I made an attempt for Evergreen mountain today and the road is still pretty snowed in at least 15 miles from the TH. It gets pretty rough for all but very high clerance vehicles about 20 miles from the TH as well. I wasn't willing to hike 30+ miles today so I turned around.
Activation Reports
From Marble Mountain SnoPark, head up, then left to the current true summit. Ski down.
H Henry's 6min video starts 7min in.
YouTu.be/Vga0kwoZVUo
On the summit of Laurel Mountain, Oregon is the Falls City FAA Radar Site - a Federal Aviation Administration facility in Polk County, Oregon. The site is used to identify and track aircraft and provide air to ground radio communications. It is restricted access.
7.0 miles, +2,600 ft; -1,800 From Elk Mountain TH
I activated the way out from the Wylies Peak area on the final day of a 15-day backpacking trip; but the route description is the more direct route across Goat Creek.
16.2 miles, +4,300 ft; -4,200 From Elk Mountain TH
1.2 miles, +300, - 200 ft ft from Trail 562 Junction
I activated this on the 14th day of a 15-day backpacking from the Elk Mountain Trailhead, via Mink Ridge & Marten Creek with a side-trip up Marten Creek to Marten Hot springs; but the route description is the more direct route across Goat Creek and along the Square Rock & Moose Ridge.
18.5-miles, +4,700 ft; -5,300 From Elk Mountain TH
3.5 miles, +800, - 1,500 ft ft from Trail 562 Junction
I activated this on the 13th day of a 15-day backpacking from the Elk Mountain Trailhead, via Mink Ridge & Marten Creek with a side-trip up Marten Creek to Marten Hot springs; but the route description is the more direct route across Goat Creek and along the Square Rock & Moose Ridge.
This was the second activation of LC-001 for both WE7CAT and KL0NP. The first year WE7CAT had just gotten her tech license and was too shy to talk on the radio. The next year she activated it without me with using an Anytone 878 with stock rubber duck antenna and was able to do a S2S with me while I was on Mt. Townsend in the Olympics. This year WE7CAT/AE had just passed her Extra Class exam, and was ready to make contacts.
10.7-miles, +3,800 ft; -2,900 From Elk Mountain TH
1.2 miles, +1,000 ft from Trail 562 Junction
I activated this on the 12th day of a 15-day backpacking from the Elk Mountain Trailhead, via Mink Ridge & Marten Creek with a side-trip up Marten Creek to Marten Hot springs; but the route description is the more direct route across Goat Creek and along the Square Rock ridge that we took on our way out.
24.2 miles, +7,500 ft; - 6,800 From Elk Mountain TH
5.2 miles, +3,800; -500 ft from Buck Lake Creek
I activated this on the 7th day of a 15-day backpacking from the Elk Mountain Trailhead, but other approaches such as Meadow Creek or Indian Hill may also offer access. We climbed from a camp in the beautiful Cedar-Hemlock forest alongside Buck Lake Creek. While the forest is unburned upstream from the Disgrace Butte trail junction, the forest downstream was burned on the south side of the creek in a 2019 fire.