Summit does not have a "view"
Quck activation of my "Neigborhood SOTA Summit". It takes me less than 10 minutes to arrive at TH from home. On a very warm day for nearly the end of January (60+ degrees F), we set out from Anti Aircraft TH, Cougar Mountain Regional Park. Our route was abot 7 miles circuit of the upper reaches of the Park. Wilderness Peak is about 1,600 foot in elevation and a 1 point SOTA summit.
Nice activation.
Story and Blog at: http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2014/11/larch-mtn-w7wso-067-tuner-hill-w7wso…
Was able to spot with SMS.
I did this one as it is very close to home and easy to get to the top. Not a very scenic hill but a nice walk. As I have said before I can't leave a summit unactivated especially this close to home. I am not sure that I will do this one again, unless I am looking for some S2S opportunity with limited time.
GPS Tracks here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3033743
Pinnacle Peak is a popular spot for beginning activators in this area: it's very accessible, and there are both northen and southern trail routes. My YF and I used the Cal Magnusson trail on the North Side. It is a popular spot for hikers (often with dogs) and runners -- steep but only about a mile to the summit. One runner told us she'd made the ascent in 32 minutes. We took more like 50 minutes.
Another non-NW activation while on my summer work assignment in Cleveland. I was getting bored with the 2 and 4 pt summits on OH, which are mostly on private land, so decided to make an expedition to something with a little more elevation. W3/PT-007 had been previously activated, so I knew it could be done and is an 8 pointer, which would be my first. Finding the summit on the map was a little confusing, however. There is a summit at the coords, but it's either un-named or called "Bear Cave Lookout".
My general guidelines for off trail hiking are a mile or so across open sagebrush steppe, perhaps half a mile through open forests like ponderosa pine, and about a quarter mile for a western Douglas fir forest. This activation is a reminder to stay with these guidelines and not ever wander through a lava flow again.
I started from the Carson Guler Road, parking about 2.5 miles east of the gate for Red Mountain (W7W/LC-036 - a recommended activation).
Turtleback Mountain is a lovely forest hike with a nice summit spot for activating. Along with Mounts Constitution and Pickett, it is one of three publicly accessible summits on Orcas Island, Washington.
First get yourself to Orcas Island. Most will take the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, Washington. For your planning purposes, note that ferry schedules change seasonally. The North Trailhead is perhaps the easier access - here directions with more information available in the links below.
On 23 June I decided to head up and do this little one pointer that is within a couple miles of the house. This not going to be the next Mount Davidson (Elliot K6EL) as it does not have much to offer. No scenery, lots of logging roads, Teenage Partiers etc. But I did have to be the first to activate this hill. I did take this opportunity to take a lot of my radios out with me to try them out. I tried the RM40, RM20, and then the trusty PFR3 all into the MP1 SuperAntenna. One thing that I always find is that I am always returning to my original MP1 and PFR3 setup.
Identified by SOTA as Chuckanut Mtn, this peak is better known as Blanchard Mountain and is part of the Chuckanut Range. it is located on State Trust Land managed by the DNR. More information about the area may be found at:
A DNR Blanchard Forest Block map can be downloaded at:
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/amp_rec_blanchard_fb_2012.pdf
