Good Views From Summit

Elephant Mountain - interesting name for a small peak in central Washington, not too far from Yakima. For the right vehicle it might be a drive up - our rental car found the steep road to be a bit much and we hiked the rest of the way to the summit.

We climbed a little less than a mile and 500 feet to the top and then perhaps 50 yards farther east. The views once past the repeater sites are excellent and if you are thoughtful about supporting your antenna using a small shrub, you are set.

You know that day in a late western Oregon summer when the wind blows a little
differently? That special wind tells you that summer is pretty much done and snow
is on the way. This was one of those days.

We started out in overcast valley skies as we headed towards Eugene and Hwy 126
traveling towards the Cascades. As we passed the 3000ft elevation sign on Hwy 242,
the skies cleared and the day was bathed in bright sunshine with a blue sky clearer
than a New England winter day. Another great day to enjoy the mountains, a little
radio and simply being alive.

Activation of Mount Langley, 14,042 feet, High Sierra's of California, Inyo County.  Sunshine, blue sky & endless granite...but with a little price to pay.

 The Hike (Scramble) is 4.75 miles south - southeast of Mount Whitney, California, and 9.5 miles southwest of the town of Lone Pine, California. This was a father / son outing with my 28 year old son, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks (sea level), and I, a 62 year old who resides in Bellevue, Washington, at the high altitude of 728 feet.

Take exit 233 off of I-5 and head east on US 20.  In 5.4 miles, turn left onto Hwy 226.  In another 9.2 miles, go right onto 226 toward Lyons.  In another 8.8 miles, stay right on the Lyons-Albany Highway.  Go 5.6 miles and stay left on 226.  Cross the river and turn right onto US 22 at 1.2 miles (toward Mill City).

It was raining steadily as we left the Willamette Valley Friday morning. Radar showed that a band of showers were over our activation site but we pushed on being always optimistic (heck I'm a QRPer, I've got to be optimistic!) We arrived at the Maxwell Butte Snowpark parking lot ahead of schedule.  I figured that we would be on the summit in a couple of hours, maybe an hour ahead of time. Optimistic, like I said...

First Activation of Cirque Peak, 12,900 feet, High Sierra's of California, Inyo County.  Sunshine, blue sky & endless granite...but with a little price to pay.

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

Finally got the round-tuit for my first activation.  First Butte had not yet been actiivated and looked pretty easy so off we went.  It isn't much of a hike.  There is a high clearance forest road that takes you to the summit.  Some internet sites report that the Bromas Creek approach is closed due to a washout on NFR 37.   The Forest Service has built a detour, NFR 3700-805 that is not on the FS map but connects to 3700-825.  

This was a wonderful day for an activation of Scott Mountain.  The trailhead is reached by taking the turnoff for Scott Lake Campground off of OR242 a few miles west of the Dee Wright Observatory. Follow the gravel road past all the campsites to the quarry at the end of the road.  There are two trails that start from there.  Take the Benson Trail 3402 to go most directly to Scott Mountain.