Like a 50 mile long sapphire snake, sparkling Lake Chelan dominates north central Washington State as a geological and recreational wonder.  The name Chelan is a Salish Indian word, "Tsi - Laan," meaning 'Deep Water'.   Ringed on both east and west sides by giant mountains leaping skyward steeply, the Lake Chelan Gorge is one of the deepest in the US.  With a water level of 1,100 feet, and Bonanza Peak topping out at 9,511 feet, there is vertical relief of 8,411 feet within 10 miles of Lake Chelan.  Our crowning objective on this SOTA outing was an un-Activated Pyramid Mountain, 8,243 feet high and a mere 3.16 miles from Lake Chelan.  This afforded the opportunity of gazing down 7,143 feet at the crystalline water reflecting the bright Eastern Washington summer sun.   Along the route are strung 3 other SOTA summits, none of which had been previously Activated.  The total trip was approximately 25 miles RT, with approximately 7,000 feet elevation gain, including ups and downs in between the various peaks.  This is report 1 of 4, Crow Hill.

It makes for a very long day (about 17 miles total), but this Wildcat Mountain (WV-046) can also be reached from Huckleberry Mountain via the Plaza Ridge Trail #783 and the Douglas Trail #781. It's also quite beautiful - a stunning ridge hike in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness.

This pleasant summit requires a nice, moderate hike through a forested area, coming out onto a wildflower filled hillside meadow.  The summit is at the top of the meadow.  There are interpretive signs and a bench that provide a good operating position.

Take highway 101 north out of Florence and turn on to Tenmile Creek Road. Stay on this nice road for a couple miles then  turn left onto NF -5694. This is a good, mostly paved road. After a few miles you will see a hiking sign on the left side of road. Don't turn, stay straight ahead. From here go about a quarter mile and you will see a yellow gate on the left before you make a big left turn. I parked here and hiked about 4/10 mile easily to the summit. If you go passed the trail head to the big fork in the road with FS Road 5000, turn around.

Herman Peak should be a natural follow-on activation with Cape Mountain (W7O/CC-071).  The Herman Peak Cape Rd goes to Cape Mountain, and then on over to Herman Peak.  Cape Mountain is a lovely little summit.

This summit lies on the south side of Florence.  The trail rises 350 to 400’ over about one mile.  The summit is covered with RF equipment which did not seem to cause much interference to my HF station.

Road Access: Good to Trailhead. The last 1/4-mi to summit is a bushwhack over steep terrain and fallen trees, undergrowth dense in areas. High-clearance 2WD okay to the recommended parking area. Access: East from Yacolt on Sunset Falls Rd which turns into FR42. Travel the pot-holed FR42 until it intersects with FR53. Then travel NW for about 1/2-mi until the next intersection and a rock quarry. FR5304 is not marked but is the eastern most road. Travel about 1/2 mi NE then park at the "Y" fork in the road.

Davis Mountain is a drive up summit if you have four wheel drive. Passed Oakridge on hiway 58 turn left on the Crescent Cutoff then go and turn left again to get on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. Near the Davis Lake campground turn right on to National Forest Road 62. Then proceed on Davis Mt Lookout Road to the summit. The road gets very narrow and technical at times. I made it in my Jeep Wrangler and think you should stick to a 4x4. At the summit, there is a large activation area.

The Loneman hike is long but rewarding.  The trail is 7.4 miles long with 3,900 feet of vertical elevation gain.  It is necessary to ford both the Middle Fork of the Flathead and Nyack Creek.  The hike is most feasible in August or September once streamflows have subsided and the NPS has had time to clear the trails.  Wading shoes and a trekking pole or a sturdy stick are advisable for the crossings.  The flow in the Middle Fork was about 2,300 cfs for our crossing, which was about hip deep for me (6’-2” tall).  The crossing would become quick

The Scalplock Lookout Trail is 4.7 miles and 3,100 vertical feet on a very nice trail that begins at the Walton Ranger Station near Essex, MT.  This is a less visited side of the Park.  No entrance fees are required and it is much less crowded than many other park trails.  The following link offers an excellent trail description:

http://enjoyyourparks.com/glacierparkscalplocklookout.html