No Joke on Jester Mountain, but Mr. Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) showed up. Fall is nearly in the air. The flowers are long gone, replaced by late season berries and mushrooms. Air temperature when leaving the car at 9:00 AM was 44 degrees F. Crossing Snoqualmie Pass, the weather was rainly, foggy & windy. It did not look promising, but the anticipated East Slope of Cascades Rain Shadow was in effect, and we had a glorious day in the Wenatchee mountains.
Good Views From Summit
First SOTA Activation: Jester Mountain, Kittitas / Chelan Counties (on dividing line), Washington - September 3, 2014
Hogback Mountain, OR | August 2014
Here's a sort of easy hike close in to Klamath Falls, Oregon. You'll keep your car clean as the trailhead access is paved all the way into the parking lot.
SOTA Activation: Monte Tamaro, Ticino Canton, Switzerland - July 31, 2014
Skunked In Switzerland!
My ambitions for activating several SOTA Summits in Switzerland fell far short. Switzerland has been experiencing one of the worst "summer" seasons in many decades. This is impacting tourism, and certainly impacted our plans.
Mount Zion, WA | August 2014
This is an easy hike in the Washington Olympics that is not far from Highway 101.
Mount Walker, WA | August 2014
Mount Walker is a nice drive-up or summit hike just off Highway 101 on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. There is a good view of Puget Sound from the summit and thus it makes for a good spot to try your hand at VHF/UHF contacts.
Round Mountain, WA | August 2014
Highway 12 between Morton and Yakima is out of the way, but a scenic delight. If you find yourself driving through, this is a nice summit to activate. There are a number of other summits in this area - several of which appear to require significant rock climbing skills but this one is a straightforward hike.
Stevens Peak, WA | July 2014
Stevens Peak in Mount Rainier National Park, is a committed alpine climb. It's recommended you prepare carefully reading guidebooks and climbing websites, and making sure you have the necessary skills, experience and equipment. You will need to be able to handle wilderness route finding, high angle snow ascent and descent, mixed rock and snow, rock climbing, and challenging terrain.
Unicorn Peak, WA | July 2014
There are two Unicorn Peaks in Washington - this Unicorn Peak is in the Tatoosh Range in Mount Rainier National Park. Unicorn Peak is a committed alpine climb - it can't really be considered a hike.
Stuart Peak Backpack / SOTA
This was a great trip for the wife and I and we had a great time. We left early on Monday morning and hiked in to a camp about 8 miles in. On Tuesday we got up and hiked the 5 miles to the summit and spent most of the morning afternoon up there on the summit. For rough directions to the summit go down to the local REI and buy a "Rattlesnake Recreation Area" map. There are many ways to get to this summit but none are short. Though it can technically be done in a day from the main rattlesnake trailhead (the way we came out), I would not suggest it. Take your time and enjoy the views.
SOTA Activation: Red Top Mountain, Kittitas County, Washington - July 1, 2014
Easy 2 Mile RT (or less) leads to this fantastic overlook of the Teanaway River Valley, Mount Stuart Range, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and hundreds of other Cascade peaks.
All SOTA contacts were on 20M SSB, using my 20M inverted V dipole suspended fron a 22 ft. Carbon Fiber fishing pole. I made 12 contacts in 8 states over approximately 30 minutes.