Blogs

Great outing on sunny and warm day (80F at 2:00 PM).  With Loren Chotzen, Dexter the Labrador and Max the Husky.

This was a fun activation of Mt. Hood. I decided to splurge on weight and bring the FT-817 and Buddipole (no coils) for 6m and 2m SSB. Once I got the antenna up, I found a number of chasers waiting on 50.125, so I'm glad I brought equipment for 6m. The mast was supported by shoving it into the hard snow on the summit.

It was a beautiful day, all the way around.  Kelly Butte is a great hike, a bit steep and exposed on the beginning switchbacks, but with wildflowers this time of year, and open views from the fire lookout.

Rainier filled the view to the south, and Seattle was visible through the foothills.  Mt. Stuart, Glacier Peak and the "backside" of the southern Snoqualmie pass summits made a nice panorama.

Unicorn Peak was a short easy climb compared to the Little T attempt the day before. It's about a 6 mile round trip with 2500 ft of elevation gain. We were on snow most of the way.

Little Tahoma is a 11,138 ft summit on the east flank of Mt. Rainier. The route requires crossing the Frying Pan and Whitman glaciers.

Rattlesnake Mtn is part of King County's "Big Backyard" series of  hikes.  There is a trail head at the northwest end of the mountain at Snoqualmie Point and at the southeast end at Rattlesnake Lake.  Walking from TH to TH is about 11 miles.  We took the RS Lake route which is 4.3 miles and gains ~2500 ft to the summit.

After chasing a few stations the past few weeks, I decided to hike Pinnacle Peak (aka Mt. Pete) in Enumclaw to activate my first SOTA summit.

I neglected to send out an alert, but people found me anyway.  I've climbed this little peak a few times.  My plan was simple:  take my Yaesu VX-7R, an extra battery (not needed), and a twin lead 2m antenna, and call CQ on 146.52.

Tuesday last week, with the help, support, and expertise of friends and an experienced mountaineering guide, I summited Mount Hood for my first time, and activated Mount Hood for its first time in SOTA. The climb began under a crystal clear starry sky around 00:37 on Tuesday, 11 June 2013, heading up the snowcat-groomed climber’s trail from Wy'East Day Lodge at Timberline Lodge. At midnight, I had met my guide, Rodney Sofich, at the Climber's Register just inside the day lodge to discuss what I was about to undertake.

Goat Mtn is located southeast of Molalla. It is a radio comm site with numerous VHF antennas (+ other transmitters) on one tower at the summit.

Iron Mountain is located east of Sweet Home, Oregon and is a very popular hike so expect a number of other hikers, especially on a weekend.