Easy Trail

You know that day in a late western Oregon summer when the wind blows a little
differently? That special wind tells you that summer is pretty much done and snow
is on the way. This was one of those days.

We started out in overcast valley skies as we headed towards Eugene and Hwy 126
traveling towards the Cascades. As we passed the 3000ft elevation sign on Hwy 242,
the skies cleared and the day was bathed in bright sunshine with a blue sky clearer
than a New England winter day. Another great day to enjoy the mountains, a little
radio and simply being alive.

Activation of Mount Langley, 14,042 feet, High Sierra's of California, Inyo County.  Sunshine, blue sky & endless granite...but with a little price to pay.

 The Hike (Scramble) is 4.75 miles south - southeast of Mount Whitney, California, and 9.5 miles southwest of the town of Lone Pine, California. This was a father / son outing with my 28 year old son, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks (sea level), and I, a 62 year old who resides in Bellevue, Washington, at the high altitude of 728 feet.

First Activation of Cirque Peak, 12,900 feet, High Sierra's of California, Inyo County.  Sunshine, blue sky & endless granite...but with a little price to pay.

The Hike (Scramble) is 5.25 miles south - southeast of Mount Whitney, California, and 10.5 miles southwest of the town of Lone Pine, California. This was a father / son outing with my 28 year old son, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks (sea level), and I, a 62 year old who resides in Bellevue, Washington, at the high altitude of 728 feet.

There is a maze of roads in the Tillamook State Forest - a good map, a GPS, and keen sense of direction will help you navigate your way to South Saddle Mountain (not to be confused with the other coast range Saddle Mountain, NC-004). It may not be the most scenic summit, but the clearcuts do provide some great views of the north Willamette Valley.

This is my Blog from my Activation of Blue Mountain W7M/LM-121 on 8/3/2012. Thanks to all the Chasers and Activators that I worked and were patient with me.

This quick activation had 12 contacts with 3 of them being Summit to Summit with WA7JTM, NS7P, and N0PCL.

Thanks again.

Blog: http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2013/08/blue-mountain-sota-activation.html

I have included the link to my blog for University Mountain. The kids and I worked to avoid the rain and finally got this summit in and did not end up soaked. Thanks to all the chasers that make this hobby so enjoyable. Both of my kids are studying for their tech and may be able to start activating summits on 2m here soon!

http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2013/08/university-mountain-sota-activation.html

Thanks again,

Matt, Peyton, and Lily

KF7PXT

Finally got the round-tuit for my first activation.  First Butte had not yet been actiivated and looked pretty easy so off we went.  It isn't much of a hike.  There is a high clearance forest road that takes you to the summit.  Some internet sites report that the Bromas Creek approach is closed due to a washout on NFR 37.   The Forest Service has built a detour, NFR 3700-805 that is not on the FS map but connects to 3700-825.  

This was a wonderful day for an activation of Scott Mountain.  The trailhead is reached by taking the turnoff for Scott Lake Campground off of OR242 a few miles west of the Dee Wright Observatory. Follow the gravel road past all the campsites to the quarry at the end of the road.  There are two trails that start from there.  Take the Benson Trail 3402 to go most directly to Scott Mountain.

First Activation of Norse Peak, Pierce / King County Line, Washington. 

Beautiful hike on sunny but cool day with my wife, Sharon and Dexter the dog.  Enough breeze / wind to keep us cool and the bugs away.  This is a trail hike up to summit of Norse Peak, 6,858 feet elevation.  Trail is about 10.6 miles round trip, with 2,800 feet +/- elevation gain. 

The views are amazing!: Mount Rainier; Mount Adams; Mount Stuart & Enchantments; Central Cascade peaks all around, including Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.  

First SOTA Activation of Mount Houghton, Washoe County, Nevada - Ace Number 2.

The reference to Aces is because of this mountain's proximity to Reno / Lake Tahoe (Nevada side) & proximity to gambling casino's. 

This is a trail & scramble up to summit of Mount Houghton, 10,490 feet elevation.  Trail is about 9 miles round trip., with 1,600 feet +/- elevation gain.  Together with the same day First SOTA Activation of Tamarack Peak, the elevation gain was about 2,500 feet.