I had meant to activate a different summit on my drive down to Lakeview for the 2023 Eclipse, don't know how I got Slide Mountain in my head (this was planned for the drive home).
Blogs
Whetstone Ridge, MT | October, 2023
1.7 miles, +884 ft, -47 ft; On ATV Trail
Driving Directions from Checkerboard, MT
Little Blacktail Mountain, ID | Oct 2023
When I visited Northern Idaho, I also had the chance to activate this summit.
The route to the summit starts on Hwy 95, turning East onto Blacktail Rd. This is followed around until it once again turns East onto Little Blacktail Rd. Then follow the pit run (larger gravel) covered road to the top.
There are 3 or 4 repeater towers up there so I parked next to the large propane tank on the southernmost one and headed south to put some distance between us. Even so, 20m was very noisy. I didn't have a problem on 40m or 15m.
Cape Horn Peak, ID | Oct 2023
I recently had the occasion to spend some time in Northern Idaho and while there I activated this summit.
The road up to the summit starts from Hwy 95, heading East on Hwy 54 and North on N Perimeter and East again on Bayview Rd to N Cherokee Rd and north following that up. N Cherokee Rd is also shown as FS 297 on Google Maps. The road condition is not great with many ruts down the middle. I had to straddle the ruts in many cases. A high-clearance vehicle is probably required.
Peak 7729, Idaho | October 2023 | INACCESSIBLE
This peak has not been activated and until access changes, is inaccessible. The access road, though on BLM and Craters of the Moon National Monument land, is gated and posted as PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TRESPASSING. The gate is located approximately 1-1/2 miles (43.44306, -113.63080) after leaving Hwy 26 (43.43426, -113.62014).
Short Hike if you park in the right spot.
After you've activated W7W/LC-080, head back toward Ape Cave and park at the bend in the road at these coordinates: 46.13329, -122.25105 a couple miles from LC-080. If you poke around carefully, you'll see that there is an old road grade that meets up with the road right where you're parked. If you see a bunch of vine maple and vanilla leaf, you've found the road grade. Follow it, or just bushwhack North through the woods for about 250 yards or so until you stumble across the Cinnamon Trail.
Easy Drive-Up. Road has been fixed and brush cleared.
The road is in good condition. It is driveable by a Prius. They also ran a brush mower all the way up the road very recently. The corridor is nicely cleared with all the attendant vegetative carnage 12 feet on either side of the road. Sight lines were good, too.
You can drive right into the activation zone where there is a nice, flat clearing with a fire pit in it. There is plenty of space to set up a 67 foot wire antenna.
Elk Peak, MT | October, 2023
4.3 miles, +1,135 ft, -297 ft; Mostly on ATV Trail
Driving Directions from Lennep, MT
Mount David Douglas, OR | July 2023
Mount David Douglas is a bushwhack and a beautiful destination, on the way to the upper trailhead for Fuji Mountain by Waldo Lake and Maiden Peak. Combine this with a hike up Fuji (or just do Fuji if you never have; it's got a better trail, beautiful views, 100% one of my favorite SOTA hikes).
Whaleback, OR | July 2023
Turn off ORE-62 Crater Lake Hwy onto NF-68, and then just follow NF-68: right at 42.8641, -122.5061; bear left at 42.873, -122.4977; and follow the pavement to the end; the turns are mostly obvious after here, Caltopo's map is quite good to Abbott Butte Trailhead; when forest management crews haven't closed the trail for fire and burnt tree hazard mitigation, you can combine this with that hike.