This was my first time up Barlow Ridge in the summer. Park at the Barlow Pass Sno-Park with a NW Forest Pass. The trail is well-marked, albeit the signs are up high due to this area's popularity during the winter. I encountered quite a few large blow down trees at the start of the hike, so be prepared for some significant tree scrambling.
Summary - Given the two hour drive, a really steep, brush covered cross county hike to the summit, and the need to bring HF along, summiting 4220 is best part of a multi-hill day. A map and compass or GPS is a really good idea, as are trekking poles and long pants.
Summary - Getting 4340 into the log requires a two hour drive, a short steep, brush covered cross county hike to the summit, and HF capability. A map and compass or GPS is a really good idea, as are trekking poles and long pants. There is no trail to the summit and on the way up you will encounter a lot of very large deadfall along with stands of manzanita and poison oak. 2M contacts are difficult unless other SOTA ops are working on nearby mountains, APRS works well, and ATT messaging sometimes.
DISCLAIMER: This summit should not be attempted without knowledge of rope systems, crevasse rescue and snow travel. It is a serious climb that should not be taken lightly.
Little Tahoma Peak is a sister summit of Mt Rainier. At 11,138' it is the 3rd tallest peak in Washington State. It is far less popular than Rainier due to the fact that the final few hundred feet is some of the loosest rock in the state.
My wife and I first attempted this a few years back, but only got to within 1/2 mile of the summit and I did not want to leave her at the car. We returned on 7/10/2021 so I could get this fairly easy first activation.
The forest service roads are easy to follow to and we parked at 48.8231, -121.9244. A motorsycle might be able to drive closer to the summit.
The 1/2 mile to get up was 400' in elevation gain. I started out too quickly and had to ratchet it down. I foloowed the road to the end and then traversed to the summit.
K7ATN reported poor road/driving conditions when attempting to get to the Zig Zag Mountain trailhead on the south side of Zig Zag Mountain. This report shares activation information for the north approach from Riley Horse Campground. The drive can easily be done in a passenger car (recreation permit to park). There are two options from this point, I took Cast Creek trail, and it was 12.8 miles RT with 3900 ft vertical climbing total.
We have been planning this climb for over 18 months. Our entire family was going to do the adventure in June of 2020, but COVID closed the park. Really I began planning before that. Shortly after I started SOTA, I began refining my kit and learning CW with the intent of one day being prepared for this mountain.
Our group:
Brundage Mountain is short, but punchy. Don't let the distance to summit fool you. It goes from a road to a double track that fades into the brush. We mostly followed the gps track from K7MK. His track yields a good spot to cross the creek and keeps you out of the thickest brush. Where we deviated was on dealing with the block below the summit. We opted for climbers right on the ascent and climbers left on the descent. The right side is more rocky and feels like a stairmaster. The left side is more dirt, so more slipping. Pick your poison I suppose, both are steep.
Today I dragged my Dad, my kids and their cousins up to Gracie Point summit.
I had read about the southern approach, from James WA7JNJ, which was listed as 5 or so miles one way and a rather steep hike. I figured that was a bit much for my crew so we went around back to the northern approach. Starting on N Wenas Rd turning north onto Sheep Company Road.
NOTE: A Washington DNR Discovery Pass is required. These can be ordered online the same day, if you forgot yours.
