Exposed Trail

Backpacking into North Cascades National Park (US-0055)

Backpacking into North Cascades National Park (US-0055)

Goat Mount is a nice steep ridgeline hike.  The total distance from the trail head is just over a mile with an elevation gain of 1500 feet.  The peak is line of sight to much of Portland, so 2m contacts were plentiful.  There are many nice trees for HF antennas.

This is another summit I activated with my mountain bike and in this case that turned out to be a mistake as the bushwhack to the top is very steep, very thick, and not at all fun to do in bike shorts and shoes with spd cleats in them. 

Heading into the 2024 W7O Campout weekend, I was 36 points shy of Mountain Goat. K6ARK and I hit some strategic drive ups on the way down for 10 points, and then knocked out 24 points on the Siskiyou Crest. That left me at 998 points going into Saturday. I didn't want to activate just any summit for my MG, I wanted something that called back to the mountaineering I was doing when I first got licensed and learned of SOTA.

I hiked this with Bill K7WXW and my wife as part of a two summit hike.  Bill did a good job of covering the hike.  There is lots of overgrown shrubbery on the bottom half, but it is does not rise to the level of bushwhacking at this time.  Give it a few more years wihtout trail maintenance and it will be more interesting.  This was a enjoyable hike with great views and good 2m contacts into Portland.

I hiked this with Bill K7WXW and my wife as part of a two summit hike.  I don't have much to add that Bill didn't say.  There is a 1/3 mile section at the start that is a marshy, overgrown slog on a steep hillside.  Bill got stuck in the muck a couple of times.  I didn't know if I should help him or use him as a human bridge over the bog.  Mosquitos in that section were horrendous.  The rest of the hike was steep and trail finding was challenging.  It did have wild lilies and other flowers that gave the hike some redeeming value.  View from the top wa

Summary - Battle Ax, on the edge of the Beachie Creek Lionshead burn, is hiked from a trailhead above Elk Lake. The trail is often rough and rocky and the last quarter mile, steep. The hike from the trailhead to the summit is about 2.6mi and 1700ft. Trekking poles and shoes good on rock are handy. The summit is open, with the remains of a lookout and views of all the big mountains; you'll need a mast to put up an HF wire.  2M contacts, with a better-than-stock antenna, are possible. I did not turn on APRS and ATT digital service was in and out.

Table Rock lies between Summer Lake and Fort Rock in central Oregon. It's easily visible and obvious for miles--a large round platau surrounded by desert. Views are great, of course.

This is another peak in the Stimson family of parcels, specifically the region they call "Wildcat/Munson Creek". Pleasantly, this parcel is open to recreational walk-in access all days of the week from sunrise to sunset. Note though as with all Stimson property, it will be closed during the summer fire season starting at IFPL2 and higher. Access aside, it's a pleasant enough hike and nice open summit but not much for views. The ascent takes you around the back of Munsen Falls State Park. The path is a 2.3 mile hike one-way with 1700ft gain.