Summit has good "views"
Doug (KY7S) and I activated this summit as part of NA SOTA weekend. We had a blast up there and enjoyed the great day in western WA. Important to have a plan for spotting up there. Cell phone was not that great...APRS worked Awesome. A lot of 2m S2S activity. More then expected. Cant wait to get on the next one.
Full Blog Link:
http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2015/09/kelly-butte-w7wkg-060-sota.html
I was negligent in posting my Mount Catherine activation here but wanted to get it up for all to enjoy and use. We had a great early start on our way across Washington state on the 24th of August and had a great hike up this summit. This is a highly recommended SOTA for anyone heading through the Snoqualmie Pass area.
Here is a link to the full blog with more pics and information:
Palouki (Παλούκι, stake or fencepost) is an easy summit within walking distance of Skopolestown on Skopoles Island. The T1 trail will get you there.
Velanidia (Βελανιδιά or oak tree) is a near drive-up near Volos, Greece. The total road distance is about 6km, but depending you your vehicle, you may want to stop earlier and enjoy a short hike.
Granite Mountain presented itself as a welcome relief to a string of unsuccessful summit attempts! The road access to long, but smooth. The trail is rocky, but passable. The summit is a double, but the views as quadruple! This was also the first activation of W7I/SR-038.
Pente Pyrgoi (Five Towers) is a great hike near Katerini, Greece of about 11km round trip and 600m elevation gain.
Here is a link to my Blog from Lolo Peak W7M/LM-010.
http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2015/09/lolo-peak-w7mlm-010-sota-activation…
Chinook Peak is an 8-point, 6,904' summit located very near Chinook Pass on Washington state highway 410 and is about 3 miles south of Crystal Mountain. The peak is not overly difficult to summit, but requires good navigation skills or a reliable GPS, as there are no established trails for part of the route. The trip to the summit is only about 2.5 miles with 1,900' of elevation gain, but most of that gain is compressed into a one mile stretch of steep cross-country ascent. The summit offers splendid 360 degree views, including a broad view of Mt. Rainier to the west.
An 8 point SOTA Summit, activated on a beautiful, clear summer day, with good company, a successaful activation and capped off with a bracing swim in Dewey Lake made for a very memorable outing. Approximately 6.25 Miles total travel and 2,100 feet gain, including the side trip to Dewey Lake, and climb out of the lake basin back to PCT / Naches Peak Loop Trail junction.
Mt. Sawyer (W7W/KG-052) is a fun, easy 6 point summit that offers outstanding views of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and way beyond. The trail head has good accessibility from good gravel roads. The summit rises to 5,501' along the western end of the Tonga Ridge. The hike to the summit has 1,200' of elevation gain over about 3 miles (one way). The trails are well-maintained most of the way, although the final ascent includes some sections with vegetation encroaching into the trail. The summit itself has plenty of room for radios and masts, and some reasonably tall trees for wire antennas.
