow ridge with a few communication equipment shelters and some towers. I couldn’t locate a benchmark, but perhaps it was behind a fence. I stretched out an EFHW antenna and leaned my mast on an unused utility pole to support the wire. Worked 7m and 14m CW; didn’t bother with 2m FM on this one. Wanting to get one more summit in before it got dark, I packed up the equipment and headed to the paved road. This would be a good one to do in the summer as you get 3 extra bonus points and the risk of environmental exposure can be reduced by driving to the top. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-224https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2802261b-062a-4c33-8a61-edc424593345/41313b61-4709-4cc9-ac02-83054afd57cf-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/5WxwGBrzMDbrzPKZnKFtAv88002026-06-01T19:15:24.126ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jXfY74qQzMaHrWiZmT3W6whttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/61aa15df-52c3-4b1f-b59f-7c97586b6f81.jpgW6/SD-074 - Chariot Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-074-chariot-mountain/ Chariot Mountain was the second of two summits I completed while camping at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park with the So. Cal SOTA group. Before the event N6MTB published a route from camp to the summit of Chariot. At that point my mind was made up, this is what I was going to do. After a quick breakfast, I jumped on the bike and headed up the mountain. The ride was awesome, starting with some single track right at the camp, then into more single track through a meadow, to a fire road, to more single track through another meadow. Oh, weather was perfect too! Near the end of the fun stuff there is a big downhill over a fire road which leads to the bottom of Chariot. This wasn’t going to be fun climbing up! Once at the bottom, I realized there isn’t a trail up to the top! The summit is also guarded by thick pokey bushes. I stashed my bike, gathered my stuff and started the painful bushwhack to the top. Since I didn’t have a backpack, I was hand carrying everything I couldn’t fit onto my pockets. Unfortunately, my Yaesu HT was clipped to my pocket and disappeared somewhere in the brush. I was never going to find it. After attempting to backtrack my exact route for 15 minutes or so, I heard a radios squelch crack open – Ara was on a summit, and I was able to locate my radio about 30 feet away from where I was standing. I would have never found it otherwise! I now had to backtrack through the brush again. My skin was starting to feel ‘raw’ from all the scratches. I wasn’t having a good time. Fortunately, the higher you go, the thinner the brush, and near the top, there isn’t any brush! Once on the actual summit, I signed the register and pulled out my KH1 with the whip. Worked 15, 17, and 20M, then 2M FM. After exhausting all the chasers I started my decent through the brush once again. Back at the road it took me a minute to find my bike and pack all my stuff up for the ride back to camp. That big uphill wasn’t so...https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/997ba08e-0c84-465d-b6d9-cb37a50f3898/e9689912-d3a6-4394-9c21-1b0e36e15d56-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jXfY74qQzMaHrWiZmT3W6w47002026-06-01T19:15:27.246ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/76jsieKUz3XDTgt6g5XqFRhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/15bc4de8-b793-4f08-832f-f7cc8339fce1.jpgW6/SD-396 - Mine Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-396-mine-benchmark/ This was the third and last SOTA activation over a weekend trip to Anza-Borrego. It was later in the day and I needed to pick up my bike-packing pals in a few hours not too far from this summit so I had to make it a quick one. I parked the Jeep off the main road to the mine ruins, just before an area where the road was washed out, then hiked. I followed an old service road that went to the top of the mine ruins, then a sketchy scramble up a steep embankment to continue on. I’m glad I had some tracks to follow, as there are several ridges one could follow that dead-end; one could get somewhat lost up there. After a spirited walk to the top, I signed the register and waited for 00:00 UTC to start my activation. I stretched out my EFHW antenna and connected it to an MTR4B, first working 40M, then 20M. I got a text from the bike packing group with an ETA for their pickup so I packed up and headed down the hill the same way I came. The sketchy part was worse coming down, but overall it was a pretty easy hike, and perhaps my favorite of the weekend. After picking up the bike packing group, we went to Agua Caliente County Park for a dip in their excellent hot spring pool. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-396https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3154ec51-b3bc-4a75-9dfa-0048bf2fdf5f/f031ee91-4d14-488a-93b1-02843994ec77-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/76jsieKUz3XDTgt6g5XqFR98002026-06-01T19:15:31.463ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7PdZnTT72xn7EU3uENGQfChttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9159b49e-2fb6-4ba6-85d1-e472489b301a.jpgW6/SD-432 - East Buttehttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-432-east-butte/ This is a pretty straight forward hike up to East Butte, about 1.5 miles and 750 feet of elevation gain. The summit is located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, so this activation counts as POTA too if that’s your thing. I completed this summit in early March, which felt like a perfect time to be out in the desert. Lots of Ocotillo, Creosote, and even some Desert Lily. There is a register placed at the top. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-432https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/372ecb48-2f25-41af-a2f6-18e256d5a2f0/f8810d11-0cf3-416f-b03e-f764b257c1cf-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7PdZnTT72xn7EU3uENGQfC142002026-06-01T19:15:36.073ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cQrAVkhuBRQts9X28hq8fihttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1d207c6f-d952-4e5a-b113-867600d2a54e.jpgW6/SD-046 - Whale Peak 🐋https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-046-whale-peak/ Sorry for the sideways video...... Whale Peak is in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, so this counts as POTA in addition to a SOTA activation if that’s your thing. You should probably be in a high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. Once there, the actual trail wasn’t obvious. You need to scramble up some granite boulders, at which point a well defined trail becomes visible. If I recall, there are two places where the trail kinda disappears, so bring a GPS with a map loaded. The summit is beautiful, with Pinion Pines, Cholla, Creosote, and other desert plants. Once at the top I worked 20m and 40m CW. Attempted to use my new KH1, but ended up using a MTR 4b. Cold wind was starting to pickup, so I headed back down the hill and drove to a secret camping spot for the night. If you’re in the area, don’t skip this one. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-046https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5fd80109-72ee-4f79-b766-873857f20b19/68a14e3a-fc03-4933-8a14-535657b0b973-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cQrAVkhuBRQts9X28hq8fi146002026-06-01T19:15:40.844ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/7Y9Vq3P59UtbBXB9Cn8hoZhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/1b016cef-22d6-4fa0-936d-aebb7054f75a.jpgValley View Benchmark - W6/SC-377https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-377-valley-view-benchmark/ Kel and I hiked up to this summit on the way up to Morro Bay. Down by the trailhead the temperature was a nice, cool 75F with a calm ocean breeze. This abruptly changed as we ascended. Inland temperatures around 100F were blowing over the ridge the trail follows. There is little shade and I was uncomfortably hot. Quite a bit of poison oak along the trail. A communications site is at the top with a few trees offering much appreciated shade and a view of the ocean. I used the KH1 and worked 15m, 17m, and 20m on the internal whip. Didn’t get a ton of QSOs but enough for a valid activation.https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/386dfb16-14fe-4c4a-a3f6-4fc6d77791dd/9422e9c6-895c-425c-a944-4e5a05cdebf4-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/7Y9Vq3P59UtbBXB9Cn8hoZ50002026-06-01T19:15:44.538ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jE2g9NLstBf7n59QfR9V5Jhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/5dbd73aa-3489-466f-9ac0-96a83eb64d1a.jpgKC5SQD/B received in Los AngelesKC5SQD/B received in Los Angeleshttps://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/97138951-e152-40fe-b34e-49b3a66d3796/bb482cee-0acb-43cd-8fd8-b4a7b8b00ec2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jE2g9NLstBf7n59QfR9V5J25002026-06-01T19:15:46.650ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/t9mundEonVsH7Z9eMhX646https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/18eb02ed-bec6-40d1-934c-6218716e6007.jpgW6/SC-378 - Black Hillhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sc-378-black-hill/ Black Hill is a easy 1 point summit in Morro Bay with beautiful views of the ocean. You can drive most of the way to the top, free parking at the trailhead. After that it’s an easy walk to the summit on a well traveled dirt path. I brought along a KH1 and used the internal whip antenna. There is room for a full sized antenna, but the area is kinda small and a popular place to visit, so I didn’t want wires everywhere. Worked 15M, 17M and 20M and quickly logged 7 stations, including two S2S. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SC-378https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/dbd15220-f3f2-4b0a-b830-eb4a2a377d5f/78c120c7-4927-482f-b72b-9fdd390c6828-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/t9mundEonVsH7Z9eMhX64638002026-06-01T19:15:51.350ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/atCjvTwspJKQSNgBwsTchnhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9b607774-5713-45e7-a54a-1609950b28d5.jpgW6/CT-053 - Gold Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-053-gold-mountain-%f0%9f%8f%94%ef%b8%8f/ I started my trip up Gold Mountain from 3N16/ Holcomb Valley Road and parked the truck near Gold Mountain Road and hiked 1.5 miles to a large clearing. From there, a short cross country hike gets you to the actual summit. The top is small and rocky, so I used the KH1 internal whip over a full size antenna. Worked 10 stations across 15, 17, and 20M, then headed back down the way I came. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-053https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/4cbdb656-0ada-4e36-9c53-9d7c52a338d9/d97f82cd-dd20-4e0d-92b6-070a54f33d91-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/atCjvTwspJKQSNgBwsTchn131002026-06-01T19:15:56.316ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/dKtEsCD3n7mZK39EPDAWGXhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e68aaf4c-04c5-45ef-9c60-cc8c88171bf5.jpgArctic Point - W6/CT-051https://blog.benmook.com/arctic-point-w6-ct-051/ Arctic Point is near Big Bear, CA on the north side of the Holcomb Valley. I took the truck as far as I could on Hepburn Mine Road until I got to 3N10, John Bull trail, which is listed as a black diamond, most difficult. Once you see it you will know why. From there I hiked 1.5ish miles to the top, including some cross country. The summit is rock which requires a short scramble to the the benchmark. I used a EFHW antenna stretched across the rock to my KH1 for the activation. Worked several bands until the KH1 started overheating and stopped transmitting. I was getting pretty warm myself so I packed up and headed back to the truck. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-051https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/673fb1aa-ead3-4b6c-95ca-fc3b5334c95f/fd6f41c7-f450-450d-b259-8f306de40b0a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/dKtEsCD3n7mZK39EPDAWGX79002026-06-01T19:15:59.635ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/bDD91ZzrB6YVswe69ggrqJhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d8be100c-b709-4afc-80a9-be5f78d9b756.jpgW6/CT-044 -Onyx Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-044-onyx-peak/ I’m not sure why I didn’t activate Onyx Peak earlier. I’ve driven by it several times, and even activated W6/CT-041just to the west. This would be an easy summit to mountain bike. It’s a bit under 6 miles round trip, but less than 1000′ of elevation gain on a maintained fire road. Kel and I parked at the locked gate off CA 38 and hiked up Pipes Canyon Road to the summit, which hosts several large communication installations – including a few amateur repeaters. Once there I was able to check into the Coffee Talk net on a 2M repeater in Yucca Valley while setting up my MTR4B with an EFHW antenna. I then heard several other SOTA ops hiking up to San Gorgonio. No S2S with them though. Worked 40m, 30m, and 20m CW. Talked to another hiker who was interested in amateur radio and explained the SOTA program. We hiked down the way we came, but considered a cross-country route down to make it a loop. Overall, easy summit, easy hike. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-044https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/563ccb17-ff97-47be-acbe-38ec88361526/66654e43-97dd-4f05-972d-1f9bde79352e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/bDD91ZzrB6YVswe69ggrqJ72002026-06-01T19:16:03.778ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/2fHyEPxRydzQUzdCstC3Kphttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/abf8d736-ed3b-441f-b75f-dd07f15f1420.jpgW6/CT-281 - 1236https://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-281-1236/ My pal organized a camping trip at Little Harbor on Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles. To get there, we took the ferry from San Pedro to Two Harbors, then hiked the Trans Catalina Trail to our reserved campground. The hike was a little over 6 miles one way, with the summit somewhere roughly in the middle. At the top, a single pavilion with a picnic table stands. I setup my KH1 here with an EFHW and worked 15, 17, and 20M CW. Bands felt kinda dead but ended up with 11 contacts. Made an 2 FM QSOs – one back to the mainland, and another to a guy on his boat on the east side of the island. I kinda assumed 2M would work better here? Once the activation was done I continued on to Little Harbor for the weekend. I never really liked Catalina because I’ve only ever been to Avalon, but this trip changed my views. I’m now looking forward to activation more summits on the island. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-281https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/0a272a6c-1113-45e8-b7d9-8b43778054ad/a57a5c25-7669-4497-bde6-49876b35199e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/2fHyEPxRydzQUzdCstC3Kp91002026-06-01T19:16:08.525ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/fmTU3PsEm1yeWpqKqAYti3https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/34a75716-3bf0-4968-854c-6ed2bc9cd3d8.jpgW6/WH-003 - Piute Mountain 🏔️https://blog.benmook.com/w6-wh-003-piute-mountain-%f0%9f%8f%94%ef%b8%8f/ Kel and I made a quick weekend trip through the White Mountains, camping at Grandview the night before and hiking a few of the lower summits. I’ve had pretty bad altitude sickness in the past so I was prepared to turn around at any point on the trip up. Luckily, by the time we got to the end of White Mountain Road, both Kel and I felt great. I attribute this to camping at Grandview and hiking Clem Nelson before gaining additional altitude. We do live at sea level so….. The hike to Piute Mountain was pretty straight forward; about 3 miles round trip and 1k feet of gain. You can pretty much see the summit from the parking area, just walk straight up to it. We picked a good day to be there. A slight breeze with a temperature in the low 70’s. It was perfect. Worked 40M, 20M CW, even got a 2M FM contact up there. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/WH-003https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/744accae-d12c-469d-bb58-7268e4411248/cfad8637-a269-46b5-bf24-3feeda5a2625-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/fmTU3PsEm1yeWpqKqAYti3105002026-06-01T19:16:12.500ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/quN4nyc8cEKF8DVdY7DEdjhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/22ba4d2e-8f26-483c-9ec4-7a6fcd1d47e0.jpgW7N/NS-117 - Booker Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w7n-ns-117-booker-mountain/ Kel and I headed over to Booker Mountain after visiting nearby 7130 and discovering the activation zone of that summit is not really accessible. The top of Booker is an active RF installation and an easy drive up a dirt road from Tonopah, NV. I setup my station along a chain link fence at the high-point and noticed the hillside was littered with vacuum tubes. Worked 40, 30 and 20M CW with several S2S QSOs mixed in. On the way back down we hiked by an abandoned AT&T Long Lines Tower which was still mostly intact. https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/NS-117https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c66089a8-cc62-4cde-b13a-c44e06a2cdca/7ea1b654-cf8d-4824-b034-d0887de4caf2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/quN4nyc8cEKF8DVdY7DEdj91002026-06-01T19:16:16.653ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/8ntDUHKSc7hzXowPtrz8D4https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/d8b7c5d8-dfa1-43aa-9daf-18a5f27b7563.jpgW7N/NN-149 - Salisbury Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w7n-nn-149-salisbury-peak/ This summit is just outside the town of Manhattan, NV. I was last in Manhattan 8 years prior on a motorcycle trip and was surprised to find a functioning bar full of customers, including a 90 year old guy who told stories about motorcycling through Mexico in the 1950’s. I was excited to return to this fine establishment, but it was unfortunately closed. We continued down Main Street until it turned into East Manhattan Road. From there, a right turn on an old mining trail, heading into the hills. There is no trail to the top of Salisbury, so it was a bushwhack up and across a ridge. Once there I could see rain heading my direction. I quickly setup the station and worked 20M, and 40M. It started sprinkling so I packed everything up and quickly headed down the way I came. On the way down I noticed some old steel buildings along the road the car was parked on. The rain had stopped, so we continued down the road to find an old mining operation. This site was pretty intact, complete with ore cart rails and a large air compressor. We found some interesting quartz in the mine unlike what you would find in California. After exploring the mine, we continued east on East Manhattan Road, locating a small trickle of a spring alongside the road, then, continuing on to the town of Belmont. This town has loads of old buildings, including an impressive courthouse. We stopped at the saloon, Dirty Dick’s for a beer. This was a awkward experience because as we walked in, everyone got quiet. There was a long moment before my wife said, “Are we allowed to be here?”. Sorry for the upside down video! https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/NN-149https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/3bafa1c6-0bac-4b70-9dde-b8cb6c1722b9/35dcffdf-696f-42ae-a111-a2a1d522a996-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/8ntDUHKSc7hzXowPtrz8D466002026-06-01T19:16:19.853ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/6o3BXqiPC9FGiuYKYMEBxqhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f8a00288-2dd8-4494-95e6-263444dc68ed.jpgW6/ND-126 - Darwin Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-126-darwin-benchmark/ I made a trip out to Death Valley to activate some peaks in November. One the way there wanted to swing through the town of Darwin and look around as I’ve been curious about this place since watching a short documentary years ago. Near the town is Darwin Benchmark. Turn off Olancha Dawrin Road on a two track trail and follow it as far as you feel comfortable. The hike to the summit was pretty short, kinda steep, maybe half a mile. At the top was a rock carin and summit register. I setup the antenna for 10M and got to work, having about 10 minutes before UTC. This only got me two contacts before 00:00. I then setup on 15M which got me another 5 QSOs after UTC. With the summit activated twice I started heading down. It was getting dark and I wanted to get off the mountain and two track trail before it got completely dark. Once on the paved road, it was completely dark, and I wasn’t sure where I was spending the night. Instead of heading to Darwin to look around, I went to the national park to find a place to camp. I’ll need to visit Darwin another day. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-126https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/2b91abbb-27c2-42a6-ab4f-daaf82ee828a/71a945f3-56e0-4098-afa8-39638ed7110c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/6o3BXqiPC9FGiuYKYMEBxq70002026-06-01T19:16:23.077ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/srG6gEoYHwmaQPFESHeVY8https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/8fae01c9-8574-4694-ace3-d59bff0c7a86.jpgW7N/NS-217 - Burton Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w7n-ns-217-burton-mountain/ This peak is north east of Beatty, NV. I left Death Valley National Park after a day of driving around and headed to the ghost town of Rhyolite. Not much there as the name suggests. After checking out the ruins I went to buy gas in town and look up nearby SOTA opportunities. Burton Mountain was close and previously activated so, I knew it was accessible. I got as close to the summit as I could and parked where the two track road disappeared in the desert. From there I hustled up to the top. This was going to be a quick activation as I was running out of daylight. I don’t have a light and I don’t like hiking down hills in the dark. At the top there is a rock carin and summit register. I quickly setup a Yaesu 817 with 10M EFHW and got to work. Made 8 QSOs in around 10 minutes, half of those being Japan DX. I relaxed for about 5 minutes and watched the sun disappear below the western mountain range, then started my descent. I got back to the truck just before it got pitch black and returned to Beatty, where I booked a cheap hotel room that advertised a hot tub. After checking in and navigating to the pool area, I found the hot tub was broken. Bummer. https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/NS-217https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/d623e802-138f-400e-a054-024143cb2403/e1abec62-09e6-4f9e-af75-f2b210e58d86-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/srG6gEoYHwmaQPFESHeVY871002026-06-01T19:16:26.778ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/h6kWWWfDQc4oMuomkNYeF5https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/de8e79f9-b57f-44f4-8348-e77147ee895e.jpgW6/ND-250 - 4403https://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-250-4403/ This is a pretty easy summit to bag, I’m kinda surprised nobody activated it before. From daylight pass road, turn off onto a dirt road at 36.75049,-116.9366. You could probably start the hike from here. I went a bit down the road and found an area to park that was out of the way, and started my hike from there. I didn’t find a register or any benchmarks at the top. Worked 10m, and 17m CW. On the way down I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t follow the track I took on the way up. This lead me to hike the ridge line almost all the way back to the paved road, and from there backtracked to the truck. It made a nice loop which I enjoyed. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-250https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/82513afc-29b2-4a33-aada-4bda5ea9b22e/add8e007-c430-494e-90c6-2b838b6305f2-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/h6kWWWfDQc4oMuomkNYeF5116002026-06-01T19:16:30.692ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/djxpkWkPssJLot6WZgery2https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9d62d324-90f9-4d35-88ee-54c9b29e2663.jpgW7N/NS-196 - CA/NV Boundary Monument 93https://blog.benmook.com/w7n-ns-196-ca-nv-boundary-monument-93/ This summit is in Death Valley National Park, and as the name suggests, on the border of Nevada and California. I parked at a large gravel area off Daylight Pass Road, crossed the pavement and began my hike to the summit, weaving around various obstacles on the way. There is no use trail, but several rock cairns along the way helped guide my path. The landscape is ‘lumpy’, and I wasn’t sure exactly where the summit was; a topo map on my phone was heavily used to ensure I was chasing the right mountain. Once at the top I found a register and three benchmarks. I signed the log and setup a Yaesu 817 with a 10M EFHW antenna. Worked several stations, packed up my kit, then headed back the way I came. https://sotl.as/summits/W7N/NS-196https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/63c4677c-94d8-4f1b-8090-dd698f85d55d/f8546dc6-dbcd-4703-8b14-311f87bcc88d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/djxpkWkPssJLot6WZgery2121002026-06-01T19:16:35.304ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/jBCWuah2yzU7x4vcVE4qVQhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/20a3df96-06a5-491e-b979-31dde93e517b.jpgW6/SD-040 - West Ord Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-040-west-ord-mountain/ This was my 5th summit climbed for So. Cal Winter SOTA Fest, and probably my favorite of the weekend. I started the hike at a cattle guard, which was recommended by many from Peakbagger. This spot is a good ways away from the paved road, and I made a few wrong turns along the way, which made it a bit of an adventure even getting there. From the cattle guard, I just started hiking up, there is no use trail to follow. There are a few false summits, a bit of scrambling, and beautiful views. At the top is what I believe to be an old survey tower. I didn’t didn’t find any benchmarks. Worked other SoCal SOTA activators on 2M S2S, plus 15, 17 and 20M on the KH1 whip. I didn’t get a boatload of contacts, but enough to qualify the activation. I’m excited to hike the rest of the Ord Mountains soon! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-040https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/96be4ae4-6078-4d15-bfd9-78311ed9e6ca/062e01e3-2c48-440a-883d-6b63c18cda39-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/jBCWuah2yzU7x4vcVE4qVQ79002026-06-01T19:16:39.027ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/9jpveGQoMkkXbAjoAXs1v4https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/2bad2e96-e4b8-44f2-be14-38ad2ba7f822.jpgW6/SD-218 - Watkins Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-218-watkins-benchmark/ The predicted temperature at Sawtooth campground was lower than I would be comfortable camping in, so I booked a warm room in nearby Barstow. The hotel has a really good Mexican restaurant and a bar attached, so I had a good dinner and some beers before going to sleep. My alarm was set for 7AM. I got up, got some coffee, and headed to Watkins Benchmark south of Barstow. Getting there was pretty easy, from Barstow Road, turn onto Stoddard Wells Road and follow it up to the first set of hills. I eventually found a very sand road, which was more like a wash, and followed it right to the bottom of the summit. Don’t try this in a passenger car. My truck was bottoming out in some areas, and it was extremely soft and sandy. You could easily get stuck back there. The hike up was peaceful with cool, calm air. At the top is the remains of an old survey tower and a summit register. I setup a Yaesu 817 and worked 10M, and 20M, in addition to a few 2M stations who were participating in the weekend event. I wanted to do a bigger, longer hike, so my time at the top was short. After packing up and heading down to the truck, it took awhile to find the best way out of the sandy wash, as I didn’t want to go back the way I came. Once on pavement, I turned the truck south and headed to my next climb. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-218https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/435afb66-f951-423f-8560-cbfd31b02cd5/b85c1e02-0b34-405d-9178-d20ad3ddde4a-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/9jpveGQoMkkXbAjoAXs1v4110002026-06-01T19:16:42.661ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/tQgWTEy37YgehtGPov8n3yhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/4c86c7f6-3ad8-47d0-8a33-1760a9137538.jpgW6/SD-145 - 3938https://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-145-3938/ This was my 2nd summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. I wasn’t planning to climb this one, but it was close to me after a failed attempt at Fry Benchmark. I got as close to the summit as I could on a wide gravel road, then hiked a short distance up the steep hillside, where I was surprised to see a two track truck trail. I followed this all the way to the actual summit where strong wind had me hiding behind a rock pile. I used a KH1 with the whip on 20M, and 15M, and ended my quickly activation quickly after only 15 minutes or so at the top. The way down was more technical then the ascent, traveling through dry waterfalls and a short ravine. Over all, pretty fun, short hike. You could probably drive up there with a jeep or dual sport bike but hiking is pretty easy too. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-145https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e16445a7-e836-4355-9e8c-5e6f2752d2f0/ec5276b2-0ec0-4fb8-bec8-72ea2f0b985b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/tQgWTEy37YgehtGPov8n3y88002026-06-01T19:16:46.265ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/4vyscY8cjvKdGxvANLjjTohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e5809473-7c9c-442b-8e4d-508983abb9a0.jpgW6/SD-140 - Cougar Butteshttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-sd-140-cougar-buttes/ This was my 1st summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. Sometime last year, I worked two stations on this very summit during the 2024 Winter Sota Fest, so activating it makes it a complete for me. I left my home in Los Angeles early in the morning on a Friday and drove to Victorville to pickup some supplies at a grocery store before heading to Lucerne Valley. From there I jumped on a dirt road and headed towards Cougar Buttes. Finding the way was pretty easy, just follow various dirt roads to the general direction to the summit. Near the destination it got pretty sandy. I locked the front hubs on the truck in the event I needed 4wd. Once I was close, I got out and started hiking. The trip up is all boulder scramble. The large rocks reminded me of the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. I needed to backtrack several times to find a better/ safer route. There isn’t much room at the top for an antenna. Additionally, it was extremely windy. This is where the KH1 with the internal whip really shines! Worked 15M CW, then quickly went QRT. On the way down I took a different route which was longer, but made the hike a loop. Overall, a fun scramble. I’d do it again! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/SD-140https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/1c6bfc05-c2a7-4d74-92a2-38abc5f29c7c/764c2f84-6b08-4f1f-9921-1644cccc694b-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/4vyscY8cjvKdGxvANLjjTo111002026-06-01T19:16:50.856ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/dpyhCqNk3fwx8msoq9E2bNhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/c3f904b5-7292-45ab-9439-8561b65df0ea.jpgW6/ND-372 - Otto Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-372-otto-mountain/ Otto Mountain is in Baker, CA, just off Interstate 15. There isn’t much in town except a bunch of gas stations for people traveling between Los Angeles, and Las Vegas – oh, and the biggest thermometer, ever. I’m sure many SOTA operators have passed this little mountain several times, perhaps even considered climbing it, but for some reason, it remained activation free. On a trip to Death Valley National Park, I decided to go for it. I needed to top off my gas tank anyways, pretty convenient! Getting to the summit is pretty easy, there are power lines accompanied by a dirt road at the base of the mountain. I drove this and parked in a well used area near several old mine shafts. After walking around a bit I determined this wasn’t the best place to ascend. Eventually I found a good route and started hiking up. It was steep, rocky, and loose with several false summits. At the top, I setup my brand new MTR3B V4 for 20M, along with a brand new 3D printed key. After several Qs, the key started acting funny, then eventually failed! Luckily the new MTR has a built in touch keyer, which saved the activation! From the summit I could see a pretty well defined use trail which I thought might be a better way to descend, plus it makes the hike a loop. I took this path, but it seemed sketcher that the way up. I think I lost the trail several times, and once needed to backtrack up to safer ground. Near the bottom were more mines, with lots of blue-green quartz around. Copper perhaps? From there, it was an easy hike back to the truck. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-372https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6477ab02-b3d5-4152-8d4a-4e63cc439186/b7e5d1c9-9d0a-4b13-9ff5-2b210c419868-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/dpyhCqNk3fwx8msoq9E2bN153002026-06-01T19:16:55.423ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/kparhhsh4piSoeYnftnCQohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/822ab779-4d1a-4efc-b9da-2a8c6256067b.jpgW6/ND-376 - Salt Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-376-salt-benchmark/ The trailhead for Salt Benchmark was right off CA-127 on the way to Death Valley National Park. Once there I was surprised to find a wetland area named Salt Creek, complete with a bit of flowing water. Additionally, there is a nice trail leading to some mining ruins, complete with information signs along the way describing the history of the area. This is honestly worth doing even if you don’t hike up to the summit. After checking out an old stamp mill, I started my way up to the summit on a narrow use trail. This is where most if the elevation gain starts. About half way up, it gets even steeper, and the rocks are razor sharp. I never considered hiking with gloves, but they would be very useful here. You you slip here, you will bleed. I got to the top just after 00:0 UTC and setup an end fed half wave connected to my new MTR 3B V4. Worked 15 and 20M, signed the register, and headed down because I was loosing daylight. By the time I got back to the truck it was dark. I ate a snack and headed to my camping spot in DVNP, Hole in the Wall, where it was extremely windy. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-376https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/9d198e6a-9eed-4db8-b506-2cfad082b0fe/6808d7b0-e7d2-44a6-8bc3-e9eba7e32f0d-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/kparhhsh4piSoeYnftnCQo162002026-06-01T19:16:59.859ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/eBPKW86z46DmjfsH4VKzJehttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/53f2765f-5c1f-4e47-866b-633de8a4a613.jpgW6/ND-144 – Dante Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-142-mount-perry-w6-nd-144-dante-benchmark/ I made it back to Dante Benchmark 30-ish minutes before UTC turnover and was feeling pretty scorched from wind and sun exposure. I was also pretty hungry. Not wanting to setup a full sized antenna, I found a nice rock near the top to sit on, and used a KH1 with the internal whip to make contacts on 17M CW. By the time I was getting back to the truck the sun was setting and the cold desert temperatures were creeping in. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-144https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/6e474420-20b5-4eb4-af37-e18bfd15905d/b2ca7246-c950-4664-a8f9-f77b00853f48-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/eBPKW86z46DmjfsH4VKzJe58002026-06-01T19:17:05.062ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/cgYZWt4dHzWupTQfiDzc4Ehttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/9aa7d2a5-9c08-48d1-b98a-45fde63cac4b.jpgW6/ND-142 – Mount Perryhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-142-mount-perry-w6-nd-144-dante-benchmark/ From Highway 190, take Dante’s View Road all the way to a large parking area. This is a pretty well known spot in Death Valley which offers stunning views of Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range. The summit of Dante Benchmark is just a short hike north of the parking area, and beyond that, Mount Perry, a little over 4 miles away on a well worn trail. Like most of my hikes, I got up to the trailhead later than I would have liked. From there I wasted no time getting on the trail and away from the tourists on the pavement. It only takes about 5 minutes (or less) to get to the first summit, but my plan was to activate the furthest one first. The trail to Mount Perry is easy to follow, but you loose about 1,000 feet of elevation on the way there, before climbing another 1,000 feet back up. Near the summit the trail is a bit of a scramble. See .gpx file below. Once at the top I had the whole mountain to myself. I setup an EFHW and worked 15M and 7M CW, no S2S. After exhausting the initial round of chasers I packed up and headed back to Dante Benchmark. https://sotl.as/summitRidges/W6/ND-142https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/5b4fcf04-6274-4c58-b67f-c9d739270bf8/7565d94a-c998-4916-bfcf-024a76d67cff-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/cgYZWt4dHzWupTQfiDzc4E86002026-06-01T19:17:08.642ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/uETf1KDRedcwvCaLfnBFpJhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/e2faebb7-b4ad-41c5-a934-dae85228eeca.jpgW6/ND-055 - Pinto Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-055-pinto-peak/ I woke up early at the big RV parking lot/ campsite in Stovepipe wells; not my favorite place to sleep but an easy option. I quickly made some coffee and headed up to Towne Pass to start my hike up to Pinto Peak. Once there and moving around I noted the temperature was 37F, the wind was blowing at an uncomfortable speed, and I was wearing shorts. The sun wasn’t over the horizon yet so I knew it would warm up at the day progressed. As I started the hike up the first climb, the sun peaked over the landscape directly in front of me, inhibiting my vision. This made route finding somewhat tricky. The majority of this hike is class 2, with some light class 3 sprinkled in. After several wrong turns, I finally made it to the summit, where I found and signed the register. It was still very windy at the top, setting up my standard EFHW antenna would have been tricky, and perhaps result in a broken mast or wire. Luckily I brought a KH1. This radio has a small whip antenna and tuner built in. While not a great performer compared to full size aerials, it works in situations like this well. Huddled behind the rock cairn, out of the wind – I worked 15M, and 17M. No S2S unfortunately. After the working all stations in the initial pileups, I signed QRT and headed back to the truck. I’d had enough of the strong winds and was feeling fatigued by it. I made good time heading down the hill but made several wrong turns off my initial track which slightly extended the trip. This also sent me down some class 3 spots which I could have possibly avoided. Back at Towne Pass, there was a guy in a 1st generation Toyota Tacoma refueling from portable jugs. He was pulling a large, 7,000 pound trailer. I chatted with him a bit and turns out the truck had the 2.7L engine, mated with an automatic transmission. Impressive. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/ND-055https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e82db978-cdef-4c05-98be-33cee301f1e4/fc3d1690-eae5-48e6-8685-60bc7854297e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/uETf1KDRedcwvCaLfnBFpJ104002026-06-01T19:17:12.496ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/i9Ub3tabgwGqQP9bcv8q29https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/64b37cd0-c830-4fbe-aec9-32c9cd88bfa6.jpgW6/CT-271 - Burn Benchmarkhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-271-burn-benchmark/ I’ve overlooked this summit for years because it was rarely activated and only worth two points. I got skunked twice on two earlier SOTA attempts due to closed roads. Frustrated, I pulled over to the side of the road and found the closest summit to me. That was Burn Benchmark. After some quick research, I headed into the OHV area, parked where other vehicles were parked and headed down the well used trail. I did not see any no trespassing signs anywhere along my route. The hike was mostly enjoyable, however it was very windy. About 2/3rds of the way there you see a very steep mountain; a small makeshift sign read “Hell Hill”. I’m assuming a dirt biker put it there as, there was evidence of dirt bikes in the area. As a guy who rides, I have no idea how you could wrangle a bike up something like this. Perhaps they went down? Their efforts left permanent scars on the hillside. Bummer. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-271https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/8ae975d1-43e6-4e58-aa44-ab2e7c2c1cea/dd7b3895-5d5d-4eb7-a956-1fa09f8f266e-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/i9Ub3tabgwGqQP9bcv8q29126002026-06-01T19:17:19.203ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/q9b6fWCjon8AydXbQpEPXthttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/ebdf071e-ee2c-4170-b2b5-9bad655e7b09.jpgW6/CD-005 - Mazourka Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-cd-005-mazourka-peak/ I’ve wanted to visit Mazourka Peak since I started SOTA, 5 years ago. The summit is a drive up from Independence on Hwy 395, take Mazourka Canyon Road from the south end of town all the way to the top. Took about 2 hours one way to drive the 22 miles up on the gravel road. At the top are some small radio shelters, and an amateur repeater. It was obnoxiously windy and cold, so my visit was short. I setup a Yaesu 817 with an EFHW antenna and worked 20M CW. One FM QSO to a ham in Bishop, CA. On the drive down I stopped several time to explore old mining ruins, and to scout another summit. I’ll be back up there again soon! https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CD-005https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/c37f7f20-0e38-4956-bd2f-c07068888e8d/443dba4b-fb43-4202-bf49-c0a51396a44c-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/q9b6fWCjon8AydXbQpEPXt72002026-06-01T19:17:23.894ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/rkdMZEEXrV1gD6kp6X3rRvhttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/f92d8ce9-1eb3-4bc0-add8-9315e8f2dbe8.jpgW6/IN-042 - Crater Mountainhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-in-042-crater-mountain/ Crater Mountain is just to the west of Big Pine, CA. It’s easily accessible by a dirt road on the west side of the summit. I drove up to the high point on the road, parked on the side, and cross country hiked across the lava fields. There were grazing cattle everywhere. About half way up I picked up a use trail to the summit. At the top is a register and a pole to attach a mast to. On the day of my assent, the wind was brutal. My mast snapped in half, I couldn’t sign the register without the whole thing blowing away. You could do that thing where you lean far into the wind but not fall over. I found a a bit of shelter from the wind on the lee side of the summit. Used a KH1 with the whip antenna to make QSOs on 20M, and 17M, then headed down. The route back was close to my ascent, zing-zagging around the cows. Looking at a map later, I found that use trail I picked up leads to some lava tubes. Next time I’m out there I need to check those out. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/IN-042https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/cd237b6a-d3bc-4a0c-9114-1b9bd651acdb/4d7a93fa-98bf-4a81-92a5-bdf17a1e99d8-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/rkdMZEEXrV1gD6kp6X3rRv79002026-06-01T19:17:28.028ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/w/und6awXYubMurXzM7BFrRohttps://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/thumbnails/b7444478-8160-44a8-9d42-5e6891936c0f.jpgW6/ND-231 - Fremont Peakhttps://blog.benmook.com/w6-nd-231-fremont-peak/ From US-395, I drove east on Fremont Peak Road. Some sections were smooth and fast, other parts were washboard slow. Somewhere around 35.19629419590779, -117.52994646089353 the road splits. Going left will take you to the dry lake beds. You want to go straight. From here, the summit should be obvious. I parked above the mine ruins and started my hike up. There is a gnarly 4×4 trail I followed until I picked up a light use trail. The very end was steep and loose. At the top was some sort of repeater installed in a pelican case, along with solar panels and an antenna. No markings on the case to indicate it’s operating frequency. Ham? GMRS? Does it even work anymore? I setup my station and worked 40M. As the sun was going down, so was I. Back at the truck I drank a beer watching the sunset, then headed to the dry lakes to camp for the night. A good write up of the geology is here. https://sotl.as/summits/Wmsty6/ND-231https://video.benmook.com/static/streaming-playlists/hls/e5b5f3a8-3dcf-4966-85d0-3ca0c0e3277c/e8510c49-279f-4041-bf50-a3bd502a33ae-master.m3u8https://video.benmook.com/videos/embed/und6awXYubMurXzM7BFrRo189002026-06-01T19:17:34.205ZYESVideos from the summitNOhttps://video.benmook.com/c/de_ag6n/videoshttps://video.benmook.com/c/bad_vids/videoshttps://video.benmook.com/a/revmook/video-channels