Well time flies when you’re having fun and as I inch closer to the big MG, I’d like to hear how people chose their MG summit. Sentimental mountain? A tough one you waited to do? Local ops near? Same mountain you did your first?
I’d love to hear your stories!
de AG7GP
SOTA was the main reason for me to get back into amateur radio, not least because I live in an area where there are many summits. Many of them are even rated with 10 points.
I tried it and after a few activations it was clear to me: This is it.
To make it a bit more sportive I set myself the goal to become MG within one year. So the summit on which I passed the 1000 points mark was also a summit that I had not activated before.
As so often it was a day with an activation of several summits, which I could combine again with a nice hike. This is what gives me the most pleasure… and it was summits that are not so often activated… and on which also nothing is going on. I didn’t meet a single person on the whole hike.
So I had the MG-day all to myself!
What I found beautiful though: The 4th qso was a S2S 
73 Armin
I did my Mountain Goat on the same summit I started SOTA activating in vk5 2012.
Took me 6.5 years to make old goat at 3.8 points average per activation = 264 summits visits to Mountain goat for me. The first summit was a local summit worth 2 points and as it turned out for me at summit 263 I need 2 more points to make 1000 points. The sad part for me is the land owner sold his property and the new owner won’t grant access any more for SOTA on my first summit. A great thing I was able to do was give VK5WG the 4th QSO on my MTG activation to qualify the summit as he has been my long term chaser. Not sure how far I have travelled from home to do SOTA but a guess would be 35 to 40 thousand km with more than 1000 km of hiking. On my third pair of hikers in that time and 3 rd backpack, but still have the same kx3 and on link dipole number 3 and 3rd run of coax and fittings. Another thing that is still going strong is my first LiFe 4200 battery which is now almost 7 years old. Looking forward to 2022 so I can get back out and do some summits again and my second Goat score is at 391 points now and hoping to be half way there by next years end.
regards
Ian vk5cz …
A local summit giving me enough points for MG that has a rather short ascent, so my local chasers and more (radio)friends were able to join regardless of age and their condition. And to make it easier for me, as I had a rucksack with me full of champagne and beer to spend.
As a proud Yorkshireman, I chose the highest summit in Yorkshire for my Mountain Goat activation - Whernside.
I also chose Whernside, G/NP-004, because from the back it only takes around 45 minutes of walking to reach the top. I did a crazy thing of constructing my entire station actually at the summit, by constructing, I mean literally; with a soldering iron! I needed to allow enough time to build my gear and activate.
I think my favourite hill is Ingleborough G/NP-005 and I chose that hill for my 1000 summit activator points activation (true Goat, bonus points not included). I only built the transmitter on that occasion, but I made it a bit more difficult by doing my own design and using surface mount components.
I think the choice of summit can be made on any arbitrary rule you choose - but the most important thing is to make it fun I think!
73, Colin
Hi Colin., that was a great challange to do. Very impressive. Well done. 
Cheers to you 
73 Geoff vk3sq
ps, what are the details of the soldering iron?
I remember reading your story. If I did that I would need about 2 weeks of food and water! I’m not a great builder. Maybe choose a lookout?
Tnx for the story!
Tnx for your story!
I knew I was in the perfect activity/group with my first SOTA too. One year, wow! I’d need to do about 5 a week in my area to achieve that.
The iron is just a generic cheap butane gas iron which I purchased via Amazon.
The rating is 135w. I use lighter gas from Poundland 
(Poundland is a famous chain of shops which sells stuff cheap, most items costing £1)
73, Colin
Hi Amy,
Good luck getting to Mtn Goat! You’re getting really close now. I set a goal to reach Mtn Goat doing 100% unique Colorado peaks. It started out easy and then got harder and required more driving miles. I did two easier peaks the day I reached Mtn Goat status as they were fairly close to each other and I wanted to be finished with that goal!! My Goat peak was not that fun of a bushwhack so I’ll probably never do that one again.
Hey, if you want to do something memorable for your Goat peak do Mount Hood . BTW, I like your QRZ page…your area reminds me of where I live and climb!
73, Brad
WA6MM
Hi Amy -
My MG summit was not particularly special, but I was happy to work two of my favorite Chasers, Rich-N4EX and Phil-NS7P, plus the grandfather of US SOTA, Guy-N7UN.
There are some stories on folks making MG in the PNW SOTA Newsletters - here are a few:
MG stories for Jim-K7MK and Rich-AC7MA
http://www.pnwsota.org/sites/pnwsota.org/files/downloads/K7ATN/PNW%20SOTA%20Newsletter%20Jul-Aug-Sep%202020.pdf
MG stories for Darryl-WW7D and Mark-K7MAS
http://www.pnwsota.org/sites/pnwsota.org/files/downloads/K7ATN/PNW%20SOTA%20Newsletter%20Sep-Oct%202018.pdf
MG story for Phil-NS7P
http://www.pnwsota.org/sites/pnwsota.org/files/downloads/K7ATN/PNW%20SOTA%20Newsletter%20Nov-Dec%202017.pdf
MG story for Bren-NU7A
http://www.pnwsota.org/sites/pnwsota.org/files/downloads/K7ATN/PNW%20SOTA%20Newsletter%20Oct-Nov-Dec%202020.pdf
And a fun “Surprise” S2S Party for MG Roland-K7FOP
http://www.pnwsota.org/sites/pnwsota.org/files/downloads/K7ATN/PNW%20SOTA%20Newsletter%20Jan-Feb-Mar%202021.pdf
Etienne-K7ATN
That would be a very long drive Brad. I am down in the very southern portion of OR, 15 mi from Cali. I think I need to update my qrz, no new pics for over a year! 73
I’ll take a look, thanks! 73
Got any driveups? Great… How about 1,000 watts for the thousandth point? You’ll be a legend forever.
EL
Same summit as my first summit. I hoped to be able to get my 1st SOTA chaser to be the 4th chaser on the MG activation but sadly didn’t.
During my journey to MG, I lost weight, gained improved fitness from regular exercise, made a massive improvement to the management of my Diabetes and learned CW.
Bring the equipment and we’ll do it!
That’s wonderful. I already know who 4th will be… 73
Hi Amy,
for me it was simple; I activated to get my #1 MG the same summit I did on my very first SOTA activation. As you said, a sentimental mountain, that’s it.
My MG video story here:
73 Ignacio
