This was a re-activation for me. If you are looking for all the details on how to get there and other useful info, you can find the original trip-report with the necessary details right here. This post has only a few specifics from today’s activation.

Emerald Mtn. – View from the summit

Today’s activation of Emerald Mtn. was my second summit of the day. Earlier I had activated Eagle Cliff Mtn. (WØC/FR-Ø58 ) on 15 and 20m (see separate trip-report) . Since Emerald Mtn. is just a few miles up the road and the weather was gorgeous, a double activation was an obvious choice. With my earlier acquired information about the trail-head and route, the ascent was a breeze. The south slope was almost snow free and snow-shoes were not required. Without the snow I could even find a small stone cairn on the trail to Glacier Basin campground. The cairn is just before you enter an Aspen grove and after a rock outcropping. That’s where I left the trail and headed towards the summit in an (almost) straight line. Distance and elevation gain is almost identical to Eagle Cliff Mountain, making today’s excursion a 4.5 mi (7.2 km) round-trip with a total of ~2500 ft (750 m) accumulated elevation gain.
Luckily, the S8 noise I experienced last time on this summit was gone – making me believe that it was related to the approaching snow-storm. The winds however were quite strong – even stronger than last time and I had to guy the antenna really well. My extremities started to get cold thanks to the high winds and the fact that I was sitting in the snow  – even-though the sun was out. I packed-up my gear and went QRT after I did not get any further responses to my calls. It was indeed a wonderful day in the mountains.

Some video impressions:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW6KmzYLnOc

If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

!! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers... there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required - enjoy!

Written by: k0mos on January 10, 2012.on April 7, 2014.