Good Views From Summit

Little Grayback has been another summit I have been eyeing for a while as I am slowly getting familiar with this area around Applegate Lake. I always looked at approaching it from the westside, near the lake but looking closer and after doing neighboring Baldy Peak and having no snow issues, I noticed that the eastside, Upper Little Grayback TH, looked much shorter and approachable. This is FS trail #921. KJ7GFN, Joell, and I did our planning for this pretty much the day before, both leaving from our off grid locations Sunday morning.

Blind Cabin Ridge is a 1 pointer with few activations as of this writing. Access via Barney Reservoir may be gated, so check ahead of time. Thank you to Ryan W7RMR for his write up on the PacNW SOTA facebook group. 

Another no-name summit with a pretty good view. Takes a decent drive to get up there. Short hike up an old logging road. Some of the area is thick with Oregon grape and brush but there is a clearing that made set up easy. There may be other options further down the road to access too but I didn't explore.

There are a couple ways to get to Baldy Peak and I think I took the longer route with more gain. I really wasn't sure if I would get this high with snow levels so didn't even pay attention to the other but when I was there a couple others were on trail too from the other side. You will have to go off trail to do the final climb which is a little crumbly and steep. I chose the ridge line partly in some vegetation so the ground didn't slide so much. It was overcast but I can tell it has a fabulous view. Wasn't bad even with the clouds. I took the Charlie Buck/Baldy Peak Trailhead.

This was an easy summit I was surprised I could get to and that it had not been done already. Some of the BLM land in this area is somwhat landlocked by private land and I was anticipating the same for this one but you could drive almost to the summit. Just before you reach the summit take the the time to go to the right to a clearing that looks over Sterling Creek area and you can see the beautiful Red Buttes. Great park like area to work from that is pretty flat with tall timber and some big logs to sit on. There is a jeep road that is not on maps that goes to the top.

Indian Post Office is an intriguing name given to a rounded high point qualifying as a SOTA summit along the Nee Me Poo, a trail of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark trail. I searched the few vertical rock outcrops looking for what I thought might be pictographs or petroglyphs. I found neither. I did see a large rock cairn linked to folklore.

This summit is just off the Lolo Motorway that roughly follows along the Nee Me Poo Trail of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Trail. The Lolo Motorway, USFS #500 is a narrow mostly ridgetop road built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It provides access to over a dozen SOTA summits along its route that are mostly a short hike.

I couldn't resist the perfect weather today and left to go activate Mt. Isabelle but when I got up to the parking area I noticed there was a road that went to Wellington Butte the other direction, to the left. I drove past this butte on 238 for 3 years going to work and I was under the impression it was a closed road, but I was wrong. I carefully made it through snow, ice and mud and had a lovely day.Spectacular view looking down at Applegate River, Ruch, the Siskiyous, Grants Pass, etc. Near 360 view. It reminded me of looking into a curved glass diorama.

There are already a couple blogs for Fielder but I wanted to add a few pics. The first time I went up with quantity on my mind-at least one more summit to do for the day and did not take the time to go to the equipment area and see the spectacular view. Yes this can be a drive up summit on a good day, but be sure to take the stroll to the edge! Great view clear to California snow capped summits and of Grants Pass, Rogue River, and the Rogue River.

We had one foot of snow that prevented us from driving to the very top. Nice little hike.

de AG7GP

3420-W7O/SC-263- I did this summit as a 2nd summit of the day, after Fielder Mountain. It is a lovely summit top, very park like with tall timber including Sugar Pine, Canyon Live Oak, among other evergreens and wildflowers. We parked  below a tree with a large memorial sign for a young man, Zach Marsino. This is right at the final climb up, approx 1/4 mi. up a steep well used OHV/jeep road. The path is obvious.