Forested Summit

Summary:

Gifford Peak is a forested summit above Blue Lake in the Indian Heaven Wilderness. This area is a popular destination for day hikers and backpackers, directly on the Pacific Crest Trail, so be prepared to meet crowds any day with good weather. The lake can be approached from either Falls Creek Horse Camp or the Thomas Lake Trailhead. Once there, take Thomas Lake Trail to the northwest corner of the lake, and proceed up the ridge off-trail. The ridge is pronounced and easy to follow to the true summit.

TL;DR version - A nice four pointer and a good place to do a leisurely activation. Enough of a hike to feel like the one worked for the summit. Good APRS coverage, okay ATT data coverage. QRM on small portions of the CW frequencies (40/30/20M). Get there early or risk not finding a place to park and don't forget your WA Discover Pass.

Any opportunity to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for SOTA is a welcome one - and this may be one of the best we've experienced of this lovely national treasure of a trail. While only a bit less than five miles round trip and 1000 feet of gain, there is a challenging steep bushwack (Mode Sanglier - On!) that takes a bit of the shine off of the trail experience. A GPS will be important to successfully identifying the edge of the AZ.

Aldrich Mountain in Grant County has two fairly accessible summits that make a nice pair to activate as part of the same day trip.  These include Aldrich Mountain (W7O/NE-054) and 6401 (W7O/NE-205).  Both are 6-point and located in the far western part of the Malheur National Forest, with access from Hwy 26 and Forest Routes 21 (Field Creek Rd) and 2150.  Route 21 is paved while 2150 is a well-maintained gravel road.  Plan for a 15 mile drive on 2150.  There are campgrounds in the area.  

I have been eyeing Little Aspen since we spent a day last year trekking Aspen Butte right next to it. From the road I wasn't sure if it would be possible because mostly it was just lava outcropping that I didn't really want to hike in. After doing some research with satelitte images we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. It was a nice hike, a little over a mile to the summit, with no significant barriers. Some rock, some brush, some areas of downed timber, but nothing significant. No trail of course so just zigzagged through choosing clear path that was still going up.

This and W7O/SC-288 were detours after I got off work. I work overnight in the Applegate area and get done at 9am so had the day ahead of me and decided to check the area out. This summit was short hike but not easy. It was straight up in crumbly earth with slippery madrone leaves on top. I forgot my trekking poles and had to find a couple limbs to help me out. Once to the top, it was a peaceful little treed area, part of it a very old road. Easy set up.

This and W7O/SC-288 were detours after I got off work. I work overnight in the Applegate area and get done at 9am so had the day ahead of me and decided to check the area out. This summit was short hike but not easy. It was straight up in crumbly earth with slippery madrone leaves on top. I forgot my trekking poles and had to find a couple limbs to help me out. Once to the top, it was a peaceful little treed area, part of it a very old road. Easy set up.

Henline is a relatively low traffic hiking trail in the Opal Creek Wilderness. It boasts rhododendrons, a mostly-well-maintained trail, and reasonably consistent gains. The hike is entirely on public right of way, and can be accessed via North Fork Santiam Road and NFDR 2207 from Hwy 22 out of Salem. Turn left on North Fork Santiam Road about 22 miles from I-5, then drive straight. Eventually this road turns to a moderate gravel road, followed by a fork between 2207 and 2209. Take the left fork and head uphill a ways. You'll pass the more popular Henline Falls Trailhead.

Flattop Mountain is a drive-up for those with capable high clearance vehicles. And maybe for those ready to buy new tires - which was required of us - as the road was steep with sharp rocks.

Henry Peak is a two point summit overlooking Plains, Montana. It is due north of the intersection of highways 200 and 135. Please refer to the linked map below as I describe getting there. All forest Service roads in this description are good to fair and a four wheel drive is not necessarily needed but advised due to some bumpy and rocky spots.