AG7GP's blog

Snow was coming soon so I really wanted to get out and try and get a few new mountains in before winter came. A couple on my list were Holcomb peak and a no name summit right next to it, SC-214. I put these on hold before because they are a drive to something that I've never been to and have no info on, however with winter bonus and no snow yet, it made the trip worth the risk. My 1st summit was Holcolmb Peak which looked like it had the possibility of being a drive up if timber corp allowed, but much of the mountain and surrounding area had no trespassing signs.

I left with not much ambition and the day wasn't really looking good. Lots of fog. We went to Arnold (not sure what's with the different name on maps vs SOTA), very early with the plan to also do Whisky, which we did. Arnold is an old mining area with cabin, shelters, outhouse, etc. It is still claimed as far as I know. It is a really neat place and I hope to go back and maybe camp for a day to explore more. Be sure to take a peek in the cabin if you can.

Whisky is a fun hike up a rocky trail to where there used to be a lookout and still are remnants of it and other buildings including the outhouse. I had never seen a lookout built so close to the edges of the mountain. Two sides of the foundation basically came to the edge that to get to the far side of the lookout you would have to go through it when it was standing. Some of the best views of Red Buttes and the wilderness, and beyond. 360 view.It was very windy when I was there so I set up a little below, near a pile of rubble for a bit more elbow room.

Not recommended at all. This was treacherous. I got pretty torn up trying to get through some difficult brush and rocky cliffs. I never made it to the very peak and had to call it good enough because of exhaustion, dangerous drops, being alone etc. I also lost my pole somewhere trying to get through the 10ft tall thickets I am guessing. It was rough. If I every try again I will try a different route and will definitely not do it alone.

de AG7GP

I did Condrey the second day of CQP with call K6G, needing to get some walking in after sitting for so long. We were camped a few miles away from it. It is a pretty easy and short hike up from the main road. I went up the SW ridge and it was probably about a mile RT. Nice open summit with great views. Some brush and plenty of rock for an easy set up. If I am in the area again I will probably do Condrey and White same day, they were both very nice summits to hike and activate.

de AG7GP

I hiked to White Mountain in a hurry in a race against sundown, we still needed to find a place to pitch a tent for the weekend before CQP started. It was a very pleasant hike and I wish I had more time. Most of the trek is on the PCT until you climb the final 400' up to the peak. The trail is beautiful, well forested and lots of great views and interesting rock formation. White is basically a bare rock mountain to the north consisting of milky green rock, maybe serpentine?, so it is white in appearance from a distance.

Porter Butte is a drive up summit if you have the right rig. It is pretty jeepish towards the end though. Equipment on top that had a little rfi but not horrible. There was a little flat just above and to the right of the tower to set up and also get a peak down into the basin.  It got very windy up there so it was a quick one! I did this after Cherry Peak. As mentioned in that summary, October is a beautiful time to see this area. Rocky Point and 140 are golden with aspen.

Another one I have wanted to get over to do before the snow comes. The area is magical this time of the year with the aspen turning around the basin. The hike was pretty difficult. Combination of bushwacking in tall brush, lava flow, and down trees. I parked SW of the peak, near where there once was road 3519-700, still on some maps. I was trying to beat an incoming storm and it got very windy but my big dilemma was I got to boulder climbing to the peak, just past the AZ and my dog would not go further.

Lilly has been on my list for a while as Matt, KC7OOY, mentioned it was a beautiful mountain. I am so glad I finally made it. As with many summits in the area, what you see on a map isn't always the truth when it comes to roads so I didn't go the way I had planned but it was a beautiful hike with great window views of Scraggy Mountain, White Mountain and others around the Red Buttes Wilderness through the timber. Along the trek are some very fascinating rocks. Lots of quartz that looks like lumps of snow from a distance and shiney silver mica like stone.

I have already written a long blog on Wagner but thought I would do a separate update as I finally took the trail for most of the trip. Keep in mind that what all us locals know as the trailhead is not on most maps, they have it down the road. There is a large parking area opposite the TH that is not on many maps 42.11449, -122.80047 is where you want to be. From here it will be about 9 miles RT with about 2600' gain, according to my trackers. I took a few paths off trail so there is a little estimation. The trail is nice.