Crown Butte is one of several laccoliths that protrude from the prairie south west of Great Falls. It is the smaller cousin of the nearby Square Butte, which figures so famously in Charlie Russell paintings. The butte is primarily owned by the Nature Conservancy, as a preserve
After wanting to get started activating peaks under the SOTA program, a push from Brett, KG7FFW got both of us out to do our first activation at Three Lakes Hill on Tuesday the 26th of April. A frustrating discovery that there were no good place to park that did not require a Discovery Pass, forced a quick trip into Monroe to purchase one. Upon returning, we discovered that someone had spread nails all about the parking area.
This is a pleasant, short hike that is accessible by most vehicles. The summit is an open, broad knoll that offers nice views in all directions. There is an exceptional profusion of Bitterroots (the Montana state flower) on the sum
This was the first activation of "Peak 4700" off Hwy21 on the way to Idaho City from Boise. The peak rises right from the hwy, but access is from the opposite (South) side. This was my second attempt at the peak as an impromptu mountain bike attempt late in 2015 was thwarted by snow.
This is a pleasant, short hike that is clear of snow early in the spring. The approach is on a dirt road that while suitable for most cars, may be impassible when snowy or muddy.
This was a joint SOTA Activation along with my SOTA Buddy: Tim, KG7EJT. Hicks Butte, which had only been Activated once before, is a somewhat obscure SOTA summit located about 6.5 KM SW of exit 78 off I-90, between the towns of Easton and Cle Elum in Central Washington. Hicks Butte is a 6 point SOTA Summit, and is 5,518 feet or 1,682 meters high. Fine weather, great companionship, good views and a successful SOTA Activation yielded a great outing!
A nice drive-up summit - so long as you have a high clearance vehicle. Head north of Yakima on I-82.
3 X 3 X 3 X 3 X 3 = Three Activations in three days with three, 3X3 (weak signal) contacts, amongst about 50 contacts overall. During an early Spring vacation in the Bend, Oregon area, we enjoyed all that Central Oregon is famous for! Good spring skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, SOTA Activations, and a sampling of several of the more than 80 breweries that exist in the greater Bend area. This report, number 3 of 3, deals with the Activation of Lava Butte, 5,020 feet, 1,530 meters.