Good Views From Summit

I won't give all the details of how to get to Red Top, etc. This summit has been well covered by others. Here is an interesting report from K7MAS for comparison:

http://www.pnwsota.org/blog/k7mas/2015-march-09/sota-activation-red-top-mountain-kittitas-county-washington-march-8-2015

Summary: On 31MARCH19 I decided to complete the first activation of W7O/NC-072 currently called only '2905' I had briefly attempted this summit for the S2S party on 23MAR19 but found the road covered in snow.  Today however I was able to drive the majority of the way up with the actual hike portion being fairly short but sweet.  I made the mistake of completing the activation during a big CQ competition so the entire 20m band was full of signals but I was still about to get 18 contacts including 3 s2s contacts.

To get to Stacker Butte, from Interstate 84, take exit 87 at the Dalles and go north across the Columbia River for aproximately 3.5 miles to Highway 14.  Note; After taking exit 87 and turning north, there is a McDonalds on the left.  This is the last oportunity for "facilities".  If you dont use them, Stacker butte is very exposed all the way up, and you will be too!  Also, this bridge crossing the columbia is NOT a toll bridge.  When you get to Hwy 14, turn right (east) and go about .9 miles to Dalles Mtn Rd and turn left.  Pavement ends here and turns into a

Summary: On 28MAR19 I decided to knock out the first activation on Field Effect Hill (aka Megler Mountain).  The weather started out beautiful and sunny but I ended up having to complete my activation in the rain which contiuned until I had started the hike back down when the sun returned.  Overall, the hike isnt bad but the the horrible wide band RFI in the vincinity of the summit made this less fun for an HF activation than most summits which tend to be far quieter.

5.9 miles, +3,100 ft, -300 ft

Mostly on-trail, Some Off-Trail

The trailhead (Glacier National Park – Lubec Lake / Firebrand Pass Trailhead) is easy to get to, but also easy to miss.  The trailhead parking is on a short (500-foot) loop turnoff from Highway-2 that is squeezed between the highway and the railroad tracks.  The trailhead is 6.25 miles from the main intersection in East Glacier, and 8.6 miles from the John F. Stevens monument at the summit of Marias Pass.

West Tiger Mountain is one of W7W's most frequently activated summits. It is part of the 'Issaquah Alps', and being close to Seattle is a very popular day hiking area. Arrive early to get parking near the trailhead, and don't forget your Discover Pass!

There are a series of summits called 'West Tiger' - the one we are interested in for SOTA is known as West Tiger 1. 

Winter activation of a "standard Idaho 2-pointer" (read: barely achievable especially during winter!).  I took advantage of a newly activated holiday at work (President's day) to activate the closest summit to Boise.  I went up the standard "hiking" summer route.  The round trip on foot is 11.5 miles and 3000 ft vertical.  The summer "4x4 drive-up" route is gated closed Nov-April and is currently under a bunch of snow.  

Peak 5580 is in a cluster of 2-pointers east of Mountain Home Idaho on the north side of Hwy 20.  They lie about 1.5 hours from Boise so it makes for a nice trip to knock off a few summits.  These summits are generally considered the most achievable around Boise even know it takes a short drive to get there.  Other summits in the area require off road driving or longer hikes.  Some of the peaks in the cluster are available for year round access (SR-130 being the best), but Peak 5580 is a ways off the highway.  In the winter the road is not maintained and could be sn

Here's a long snowshoe in winter - 7 miles round trip and 800 feet elevation gain. The lookout is rented in the winter, so be sure no one is there if you climb up the stairs to take advantage of the additional height. 

Hurricane Hill is the high point of Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. It's a fairly easy hike in the summer season, and quite a ways farther in the winter on snowshoes. The summer hike is about 3.0 miles round trip, while in winter it will be closer to 5.6 miles. Although the net elevation gain is about 500 feet, you'll be going up and down along the ridge for more elevation gain, especially in winter.