No View From Summit

Full Quieting Mountain was instead fully quiet at least on 2m FM. Maybe it should be called Evil Step Sister as it lurks unattractively above Sleeping Beauty. (Did fine on HF)

Looks like there may be a shorter bushwhack from the north when examining the map. However, I was invited to hike Sleeping Beauty by some friends. Answering the question why isn’t Sleeping Beauty a SOTA summit leads you to Peak 5060, which has the required promonance. 

So I started from the official Sleeping Beauty trailhead:

This is a decent stop-off on the way to the Marys Peak day use area. The easiest approach is from the west, which has the least gain and the shortest path up to the logging roads up there.

3537 is a 4-pointer right off Marble Mountain Sno-Park, and despite the busy climbing season it is easily possible to get in here and activate it. You might combine this with a summit of nearby LC-075, if you are feeling especially ambitious.

To get here, take I-5 to Woodland, then SR 503 which becomes SR-503 Spur, which turns into NF-90; turn left onto NF-83 and drive 6 miles to Marble Mountain Sno-Park.

18.5-miles, +4,700 ft; -5,300 From Elk Mountain TH

3.5 miles, +800, - 1,500 ft ft from Trail 562 Junction

I activated this on the 13th day of a 15-day backpacking from the Elk Mountain Trailhead, via Mink Ridge & Marten Creek with a side-trip up Marten Creek to Marten Hot springs; but the route description is the more direct route across Goat Creek and along the Square Rock & Moose Ridge.

3.5-miles, +1160 ft; From Pipestone Pass TH

This is a pleasant hike along the Continental Divide Trail that begins near the summit of Pipestone Pass (paved, and plowed).  It is also a POTA “2-Fer” (Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF & CDT) if you activate within 100-feet of the CDT.  It is also located on the northern edge of the historic Thompson Park area, which is a unique congressionally designated Municipal Recreation Area that includes much history related to the Milwaukee Road (Railroad).

Here's an opportunity to do an easy summit if you are out in the Gorge for wine tasting, other summits or a hike at Catherine Creek. The road walk is short at 0.75 miles one-way and about 200 feet of gain. The road is Priusable the whole way but note that there are a number of "no turn turns" cited by our phone GPS on the way from Highway 14 to the trailhead - the directions below are general.

Tincup Hill summit is a large flat area covered by a regenerated old clearcut of 15-30’ tall lodgepole pine.  There are also some mining exploration shallow-trenches cut into the summit area and access ridge.  The hike is through easy terrain lacking in downfall or high brush. Trees are available to attach wire antennas.

Trout Creek Hill is a near drive-up summit north of Carson, Washington. You can reasonably drive into the AZ, but you'd rather not travel the last few hundred yards to save the finish on your vehicle. So be sure and look for a good place to turn around and leave your vehicle before that last bit of road.

Bunker Hill is a nicely accessible summit a few miles north of Carson, Washington. The trailhead is an easy drive, and the hike is about 3.6 miles roundtrip and 1300 feet of gain. Note that little of the gain is on the first mile or so of the hike - it's steep later. The hike starts on the Pacific Crest Trail for the first easy half mile or so.

This was #2 of 3 that I did outside of the town of Rogue River during a day trip. This one was a killer. When I click treacherous trail it is because there was none. I drove the main road (BLM 37 5 1) until what seemed to be the highest you could drive to on the north side but the bank is very steep and brushy so it was difficult to find a good starting point. And boy was it hard. This hill is mainly fist sized rock that is mossed over, crumbling beneath your feet, with a very steep angle to climb. It was difficult to stay upright.