Monthly Archives: August 2020

29 AUGUST 2020 W6/CT-012 It’s been almost a month now since my first activation and my happy discovery of the joys of Summits on the Air. I’d activated 7 summits and was aiming for 8. One thing this brief experience has taught me: getting an HF rig will be an imperative. However, in this uncertainContinue reading “Waterman Mountain”

As a kid growing up in the Santa Monica Mountains I visited Castro Peak many times. When I first hiked up the summit on May 27, 1973 it was a beautiful summit with a stand of pine trees and an abandoned fire lookout tower. The tower was open and still contained some rainfall records fromContinue reading “Castro Peak Attempt”

22 AUGUST 2020 W6/CT-005 Another 4am start from Topanga in an effort to beat wearing a mask on the way up the mountain due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I arrived at Dawson Saddle about 6am and there was only one other hiker getting ready. The smoke from the Apple fire was somewhat abated but theContinue reading “Throop Peak & Mount Lewis”

16 AUGUST 2020 – W6/CT-025 It had been hot the day before. 101.5ºF at home in Topanga Canyon. I wanted to get a really early start before attempting the south-facing switchbacks of Josephine Peak. I’d done this hike in 1985 with my Mom, Linnea Gardner and Patty Fox. But that was in March, not inContinue reading “Josephine Peak”

14 AUGUST 2020 W6/SC-285 After a great weekend in the San Gabriel Mountains, I was inspired to hit the road again before it was light and head out to the Agoura Hills to activate a mountain I have not visited for over 40 years. Ladyface (2036′) is a prominent peak of igneous rock south ofContinue reading “Ladyface”

8 AUGUST 2020 W6/CT-010 & W6/CT-012 Another predawn drive, this time I was headed through the city and on up into the San Gabriel Mountains. I’d first been up Mt. Islip on February 6, 1982 with my childhood friend, Jon Bucci. I made a second trip with my brother Mark on January 16, 1999. TheContinue reading “Mount Islip & Kratka Ridge”

5 AUGUST 2020 W6/CT-274 After my first activation on the previous weekend, I was excited about the prospect of activating another mountain soon. Just up the hill from where we live is Saddle Peak so Wednesday before it was light I made my way up the mountain through a dense marine layer of fog. AtContinue reading “Saddle Peak”

1 AUGUST 2020 W6/CT-214 I’d been hearing about the Summits on the Air for a while and when the buzz turned to the SOCAL SOTAFEST on the weekend of August 1st & 2nd 2020 I decided to give activation a try on a local peak here in Topanga. I’d hiked up Calabasas Peak many timesContinue reading “Calabasas Peak”