2.2 miles, 2,100 feet
Fairview Peak, Oregon June 2016
Once you find Sharps Creek Road, you can follow it to the trail head with ease. You should not try the road to the trail head unless you have a 4x4 as rocks and ground clearance will give you trouble. During the summer, the look out is manned only from around noon to 4:00 pm. This is when the gate will be unlocked at the trail head. Otherwise, it is a very nice trail (1.1 mile dirt road ) to the summit. At the top I had ZERO cell coverage! (AT&T) No way to spot myself! So I called CQ on the usual 20m SOTA freqs with no respnse.
Red Top Mountain VHF Activation
On Saturday 25 June we were once again heading back from Eastern Washington. It had been almost 2 years to the day since I had been on Red Top lookout. The days are long so we had plenty of time to head up. It was an amazing hike and amazing views.
The directions at WTA are perfect for getting to the Trailhead: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/red-top-lookout. The WTA site says round trip 1.5 miles. My GPS said it was right at 1 mile and 345 ft of elevation hike.
Timber Butte, OR | June 2016
Timber Butte is a practically unknown destination not far from the busy trailhead for Triangulation Peak.
Outerson Mountain, OR | June 2016
Outerson Mountain is a practically unknown destination very near the very busy trailhead for Triangulation Peak.
Triangulation Peak, OR | June 2016
Triangulation Peak is a popular summer hike destination with a weekend procession of sandal-wearing hikers, small children and dogs. It's about two miles and 800 feet of gain and has fantastic views of Mount Jefferson and many Cascade Range peaks.
Activation of Little Odell Butte - June 24, 2016
Little Odell Butte is near the Willamette Pass ski area just off OR58 and is also near Odell
Butte. Its a cute warm-up hike for its bigger namesake.
Little Odell Butte is reached by turning off onto RD6020 off of OR58 between mileposts 76
and 77. RD6020 parallels OR58 for a bit then turns west. 1.5 miles from OR58, take RD500
on the right. I'd go maybe a couple of hundred feet or so and park. Its too rough and brushy
for any vehicle you care about keeping.
Using a map and GPS head up RD500 staying to the left initially then turning up towards the
Activation of Marmot Butte - June 24, 2016
Marmot Butte is a rather nondescript summit just northeast of Chemult, OR. It is also about 3km northeast of Walker Mountain. The two can easily be done in one day. signage is sparse on this trek. Be sure to take map and GPS to keep on track.
On this warm late June day, the mosquitoes were hungry and numerous. Its never a good sign when you see dozens of mosquitoes lighting on your rig breaking off their blood sucking apparatus the moment you stop. 100% DEET was employed.
SOTA Activation: Red Top Mountain, Kittitas County, Washington - June 5, 2016
Repeat Activation of Red Top Mountain Lookout. Red Top (W7W/CW-061) is 5,361 feet elevation (1,634 meters), and is located approximately 15 miles NNE of Cle Elum, Washington. There have been many activations of Red Top Mountain before, so there is ample planning material available. Great weather, great views and the good company of my XYL and Dexter the SOT
SOTA Activation: "Mount Attenuator", AKA "Summit Lake Peak", Pierce County, Washington - May 30, 2016
A fantastic Activation together with my SOTA Buddy, Tim, KG7EJT, along with his wife Masako, my wife Sharon & Dexter the SOTA Dog on Memorial Day 2016. Great weather, fantastic views from the summit and a successful SOTA Activation for both of us, yielded a memorable outing. "Mount Attenuator", mostly known as Summit Lake Peak, is approximately 3 miles north of Mount Rainier National Park. Thus it affords incredible sweeping outlook of the north aspect of mighty Mount Rainier. Mount Attenuator is 5,780 feet (1,762 meters) high, and is reached via approximately 6.1 mile RT trail. Elevation gain is approximately 1,360 feet.