K7WXW's blog

Summary - An hour to the trailhead from SE Portland, followed by a 1.5 mile steady climb along a well-used (by ATVs) forest road, Bob's Mountain is an easy morning activation. There are trees for hanging wires, an open view a bit below the summit (but still in the AZ), and open space to operate. APRS two way worked well, ATT data was okay.  Given the ATV traffic, this hike is better done on a weekday. You'll find a GPX track, beginning in Cape Horn, covering the drive and hike here:  http://www.pnwsota.org/content/gpx-track-lc-139

Summary - Saturday Rock is easy to get to, about two hours from Portland, has awesome views and a short, sometimes gnarly and steep, bushwhack. Park at 45.85645, -122.17190 and follow the ridge to the summit. The first clear area you encounter on the top isn't it, keep going!  Trees to hang wires, easy 2M QSOs, good APRS connectivity, spotty cell service. National Forest parking pass required.

Summary - This is one to save for that weekend when there are going to be lots of locals on 2M doing S2S or, like me, you want to a place to do the UTC NYE ritual without a lot of driving. About twenty minutes from downtown Portland in a residential neighborhood, with a nearby AM broadcaster and at least two RF comms facilities. RFI on 2M is likely to be an issue, there's really no place to put up an HF wire, and there's only room for two vehicles.  

Summary - A long drive then a short, steep hike up to a nice meadow with a view. Good hiking shoes and trekking poles will be handy, as will GPS. Easy to make 2M contacts and APRS spots. Lots of trees for holding up wires and not a bad place to hang out for a few hours. Finding the trailhead can be a little challenging because of the unmapped roads in the vicinity and the Weyerhauser gates. Given the drive and the gates, plan on doing Ginsberg as part of a multi-summit day.

Summary - Drive up summit. A long drive, so do it with other hills in the area. Easy to make 2M contacts and APRS spots. Not a good spot for an extended stay, I'd leave the HF gear in the truck. 2646 is on Weyerhauser land and there are gates to navigate. See my entry on Trask (NC-003) for more info.  

Summary - An easy, if not terribly scenic drive to the trailhead and a short hike to the summit. Travel time to the trailhead was almost two hours.  VHF contacts were easy, as was APRS spotting. Trask is on public land but the route I followed goes through a Weyerhauser gate.

Short Version - Wildcat Mountain is only an hour from Portland. You can drive to the trailhead and the two-ish mile hike along a well-maintained, if not well-marked, trail gets you to a small clearing on a summit with wire-ready trees. APRS messaging and 2M FM contacts are both easy and it is a good location for working HF. You are unlikely to be alone, as the Douglas and 781 trails are quite popular; if you like solitude, get there early. And be prepared for snow, even in early November.

This is an urban park activation about thirty minutes from downtown Portland. No GPS device needed as Google maps provides good driving directions. Though you can pull off a 2M sidelwalk activation near the summit (which is on private property), a more pleasant place to operate from is Skyline Ridge Park (45.3905, -122.6634), about a half mile south. RF noise levels are high, so while a nice spot for an activation, don't expect big things on the HF bands.

TL;DR - Peak 3534 is a twenty to thirty minute drive from South Saddle Mountain (W7O/NC-002) over logging roads. You pass South Saddle to get to 3534 so a two summit, four point day is easy. 4WD, good directions, and GPS are really handy. Once you park, the short hike up is steep but no worries, there's a longer, gentler path, too. The summit has no views, a small open space, trees, good APRS signals, and is RF quiet. Not a summit for hanging out nor the best place for HF antennas but easy to activate with 2M FM.