Going to attempt my first activation this weekend. Its for Cobble Hill, in Lake Placid, NY, which is also within the Adirondack Park.
Wanting to keep this simple, do I want to do Sota, or pota, or both?

Going to use hamrs (new update on android) g90 and efhw.

Not much of an operator, but I should have time for a 1.6 mile round trip between hockey games.

have you joined POTA ?

https://pota.app/#/map

Is that location a POTA spot ?

I'm really into POTA, and have never done a SOTA

for some reason SOTA and POTA don't like each other, I forget why, and don't care ?

I do POTA as the nearest SOTA to me is several hours drive at minimum.

I tried something like that for a first activation. Packed the radio up the mountain a couple miles and setup.  I didn't know the first thing about a POTA or SOTA activation and didn't have much resources on hand to figure it out.  It was not successful, band was poor and I did not get 10 contacts for an activation.  The second activation I drove 15 miles to the local state park and setup in a picnic pavilion with a computer with Google and an internet hotspot on my phone.  This was a much easier way to get things figured out and I had a successful activation.

Good luck, enjoy the hike and have fun.

Well, as God as might witness I though turkeys could fly. I also thought Cobble Hill was a SOTA. Nope. So that makes it a bit easier - the whole Adirondack Park is a POTA US 2001, so I can find a nice trail head or parking area and set up and operate - I am going to try and plan this as well as possible so I get the required number of QSOs.

FWIW I find POTA easier. Seems like the spotting network and log uploads are faster, easier with POTA

Getting 10 in POTA is easy as long band conditions are even remotely ok. Triple digits is nothing uncommon.

There are so many hunters now it's not even funny. Which is a good thing.

Currently on hold - we were going up for my son's final ever hockey tournament - he is now sick in urgent care and he may miss the tournament. That will suck.

aww damn.   I hope he recovers in time for the game.  

Get well soon to him!