My son and I did this activation. The starting point for our hike was the intersection of FR 5603 and the Pacific Crest Trail. We parked at this location and started walking down the PCT which was adjacent. We found no trail to the summit so we started bush whacking. It was not too hard. After about an hour, we made the summit.
Easy Trail
Oregon Butte
Oregon Butte is the highest peak in the Blue Mountain Range of southeast Washington State. There is a lookout up there which should be staffed by early July.
"3220 End Fed Hill" (Elbe Hills HP) 24 June 2019
This is an easy, accessible road walk in a state forest that includes just a little bit of a bushwhack into the activation zone. It is a perfect "second summit" if you are activating near Elbe, WA.
Etienne (K7ATN) emailed me a few weeks ahead saying he would be in S. Pierce County, a few miles from Eatonville on June 24. Hiking with Etienne is one of my favorite ways to activate, so we made plans to meet at Pack Forest for a pleasant hike to the Pack Forest high point (W7W/RS-068).
N.D. des Anges, FR | May 2019
One of our favorite summits in France, you can visit the winery and then hike up the road to the chapel and play radio! You can even stay overnight in accommodations at the winery. The hike is all of 1km with about 90m of rise. At the chapel there's a bench and some shade - a perfect spot to activate after wine!
It's perhaps easiest to find the summit by finding the winery: Chemin Notre Dame des Anges, 84570 Mormoiron. That's about an hour east of Avigion.
Mont Monnet, FR | May 2019
The easiest access to Mont Monnet is a 1.5km road and trail hike with a vertical gain of about 160 meters. Mont Monnet is in the Parc Naturel du Pilat near Longes, France. The map below shows the available trails - the shortest approach of 1.5km is from Col de Grenouze where there is parking (45.4768° 4.6971°).
Grivets, FR | May 2019
Grivets is a simple "SOTA-car" (drive-up) summit about 30km south of Grenoble, France. There's nothing remarkable about this one-pointer, but it could be a quick activation stop along the A51.
Le Pet du Loup, FR | May 2019
Le Pet du Loup is a simple and easy summit in the lovely Parc Naturel du Pilat, about 45 minutes south of Lyon, France. Google Translate might let you know that "Le Pet du Loup" really does mean the Fart of the Wolf - a fun name.
My First SOTA point
It was great to meet club members at SEA-PAC. I came back motivated to earn my first point! WV-095 (https://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/W7O/WV-095) is Mt Scott and has been frequently activated. It looked pretty straightforward and I had already cycled to the top a few years ago.
Mount Cavanaugh, WA | May 2019
May 18th was the Puget Sound S2S party. I had plans to take my son dirt biking in Walker Valley in the afternoon, so I needed a quick summit that was resonably close to Walker Valley ORV park. Mount Cavanagh fit the bill nicely, and was surprisingly pleasent!
Salmonberry Peak (Peak 2905) first activation
After reading K7EEX's warning about Stimson land, I reviewed the maps and Peakbagger reports, and found that a 2.6-mile trail existed starting right from the edge of US 26, up Shields Road, and staying on Tillamook State Forest land for the majority of the trip. In fact, this summit can be activated without ever stepping foot on Stimson land, as the boundary of their land is just a little higher than the activation region, but Stimson has a permissive access policy for non-motorized, leave-no-trace day use, so read their stipulations and head right up.