Couldn't resist the quick walk-up summit of Ball Butte on our return to the trailhead from a day hike to the base of Broken Top Mountain in the Sisters Wilderness. Although there's no human created trail to the summit, other than animal tracks, the route from the Broken Top Mountain trailhead is obvious - ascend the gentle, partially treed Southeast face to a saddle approximately 200 vertical feet below the summit ridge, then hike climbers left to the summit ridge. Non-technical, except for some minor exposure along the ridge.
Distance from the Broken Top Mountain trailhead to the summit ridge of Ball Butte is about 2 miles. Note: the road to the Broken Top Mountain trailhead is rough - my slightly modified Toyota 4Runner made it easily. The road is deeply rutted, so while 4WD is not needed, a high clearance vehicle is. I believe there are other trails that lead to the Broken Top Mountain trailhead area, but with a much longer approach.
I quickly made contacts on 2m-FM! Thanks to all the chasers!
