Blogs

Vinegar Hill is located in Oregon above the Middle Fork of the John Day River near Bates State Park. The veiws from the top are spectacular. It is easy to find as there is a sign from the Middle Fork road pointing to forest road 2010.  It reads 13 miles. The first six of those are good gravel accessible to any car. The next six are rutted and rocky and require a high clearance vehicle. The last mile is available to a 4x4 in late summer or early fall. When we were there on July 1st the road was blocked by snow, so we walked the last mile and 650ft of elevation.

My son and I did this activation. The starting point for our hike was the intersection of FR 5603 and the Pacific Crest Trail. We parked at this location and started walking down the PCT  which was adjacent. We found no trail to the summit so we started bush whacking. It was not too hard. After about an hour, we made the summit. 

Chase Mountain is in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington near the town of Dayton. There is no trail to the summit, but you can drive right into the activation zone. Park at the bottom of forest service road 6437 for a 2.2 mile walk or drive up to the top and walk out and back in as I did. There are a few places at the top to pull your vehicle off the road.

Oregon Butte is the highest peak in the Blue Mountain Range of southeast Washington State. There is a lookout up there which should be staffed by early July.

This is an easy, accessible road walk in a state forest that includes just a little bit of a bushwhack into the activation zone.  It is a perfect "second summit" if you are activating near Elbe, WA.    

Etienne (K7ATN) emailed me a few weeks ahead saying he would be in S. Pierce County, a few miles from Eatonville on June 24.  Hiking with Etienne is one of my favorite ways to activate, so we made plans to meet at Pack Forest for a pleasant hike to the Pack Forest high point  (W7W/RS-068).  

Little Tamarack Mountain (W7O/NE-137) makes a nice activation destination in north-central Oregon as it's located in the Umatilla NF near a Forest Service rental cabin/lookout with two other summits nearby, including Ng Knob-4820 (W7O/NE-147) and Happy Jack Ridge (W7O/NE-139).  I rented the cabin for two nights.  Activated Little Tamarack on the first day, then bagged the other two summits the next. 

The road to Peak 3220 is closed by a Simpson gate about 1/10 mile from Hwy 26.  Though foot taffic is typically allowed on Stimson property, you would have to hike over 8 miles along the gravel road to summit the peak.

There have been quite a few activations for this 1 point summit in Snohomish County near Sultan, WA... With it staying light much later, decided to try an after work activation.  

 One of our favorite summits in France, you can visit the winery and then hike up the road to the chapel and play radio! You can even stay overnight in accommodations at the winery. The hike is all of 1km with about 90m of rise. At the chapel there's a bench and some shade - a perfect spot to activate after wine!

It's perhaps easiest to find the summit by finding the winery: Chemin Notre Dame des Anges, 84570 Mormoiron. That's about an hour east of Avigion.

La Forêt is a forested one-point summit near La Motte-Servolex, France. Heading east on A43, just before the tunnel, exit at Lac d'Aiguebelette, pass through the toll plaza, take the first exit from the roundabout and then the next right. After you pass under the A43 and after about 400m, take a sharp left onto Route du Terreau and wind up the hills towards Ayn on D36E. Pass through Ayn and continue on D37 to Route du Montigon. A GPS will be quite useful in getting to the trailhead.