This Friday afternoon activation happened on a cool day with the sun breaking through a few clouds for a beatiful sky above the epic scenery. It takes a ferry ride from Anacortes to Orcas Island to get here, but it's sure worth the trip! The main road goes from the ferry dock right through Moran State Park. Turn left at the Y onto the Mt Constitution road, which can take you all the way to a sizeable parking lot at the top. A brief pathway leads up to the peak with a stone lookout tower that is just too cool not to climb. 

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.

There are at least four trails that approach the summit of Big Huckleberry Mountain - we choose the Pacific Crest Trail from the south for about 8.6 miles round trip and 1400 feet of net elevation gain (1900 total).

Here's a six point summit to tackle on a nice summer day - we tried it with lots of snow and found a blizzard at the top in mid-April. The trail is on a road of about 7 miles round trip and about 1800 feet of gain. 

Peterson Butte on the west side of Lebanon, Oregon is private with limited access. The Lebanon Trails Committee (http://buildlebanontrails.com) schedules occasional hikes on Peterson Butte - the last hike was planned for 12 April 2014 (http://buildlebanontrails.com/2014/03/14/april-12th-hike-at-peterson-bu…).

Ridgeway Butte, accessed by Ridgeway Drive on the east side of Lebanon, Oregon has signs indicating 'private property' and 'no trespassing'. The Lebanon Trails Committee (http://buildlebanontrails.com) schedules occasional hikes on Ridgeway Butte that are lead by the property owner, Rick Ely. The next hike is planned for October 2014.