There is a maze of roads in the Tillamook State Forest - a good map, a GPS, and keen sense of direction will help you navigate your way to South Saddle Mountain (not to be confused with the other coast range Saddle Mountain, NC-004). It may not be the most scenic summit, but the clearcuts do provide some great views of the north Willamette Valley.
Here is a link to my blog from Ch-Paa-Qn Peak. This is a great summit with great views and faily easy access. Thanks to all the Chasers and Activators.
http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2013/08/ch-paa-qn-peak-sota-activation-4-august.html
Matt
KF7PXT
This is my Blog from my Activation of Blue Mountain W7M/LM-121 on 8/3/2012. Thanks to all the Chasers and Activators that I worked and were patient with me.
This quick activation had 12 contacts with 3 of them being Summit to Summit with WA7JTM, NS7P, and N0PCL.
Thanks again.
Blog: http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2013/08/blue-mountain-sota-activation.html
I have included the link to my blog for University Mountain. The kids and I worked to avoid the rain and finally got this summit in and did not end up soaked. Thanks to all the chasers that make this hobby so enjoyable. Both of my kids are studying for their tech and may be able to start activating summits on 2m here soon!
http://kf7pxt.blogspot.com/2013/08/university-mountain-sota-activation.html
Thanks again,
Matt, Peyton, and Lily
KF7PXT
Completed my second SOTA activation on Black Crater on July 23, 2013. Black Creater trailhead is located just east of McKenzie Pass on OR 242. The trailhead is well marked. Parking and the trail are both very good. Trail to the top is about four miles with about 3000ft elevation gain. Trail starts in dense forest and the forrest thins out as you go higher. There were lots of bugs at the parking lot but once on the trail, they were not a problem.
This was a fun activation of Mt. Hood. I decided to splurge on weight and bring the FT-817 and Buddipole (no coils) for 6m and 2m SSB. Once I got the antenna up, I found a number of chasers waiting on 50.125, so I'm glad I brought equipment for 6m. The mast was supported by shoving it into the hard snow on the summit.
Unicorn Peak was a short easy climb compared to the Little T attempt the day before. It's about a 6 mile round trip with 2500 ft of elevation gain. We were on snow most of the way.
Little Tahoma is a 11,138 ft summit on the east flank of Mt. Rainier. The route requires crossing the Frying Pan and Whitman glaciers.
Tuesday last week, with the help, support, and expertise of friends and an experienced mountaineering guide, I summited Mount Hood for my first time, and activated Mount Hood for its first time in SOTA. The climb began under a crystal clear starry sky around 00:37 on Tuesday, 11 June 2013, heading up the snowcat-groomed climber’s trail from Wy'East Day Lodge at Timberline Lodge. At midnight, I had met my guide, Rodney Sofich, at the Climber's Register just inside the day lodge to discuss what I was about to undertake.
Wolf Mtn is located southeast of Oakridge. It is a radio comm site with numerous VHF antennas (+ other transmitters) on one tower to the west. The other east tower is an ATT celltower (good coverage!). The access roads are good and 2wd passable with some careful driving especially on FS2316 which is narrow in places.