As hikers, we've often considered hiking up Guye Peak, mainly due to it's prominance and close proximity to I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. It has an appealing pyramidal shape when viewed from eastbound and westbound on I-90. The are 2 main routes; an eastern and western approach. I chose the less technical western approach, using the access path adjacent to the very popular Snow Lakes Trailhead in the Alpental ski area.
If you are interested in an atypical activation, this rock might be just for you. A low elevation early spring attainable summit. Located in a WA state park North of Coulee City, WA. Much more expansive than Beacon Rock and depending on the day of the week, fewer visitors.
Great views and clear terrain for miles. Elevation at top is 2285 feet with a quick gain of 650 feet from the TH thru a steep slot in the cliffs which can be loose rock at times.
Steamboat Rock State Park offers campsites and boating opportunities.
The payoff for this relatively short non-technical summit is huge! Fantastic 360° views from the summit. Closest prominent peaks include, Mount Baring, Glacier Peak and the Monte Cristo Group. I'd been to the summit of Beckler several times prior to learning of SOTA. I recalled the location of Beckler Peak was quite remote; there are no major towns within a 40 mile radius of the peak, and, Beckler is surrounded by many higher peaks.
Reprise on Jester Mountain, exactly 8 months later. We originally activated Jester on September 3, 2014. This time I returned with a different crew, and in a different season: Spring. The flowers were out, the views were incredible as usual, and the weather was sunny, with a slight cooling breeze which kept it very pleasant. Good company, successful Activation and sections of beautiful flower blooms made for a very nice outing.
This was our third hike to Elbow Peak; this time it was sunny! Wow! Incredible views of the east side of all the Snoqualmie Pass peaks, and the mighty Stuart Range. We only saw 2 other couples the entire day, so a very peaceful and beautiful hike in the Teanaway region. Only a few minor patches of snow at the 5000 foot level, and these were in the shady areas. No trouble passes them with only hiking poles.
Tiger Mountain is in about the middle of the Tiger Mountain State Forest southeast of Issaquah. Access is via a gravel forest road and you may want to use a GPS or track your mileage as any signs may not lead you clearly to the summit.
This is a continuation of a trip I took to W7O/CM-132 during which I also
went to Sand Mountain, W7O/CM-077. Proceed as mentioned in the other blog
entry for W7O/CM-132, but before reaching the Big Lake Campgrounds turn
off FS 2690 onto FS 810, the Old Santiam Wagon Road. Road 810 is open to
mountain-bikes and apparently from the signage is also an active OHV area.
Take road 810 about 3 miles (estimated) until a road leads off to the left
marked with a sign denoting the Sand Mountain Special Geological area. Take
There is a small peak south of Big Lake and the Hoodoo Butte ski area that
has piqued my interest for some time. (Ah, bad pun) I was there during a warm
day in March. However, Big Lake road is closed beyond the Ray Benson snopark
until May. Therefore, I took my mountain bike and figured I could cover the
road mileage quickly and also ride over to Sand Mountain and get both peaks in
the same day.
Big Lake road is also National Forrest road NF 2090. It intersects US HWY 20
roughly at Santiam pass. Take Big Lake road past the entrance to Hoodoo Ski
A successful day on Jester Mountain! Made the minimum required 4 contacts on 146.52-FM, then made a hasty retreat down to escpae the blowing snow and cool temperatures. A great day to be outside after not be able to hike last weekend. Trail to Iron Bear is snow-free; descending the saddle to Jester Mountain there was only trivial amounts of snow. I used my Yaesu VX-6R coupled to an MFJ-1714 1/2 wave dipole.
Red Hill (KH6/MA-001) is the tallest peak of Haleakala (“House of the Sun”) located in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It is commonly called Haleakala even though Red Hill is the actual name of the summit. Red Hill is a drive-up, and a drive-up only. Visitors are not permitted to walk the extra 283 vertical feet on the paved road from the Haleakala Visitor Center at 9740ft / 2969m to the summit at 10,023ft / 3,055m. There is no shoulder on the road. There is also no trail to the summit, and walking off-trail is also not allowed.