In the last few years, I've developed a desire to activate the top 10 summits in the
Willamette Valley region. Miller Mountain is in that list but I've put it off because
its so far from the valley. Its located in south-central Oregon, closest to the town
of Chemult. I guess the placement algorithm treated it like a lost sock that you can't
throw away but you're not sure where to put it.
My approach to Miller Mt. was to take US Hwy 97 south towards Chemult, Oregon. About
0.5 mile north of Chemult, FS 9772 heads west. This road is also marked "Walt Haring
Bad or No Parking at Trailhead
Miller Mountain, Sept 9, 2016
Lone Ridge W7O/NC-060
Access Info: There may be other routes for this summit but I choose to park at the Stavebolt Creek gate off Logan Rd. Gated parking for about 4 cars at 46.0828, -123.8339.
The hike on good logging roads is about 3.5 miles to 46.0724, -123.8095. Then a well-traveled game trail begins a bushwhack of about 200 vertical feet to the summit. The AZ is all undergrowth with no real clear areas. Ugly, really.
Red Hills of Dundee, OR | Sept 2016
Red Hills of Dundee HP is a summit on private property with all of the Activation Zone apparently also on private property.
Activation of Little Odell Butte - June 24, 2016
Little Odell Butte is near the Willamette Pass ski area just off OR58 and is also near Odell
Butte. Its a cute warm-up hike for its bigger namesake.
Little Odell Butte is reached by turning off onto RD6020 off of OR58 between mileposts 76
and 77. RD6020 parallels OR58 for a bit then turns west. 1.5 miles from OR58, take RD500
on the right. I'd go maybe a couple of hundred feet or so and park. Its too rough and brushy
for any vehicle you care about keeping.
Using a map and GPS head up RD500 staying to the left initially then turning up towards the
Activation of Marmot Butte - June 24, 2016
Marmot Butte is a rather nondescript summit just northeast of Chemult, OR. It is also about 3km northeast of Walker Mountain. The two can easily be done in one day. signage is sparse on this trek. Be sure to take map and GPS to keep on track.
On this warm late June day, the mosquitoes were hungry and numerous. Its never a good sign when you see dozens of mosquitoes lighting on your rig breaking off their blood sucking apparatus the moment you stop. 100% DEET was employed.
NS7P activation of Stoney Point on 6 June 2016
Stoney Point, W7O/CC-076, is a one point summit near Noti, OR. It is on private property and requires permission to hike. The people who live in the house at the gate have been reasonable about access, as were the loggers working on the way up.
No Access to Tygh Ridge, OR - Posted
The access road to the summit of Tygh Ridge north of The Dalles is posted "Private - No Tresspassing."
Pistol Butte, Oregon | Dec 2015
Here's a 1.1 mile one-way hike with 800 feet of gain just a ways south of Bend, Oregon. It's got some great views and a nice summit with a bit of lookout history.
Activation: Trout Creek Butte - July 27,2015
Trout Creek Butte is a convenient activation site from the town of
Sisters, Oregon. Its only about 12 miles from the town center. This
summit could probably be considered a drive-up, provided the gate
near the top was open and you had a suitable vehicle.
From the west side of the town of Sisters, take Oregon 242 west. Just
after passing Sisters High School, NF-15 will head south on your left.
My description begins here (mile-point zero) at the junction of NF-15
and Oregon 242.
Take NF-15, heading south initially on blacktop. The blacktop turns to
Summit 6624, Idaho | July 2015
K7MK and I headed out late in the morning on July 24 to accomplish a double -- Boise Peak - W7I/BC-079 and this summit 6624 - W7I/BC-077. We were thwarted on our access to Boise Peak by an impassible section of road. See a separate activation report on Boise Peak for that story. This wasted well over an hour of time as we drove up the road to Boise Peak and then came back down again. If there was one silver lining is this cloud is that during the round trip we noticed that K7MK's APRS system was not working.