Good Parking At Trailhead

This was my first summit, and I want to thank pnwSOTA.org for the recommendation for it as a first summit.  It was a blast!

I reached 18 stations, including the famous WG0AT in Colorado and OK2PDT in the Czech Republic -- all with a SOTABeams linked dipole on a fiberglass mast with 5 watts out from my KX3!  Amazing what CW can do.

I sat on a wet tree limb, fumbled with a pad to log QSOs while swatting away mosquitoes but it was perhaps the most fun I've had in ham radio.  I recommend it highly to anyone who hasn't tried it. 

An easy road walk of a half-mile will take you to this summit. Of course, the road to get to the road walk is only suitable for vehicles with above average clearance.  

This is a bushwack - not too long - but through a cluttered forest floor with lots of vines, branches and logs to trip you up - so that you might wish it were shorter. Out of the way on the South Coast near Port Orford, it will not likely see much traffic as the relatively close by Humbug Mountain W7O/SC-192 features a nice trail all the way to the top. The forest road to Father Mountain will probably accommodate a thoughtfully-driven passenger car, but I wouldn't say it was Priusable.

The hike up Mount Teneriffe is not an easy one - in my opinion, it's the most strenuous summit one can find for 4 points. There are 2 main routes to the summit; the new trail / road walk, which is about 13+ miles round trip, or, the more direct route; Kamikaze Falls then up Serendepity Ridge.  I've done both routes multiple times - I prefer the much shorter Kamikaze Falls / Serendepity Ridge as it's only about 7.5 miles round trip. As this route is about half the length of the new trail / road walk, it's obviously steeper - really steep!

Adrian, Patrick and I headed up for some backpacking/activating on Friday. We drove to South Breitenbush Trailhead with the intent of camping 2 miles in then attempting a first activation of Dinah-Mo Peak and heading back down the next day. Well, with what I thought was an hour of slack time, we encountered first some downed trees on NF46 (Clackamas River Hwy - Breitenbush River Road) and then were stopped by downed trees a mile and a half from the trailhead. No big deal, we have a little time, right?

Here's one of Oregon's most approachable ten-point summits.

Another nice little peak in the Snoqualmie Forest, located in the Campbell Global logging property. The "trail" to the summit has been re-done recently, making it far easier to find than my last trip there 2 years ago - Thanks to whoever did this!  This trip is best done as "bike-n-hike". Easy 2 mile bike ride along loggin roads to the "trailhead".

Sardine Mountain is a short and steep trail of only about a third of a mile, but gaining about 500 feet. This is essentially a social trail that heads straight up the ridge that will disappear into the shrub in places. There are skittery rocks near the top requiring some focus to find a suitable path upwards. From the Willamette Valley, take Highway 22 east until just before the Breitenbush River bridge takes you into Detroit. You'll turn left here onto French Creek Road and go about 4.1 miles until the pavement ends and keep left onto Road 2223.

This is a fun activation with an manned fire lookout (active during summer only of course) a few miles north of Crater Lake National Park. If the lookout is occupied and the gate is open, it would be a drive-up. If the gate is locked, it's a mere 1.7 miles of road walking OW and 900 feet gain. Along Highway 138 and about 11 miles north of Highway  209 that enters Crater Lake National Park, find Cinnamon Butte LO Road (FS 4793).

In the extreme NE corner of Oregon, there's this lovely near drive-up summit with a great view down to the Snake River and Hells Canyon. There's a fire lookout tower that you can climb partway up, but it's perhaps not the best place to activate. Instead, head down the short trail to the benches and picnic tables that have a view east down into the canyon - it's fantastic.