Forested Summit

Skunked In Switzerland!

My ambitions for activating several SOTA Summits in Switzerland fell far short.  Switzerland has been experiencing one of the worst "summer" seasons in many decades.  This is impacting tourism, and certainly impacted our plans.

I was not able to activate the high SOTA summits I had planned on in Graubünden and Bern Cantons.  Persistent rain, fog and thunderstorms prevented us from safely doing so.  Especially with thunderstorms about, “discretion is the better part of valor”.

Mount Walker is a nice drive-up or summit hike just off Highway 101 on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. There is a good view of Puget Sound from the summit and thus it makes for a good spot to try your hand at VHF/UHF contacts.

Big Butte is a near drive-up (in an SUV - the higher clearance is necessary) in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that you could do in a passenger car with a bit more hiking (less than 2 miles each way on a road). From Portland, take I-84 to Cascade Locks and cross the river on the Bridge of the Gods (toll). Or take Washington 14 out from Vancouver past the Bridge of the Gods, through Stevenson and continue east on 14 to turn north towards Carson about four miles past Stevenson. After 12.3 miles on this Wind River Highway you will turn right onto NF-3080 or Hollis Creek Road (paved).

My general guidelines for off trail hiking are a mile or so across open sagebrush steppe, perhaps half a mile through open forests like ponderosa pine, and about a quarter mile for a western Douglas fir forest. This activation is a reminder to stay with these guidelines and not ever wander through a lava flow again.

I started from the Carson Guler Road, parking about 2.5 miles east of the gate for Red Mountain (W7W/LC-036 - a recommended activation). 

Here's another four-point summit north of Carson, Washington. You might be able to get within a mile or so in a carefully driven passenger car - perhaps only a little farther in a high-clearance vehicle. 

Headed up to the hills for an activation with my two oldest daughters. Nice big parking lot at the bottom and a nice easy 2 mile walk to the summit. This is in forest service land so you can camp on the summit. Nice spot with small fire pit. One day I may try this. Trees are encroaching the summit so spotty views. Nice big area to set up on the summit. I used SMS text for spotting with success.

Setup: PFR3, SuperAntenna, TeNeKe.

Actual Directions here: http://www.pnwsota.org/node/435

Turtleback Mountain is a lovely forest hike with a nice summit spot for activating. Along with Mounts Constitution and Pickett, it is one of three publicly accessible summits on Orcas Island, Washington. 

First get yourself to Orcas Island. Most will take the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, Washington. For your planning purposes, note that ferry schedules change seasonally. The North Trailhead is perhaps the easier access - here directions with more information available in the links below. 

Identified by SOTA as Chuckanut Mtn, this peak is better known as Blanchard Mountain and is part of the Chuckanut Range. it is located on State Trust Land managed by the DNR. More information about the area may be found at:

www.blanchardmountain.org

A DNR Blanchard Forest Block map can be downloaded at:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/amp_rec_blanchard_fb_2012.pdf

All of our trips to Lopez Island seem to involve a bike ride, and today was no exception. After a brisk ride in this year's annual Tour de Lopez, KG7JEH and I left the latex-clad crowd at the finish line for some SOTA de Lopez action. As it turned out, that action didn't last too long before my battery was down to 10 volts and I called it a day.

After taking the ferry ride from Anacortes to Lopez Island, getting to the trailhead is easy, and directions can be found with Google Maps - search for "Lopez Hill Trailhead". 

An early ferry ride out of Anacortes took me to Orcas Island and, after a short drive, I arrived at the Cascade Falls trailhead by about 7 AM. My plans included biking in about 3 miles and hiking up the last 3/4 mile to the summit. Wrong. I was 1/2 hour into the ride when 2 facts became clear: 1. My hybrid bike was not up to the task of handling that muddy, rocky, slippery road - no matter how much air I let out of the tires. 2. My lungs, legs, and nerves weren't up to the task either. I took the bike back down to the truck and began again.