Quick notes: I have Google Fi, which uses T-Mobile and Sprint. Cell service is great, if you have a view to the northeast. Otherwise, it dies, and quickly. This was obvious when I was trying to stay in contact with people throughout the hike, leading to cutting in and out throughout the trip. I got it into my head to try a 4-pointer with no activations, and I saw a prime candidate, of only .7 miles with a gain of only a few hundred feet! What a find! Only problem is, there's no trail. Well, that's no problem!

It was great to meet club members at SEA-PAC.  I came back motivated to earn my first point! WV-095 (https://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/W7O/WV-095) is Mt Scott and has been frequently activated. It looked pretty straightforward and I had already cycled to the top a few years ago.

After studying the map, I thought it was worth checking if the road that approaches the summit is accessible. I invited my family, and we drove up to check, and it definitely is not. We drove NF 23 to NF 2353, which proceeds past some campsites to the trailhead. There is a gate that is sometimes closed, but this doesn't really add a lot of effort to the trail. We got to NF2348, which turns into NF2365 and heads up the mountain, to find a berm had been constructed, decidedly closing the road. We made the decision to hike it anyway, and embarked.

SeaPac, the ARRL Northwest regional hamfest is May 31, June 1 and  2, 2019.  We are having a Friday night SOTA Gathering in Seaside and are looking forward to seeing SOTA folks there! Please join us!

 Place: Pizza Harbor - 15 North Edgewood St, Seaside, OR  (503) 738-7210

Flagg Mountain is a great 4 point short hike (or drive-up) summit located west of Winthrop, WA.  For a day trip, it could be combined with Goat Peak Lookout summit W7W/OK-107.  

Directions/Access:

Field Effect Mtn in on Inland Empire Paper ground (IEP). Permit is required I would recommend going to there web site and read all the info to access the property. I started the track from Spirit Lake Id.  The first 5 miles is paved then turns to dirt.  At the trail head if the gate is open you can drive in if the gate is closed you can’t.  The gate was closed so I had to take an ATV up close to the top then bushwhacked the rest of the way.

May 18th was the Puget Sound S2S party. I had plans to take my son dirt biking in Walker Valley in the afternoon, so I needed a quick summit that was resonably close to Walker Valley ORV park. Mount Cavanagh fit the bill nicely, and was surprisingly pleasent!

(IMPORTANT NOTE! Everything in this post is true with the exception of the peak designation: W7O/NC-022. 

Sunny day in North Puget Sound, and was able to leave a bit early from work.  After mentioning wanting to do a quick SOTA, KV7DX suggested Good Copy Hill... since it was close to my home QTH, and relatively quick hike.  I've tried activating Good Copy Hill in the past, by approaching from the South...but there is not a good access point.  Use Heimer road, and follow directions below to access.  

Directions:

Highland Flat is located in the Ochoco National Forest, approx 15 miles north of Priveville.  In April 2019 I completed a first-time activation of the summit which is suprising since there's very good forest road access up to near the activation zone.  My activation was more challanging due to snow which resulted in a 4-mile snowshoe hike.  But this is usually an easy 4-pointer and recommended for anyone visiting the Prineville area.