Interesting report Steve, and a great scope too. Was this without a filter? I use a 1.25" Astronomik H beta. Impressive, IC434 in direct vision. You were most of the way there. 40x should be enough to see the notch (but not which way he is looking).
What eyepiece did you use? I found modern Abbe orthos ideal for dealing with Alnitak's glare at low power. They might also have a slight edge when it comes to transmission.
Ben Lomond looks like my kind of terrain
