Beacon Rock is an 848-foot basalt column (860 feet ASL) that formed the core of an ancient volcano. It is located in a Washington State Park of the same name about one hour east of Portland, Oregon.

First off - Chasers Rock! There was no way to self-spot and Phil - NS7P, found me and moved with me to 14.064-cw to get things started. And then, long after our QSO was done, Rich - N4EX, noted my QSY to 14.309-ssb and spotted me there. The climb of Mount St. Helens is different depending on the season - currently there is snow from trailhead to summit while late summer will find you on scree and pumice and rock the entire way. Myself, I prefer the great white stairmaster (snow), because I ski.

Putney Mountain could be a minimalists activation dream if you live in Southern Vermont - it was for me as the B&B we stayed during my visit was just ten minutes from the trailhead - only a few miles outside of Putney, Vermont.

This 2-point summit is located about 0.9 of a mile SSE from the old Air Force Radar Station near Condon, OR. There is a dirt road leading south from Richmond Road to Zero Butte. The altitude difference between Richmond Road and Zero Butte is about 8' (per Google Earth). There is a dip in the road about 0.2 mile from Zero Butte that is about 12' below Zero Butte. Consequently, the SOTA Final Ascent 100 vertical feet consideration is a little tough to rigorously meet -- some hiking around might compensate a bit.

The ease of access and great operating position are some of Marys Peaks many advantages. This must be balanced, however, against the multitude of communications antennas already on the site. The 145.13 and 146.78 repeaters are on the summit in addition to a lot of USFS and other government installations. This can make the site RF noisy at times. That being said, there is a reason why the gear is up there. The site overlooks the entire valley and now that the antenna on the 145.13 repeater is repaired, it is capable of contacts with an HT all the way in Portland, at least 80 miles away.

Today JD (K7JDF) and I headed out for an easy 1-point summit: Wildcat Mountain. This summit is on the eastern edge of the Tillamook State Forest and is very accessible from the Portland metro area and provides an excellent operating position at the top as well as a fantastic view.

Taylor (K7TAY) and I activated Bunker Hill this weekend in southern Washington. This relatively easy hike starts flat on the Pacific Crest Trail before heading up a spur to the summit. All of the elevation is gained in a relatively short period of time, but the trail is not technical and easy to follow.