K7ATN's blog

Enjoy bushwacking? Like to climb over (and under!) a maze of large, downed trees? We've got a great SOTA summit for you in the Clackamas River area.

One of the most gorgeous hikes I've taken in Oregon, it's clearly popular during the 'summer' season but we had it all to ourselves this spectacular November Sunday. Note that there are four "Huckleberry Mountain" in the Oregon ARM - one of them is also in WV and is also 2 points - make sure you get yourself to the right one.

Prospect Hill is a privately-owned Christmas tree farm with about eight repeater and telecom sites on the ridge overlooking Independence, Oregon. We were able to secure one-time permission for access to this site as it was convenient to a visit with friends near Salem.

There are three Findley Buttes - East, West and 5194. The first and the last have clear public access across Nature Conservancy easements and are recommended summits in this area.

This has been the most popular SOTA activation in Oregon with about 64 activations as of October 2017. Easy to reach, it's a recommended 'first time' summit in the Portland area for new activators. The park is near 6 Nansen Summit, Lake Oswego, and parking can be found near 16 Becket Street or 3 Juarez Street, Lake Oswego.

A pleasant 2.5 mile (round trip) hike with perhaps 1000 feet of elevation gain ending in an operating position with a nice view of the Columbia River Gorge. There are some subtle archaeological aspects to this summit - hikers should be aware and read the signs to avoid disturbing any 'structures.'

Snipes Mountain is a fairly easy one-pointer just a short distance off I-82 east of Sunnyside, Washington. Access is by a rental car "suitable" dirt track about 1.3 miles from the West Sunnyside exit.

Elephant Mountain - interesting name for a small peak in central Washington, not too far from Yakima. For the right vehicle it might be a drive up - our rental car found the steep road to be a bit much and we hiked the rest of the way to the summit.

We climbed a little less than a mile and 500 feet to the top and then perhaps 50 yards farther east. The views once past the repeater sites are excellent and if you are thoughtful about supporting your antenna using a small shrub, you are set.

Just south of downtown Issaquah is Squak Mountain. It's a Washington State Park and so access is straightforward. From the north trailhead it's 2.3 miles one way on a maze of trails where it's a good idea to check the trail map carefully as there are several junctions on the way to the summit and one unsigned (very short) trail link.

Along this trail I observed the largest spruce trees I've seen in Oregon - the trail is nearly a perfect picture of the Oregon coastal rain forest. That being said, there are no expansive views, no place for your antenna, and no place to sit...but it is an nice hike on the Oregon coast and close to Highway 101.