This was a NYE 'double' activation, and the 2023 part of it got me to 2000 activator points! You can read WW7D's report of our adventure in the January-February-March 2023 PNWSOTA Newsletter:
Pass Required at Trailhead
Mount Lillian South WA | Dec 2022
This was my 6th time activating this summit! 3 of those activations involved using a snowmobile to get close, and then using snowshoes to get on to the summit. One of those trips involved us towing K7JRO on a dog sled behind one of the snowmobiles.
In the summer this summit is easily accessible with a high clearence vehicle (and a short hike). See K7MAS trip report for summer details. Winter access to this area is via Blewett Pass sno park, located off US 97 at Blewett Pass. A Sno Park pass is required.
3420 (mount beacon) wa | november 2022
Summary - 3420 (Mount Beacon) is on Weyerhauser's Longview land northwest of Merrill Lake and is most easily accessed through a gate at the end of Kalama River Road. The highway drive is roughly eighty minutes from PDX; to the trailhead, plan on another hour or so along logging roads. The hike is roughly 1.5 miles and an eight hundred foot climb and ends in a nice operating position with views to the west. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. There is no ATT cell service but APRS pings get picked up.
2466 (amplifier peak) wa | november 2022
Summary - 2466 (Amplifier Peak) is on Weyerhauser's Longview land northwest of Merrill Lake and is most easily accessed through a gate on Kalama River Road. The highway drive from PDX is roughly eighty minutes; to the trailhead, plan on another forty minutes or so along logging roads to the summit. The last part of the drive is through an active logging area and the road is often closed, so you may want to have a backup plan. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. Cell phone service is marginal, and APRS pings get picked up.
Lava Butte - OR - November 2022
Very easy walk in all seasons. Summer is very busy.
Full trip report at https://w7mtb.blog/2022/11/activation-report-w7oce-188-lava-butte.html
lakeview peak wa (snowshoe) | november 2022
Summary - Lakeview Peak is on Weyerhauser's Longview land north of Yale and is accessed through a gate on Rock Creek Road. The drive to the gate is roughly eighty minutes. From the gate to the summit is another 2.5 miles and a 1400 foot climb along logging roads. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. Cell phone service is marginal, and APRS pings get picked up.
big bull wa | october 2022
Summary - Big Bull is one of three peaks (LC-100, LC-091, LC-068) in the Northeast corner of Weyerhauser's Longview land. It is a drive up roughly two hours from Portland, much of it over logging roads. There is a very short hike (twenty yards) to the densely forested summit and the best operating position is in an opening a little below the top. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. Cell phone service is marginal, and APRS pings get picked up.
3860 (mount binary) wa | october 2022
Summary - 3860 (Mount Binary) is one of three peaks (LC-100, LC-091, LC-068) in the Northeast corner of Weyerhauser' Longview parcel. It is roughly two and a half hours from Portland, much of it over logging roads. There is a short hike (less than a mile) up an unused logging road which ends on an open ridge with nice views. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. Cell phone service is marginal, and APRS pings get picked up.
3566 (mount diode) wa | oct 2022
Summary - 3566 (Mount Diode) is one of three peaks (LC-100, LC-091, LC-068) in the Northeast corner of Weyerhauser-owned land. It is roughly two and a half hours from Portland, much of it over logging roads that get rougher as you go higher. The summit is clear cut and covered with stumps and the best operating position is along the road. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs. Cell phone service is marginal, and APRS pings get picked up. There are good views of the surrounding hills.
elk mountain, wa | october 2022
Summary - Getting to the top of Elk Mountain, on Weyerhauser land west of Mount Saint Helens, is a either a steep two mile hike on an abandoned forest road or mostly a drive up with a short climb. It is the highest of a group of three summits about two hours from SE Portland. The summit is a nice operating position with views, a concrete communication shed, the remains of a lookout tower, and a hunk of airplane that crashed there years ago. Don't count on two meters to make your four QSOs, cell phone service is very marginal, and APRS pings get picked up.