Pinnacle Peak is a popular spot for beginning activators in this area: it's very accessible, and there are both northen and southern trail routes. My YF and I used the Cal Magnusson trail on the North Side. It is a popular spot for hikers (often with dogs) and runners -- steep but only about a mile to the summit. One runner told us she'd made the ascent in 32 minutes. We took more like 50 minutes.
No Joke on Jester Mountain, but Mr. Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) showed up. Fall is nearly in the air. The flowers are long gone, replaced by late season berries and mushrooms. Air temperature when leaving the car at 9:00 AM was 44 degrees F. Crossing Snoqualmie Pass, the weather was rainly, foggy & windy. It did not look promising, but the anticipated East Slope of Cascades Rain Shadow was in effect, and we had a glorious day in the Wenatchee mountains.
Skunked In Switzerland!
My ambitions for activating several SOTA Summits in Switzerland fell far short. Switzerland has been experiencing one of the worst "summer" seasons in many decades. This is impacting tourism, and certainly impacted our plans.
This is an easy hike in the Washington Olympics that is not far from Highway 101.
Mount Walker is a nice drive-up or summit hike just off Highway 101 on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. There is a good view of Puget Sound from the summit and thus it makes for a good spot to try your hand at VHF/UHF contacts.
Highway 12 between Morton and Yakima is out of the way, but a scenic delight. If you find yourself driving through, this is a nice summit to activate. There are a number of other summits in this area - several of which appear to require significant rock climbing skills but this one is a straightforward hike.
My general guidelines for off trail hiking are a mile or so across open sagebrush steppe, perhaps half a mile through open forests like ponderosa pine, and about a quarter mile for a western Douglas fir forest. This activation is a reminder to stay with these guidelines and not ever wander through a lava flow again.
I started from the Carson Guler Road, parking about 2.5 miles east of the gate for Red Mountain (W7W/LC-036 - a recommended activation).
This was a great trip for the wife and I and we had a great time. We left early on Monday morning and hiked in to a camp about 8 miles in. On Tuesday we got up and hiked the 5 miles to the summit and spent most of the morning afternoon up there on the summit. For rough directions to the summit go down to the local REI and buy a "Rattlesnake Recreation Area" map. There are many ways to get to this summit but none are short. Though it can technically be done in a day from the main rattlesnake trailhead (the way we came out), I would not suggest it. Take your time and enjoy the views.
Headed up to the hills for an activation with my two oldest daughters. Nice big parking lot at the bottom and a nice easy 2 mile walk to the summit. This is in forest service land so you can camp on the summit. Nice spot with small fire pit. One day I may try this. Trees are encroaching the summit so spotty views. Nice big area to set up on the summit. I used SMS text for spotting with success.
Setup: PFR3, SuperAntenna, TeNeKe.
Actual Directions here: http://www.pnwsota.org/node/435
Turtleback Mountain is a lovely forest hike with a nice summit spot for activating. Along with Mounts Constitution and Pickett, it is one of three publicly accessible summits on Orcas Island, Washington.