Photo with Lake Tahoe in the background and a snowy slope in the foreground

23 April 202523 April 2025 by KE6MT

Activation in the Snow: South Maggies Peaks, W6/NS-135

Getting some summits done while camping in the snow near Lake Tahoe

Ham Radio, SOTA
backpacking, elecraft kh1, hard hikes, high sierra, kh-1, Morse code, northern sierra, snow, snowshoes, w6, w6/ns-135
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Quick Info:

Activation Date: 29 March 2025	Summit: W6/NS-135
Transport: Hiking, Snow, Steep at times	Distance: 1.8 miles (one-way)
Elev. Gain: 1940 feet	Time: 4.5 hours
Rig(s): Elecraft KH1, VX-6R	Bands: 40m, 20m CW
Antenna(s): Random Wire	Antenna Support: Mast in snow
RF Noise: None	Cell Service: Marginal (T-Mobile)

I like to go camp in the snow once or twice a year, sometimes more. I had mountaineering training to attend near Lake Tahoe on the weekend of this trip, so I planned snow camping in advance of it. Though the weather wasn’t top-notch the night before this activation, leading to pretty bad sleep for half of the night, the weather calmed down and we eventually got some sleep. If the weather is good, Maggies Peak is a top-notch winter activation.

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13 August 202013 August 2020 by KE6MT

Eastern Sierra Fun: Mount Gould, W6/SS-066

Lots of fun summit-to-summit contacts made in the High Sierra.

Ham Radio, SOTA
backpacking, camping, eastern sierra, high sierra, joint activations, mtr-3b, mtr3b, w6, w6/ss, w6/ss-066, yaesu, yaesu ft-891
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Links to products on Amazon and eBay are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Quick Info:

Activation Date: 20 June 2020
Transport: Hike	Distance: 1.5–11 miles
Elev. Gain: 1200–3400 feet	Time: 1.5–5 hours
Rig(s): MTR-3B	Bands: 40, 30, 20m CW, 2m FM
Antenna(s): Tri-band EFHW	Antenna Support: None
RF Noise: Low	Cell Service: Fair (T-Mobile)

It’s good to get out and get some fresh air once in a while. Even if the air is a little thin! Having been invited by Adam K6ARK on a trip to the Eastern Sierra was something I just couldn’t turn down. The plan was to hike up from the Onion Valley trailhead and camp at a lake, and do a few summits while we’re up there. We ended up just doing this one, but a fun one it was!

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