No View From Summit

After two previous attempts I finally made my first SOTA Contacts. 

I have to say, this was a fun hike, it's really my style.  It is truly a bushwhack hike, there is no trail, and you will not be afforded a road or any kind of guide.  A GPS waypoint of the peak is absolutely necessary, and even that won't help you at points from getting into trouble with really dense, thick undergrowth.  Be prepared to climb over and through stands of pine trees, manzanita, and deadfall.  This area is littered with old logging roads, which have given rise to dense thick stands of 1" pine trees 6 inches apart.  The path you will likely take crosses t

On my way home from activating Pelican Butte I took a detour to see if Rye Spur  was accessible for a future date. Take the turn towards Fourmile Lake (FS RD 3661) off of 140 the turn right on FS RD 360, then right FS RD 363. It turned out we were able to drive the FS RD 363 pretty close to the summit and chose to hike the short walk up and do a very quick activation. It was probably about a half mile up with a gradual, easy ascent. The last of the road going in is very tight and a bit rough. It dead ends at a good turn around with fire pit.

There are many Blue Mountain's, and this one is located in Snohomish County, WA and just east of Sultan.  From parking gate to summit, it involves a 3 mile road hike (6.1 miles round-trip), and ~1,300 feet of gain.  There are some views along the way, and limited views from the summit. With the summit being heavily wooded, I activated near the tower (west / northwest of the summit and ~40 feet below summit per CalTopo map).  Was able to spot from the summit, but AT&T service was not consistent.

Directions:

Should you want to do this peak, here us the short version. Note that the long version is a cautionary tale.

Get yourself to Henry Hagg lake. Proceed around the lake until you find Scoggins Valley Road. Turn west here and proceed up the road. Note that you bear left almost immediately to stay on Scoggins Valley Road. After about two miles you will come to a gate. There is parking within sight of the gate.

Another nice little peak in the Snoqualmie Forest, located in the Campbell Global logging property. The "trail" to the summit has been re-done recently, making it far easier to find than my last trip there 2 years ago - Thanks to whoever did this!  This trip is best done as "bike-n-hike". Easy 2 mile bike ride along loggin roads to the "trailhead". Then about 1 mile hike uphill on an unmaintained but easy to follow trail.

We (me and N7HAP) did this after W7O/SC-267, I would recommend doing them both if up there. We went up expecting a nice 75degree day but got that Oregon liquid sunshine instead. This was N7HAP's first successful activation! He also logged the very first SOTA contact for this summit, YAY!

I was driving by Negro Ben every week for a job so decided to give it a try on my way home one morning, being that it was “just a 2 pointer” I thought no problem. It was a little exciting for my first solo activation. The majority of the walk up was easy, just a gated road. Then you have to bushwack your way up from the end of the road (SEE UPDATE). A few yards in I had a rattlesnake slither right across my foot as I took a long stride up the bank. Yikes! I set up in the timber, there is some open areas at the very top but I was looking for shade in July.

North Grand Ridge is an easy summit to activate with a short (3.4 mile RT, ~600' elevation gain).  The summit might be considered part of the "Issaquah Alps" series of summits that include Tiger Mountain, West Tiger Mountain, South Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, and Rattle Snake Mountain.  This report provides details on how to legally access the activation zone (AZ) and summit.

Walker Mountain is a Southern Oregon summit that could be a drive-up for those with a fully capable 4x4. However, the roughest part is also the start of a decent hike and getting to that rough spot is easy with a vehicle with decent clearance. Note that there is another Walker Mountain in Oregon - this is the one near Grants Pass.