Blogs

Yesterday morning I climbed Mt. Hood (W7O/CN-001) for a sunrise SOTA. I think this was my 6th ascent of Hood. Conditions on the mountain change daily & weekly. This was one of the more difficult ascents & descents. 

My friends and I left the climbers lot at Timberline just before 2am. We took our time and made the top of Palmer around 3:40am. After a quick breakfast we continued up the mountain on good solid snow. We were hit with sulfur from Devils Kitchen throughout the hike up. 

Patterson Mountain is an established hike, with quite a few resources providing the details. WA7JNJ's previous trip report should provide plenty of information for fair weather activations, so I'll focus here on my experience doing this hike in January.

McClellan Butte had been on my list the last year or so as challenging hike, due to the last section required to get within the activation zone.  I've watched the video below multiple times, and it provides helpful trail and summit information...along with an alternate parking/hiking to shorten length.  The video also captures the summit scramble and views from the summit.   

UPDATE Jan 2023 - Beacon Rock Trail is closed. You might find status here:

https://www.parks.wa.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=3530&fbclid=IwAR16QwFmuw_Y...

We didn't make it up to the summit for this one.  The road was posted closed for the season.  We drove as far as we could up to the summit but it rapidly got nasty and we decided to turn around.  Will have to try again in the spring.

On a overcast Friday morning, I headed out to Beacon Rock State Park to activate this summit.  I was accompanied by KJ7UIP and we parked at the trailhead parking lot.  There are 2 parking lots off highway 14, the eastern one having the restrooms.

I was able to activate Prune Hill this past Friday morning along with Rich KJ7UIP.  Google Maps had accurate directions to Dorothy Fox Park which is inside the activation zone.  The park was a bit soggy from all the rain but we found a convenient tree to lean a fiberglass mast against w/ a J-pole for 2m.

Got 6 QSO in short order.  Thanks again to all our chasers!!!

We then headed up the gorge to activate Beacon Rock (W7W/LC-163).

Wickiup Mountain is a summit on the edge of Astoria's Bear Creek Watershed, from which they draw their water, as well as an active radio site. As such, access from the south is gated, and road access from the north stops just shy of the summit. What followed is one of the thickest, roughest bushwhacks, mile for mile, of my SOTA career, but it was nice to tick this one off the list. If you route find a little better than I do, you might have a better time, and if you hit it earlier in the year, the die-back of the brush might benefit you.

I completed the first-ever activation of Wapato Peak today (Peak 3380). Wapato Peak has no official name in the SOTA database, but several sources mention this one so it's the name that I will use.

There is no established trail, but the hike is fairly easy, with only ~800 feet of elevation gain and a 1.5-2 mile round trip. It is steep at times, but I found it manageable with trekking poles and ordinary hiking boots even with an inch of snow on the ground.

Buck is pretty much a drive up summit if you have the right vehicle. It is one I pretty much just do because I am near and its 6 points, nothing hugely spectacular. Maybe nice if looking to do a shaded one during the summer. There are 2 peaks to the summit that are both in the activation zone. I have always gone to the one the SOTA marker is on but the other I think may offer view? I'll have to remember that for next year.

Treed area, pretty flat, plenty of area to operate.