Easy Trail

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Burma Rd HP, AKA Point 4,230, W7O/CE-304.  Prior to coming to the Bend / Sunriver area, I had contacted Ron, W6PZA, who lives in Bend, Oregon.  I had seen on-line that he had been a very consistent Activator in this area, and reached out to him to possibly arrange some joint Activations.  Happily,

Blue Nose is a US Forest Service Lookout built in 1934.  The structure still exists. From the summit are good views of the steep slopes of the Salmon River Canyon and high summits of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The final access road is a bit steep and rough.  It is an OK drive-up for a ‘high clearance’ vehicle, ATV or a mountain bike. 

The summit is on the Idaho/Montana border. There are several summits along the roads in this area for multiple summit days, provided one is camped nearby. 

This is a burned-over flat-summit on the Idaho/Montana Border.  Access is via an obscure 4x4 road that takes off to the north from FS#038.  Along this road after several hundred feet is a flatten area used as a dispersed campsite most commonly in hunting season.  Beyond this area the road becomes an ATV track weaving through a snag forest and leading to the summit. 

There are many snags to hang wire antennas. 

Lakeside Ridge is an easy to get to summit with a nice hike of about 1.5 miles one way on a dirt road.  It offers plenty of space and plenty of small trees to lean a mast against or string an antenna on.  It's a pretty nice place for an activation.  We had some pretty nice weather, the sounds of cows nearby and good DX.  I was able to log New Zealand and France.

This un-named summit on the Idaho/Montana Border has similar views as Skookum Butte Lookout to the east 1.5 miles.  The route also has good views looking down on Granite Lake.  Distance views are peaks in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.  It combines a vehicle drive, mountain bike road, a hiking trail and off-trail hike.  Moose can be spotted grazing in the willow bottoms or lake shore in this area.   

Miller Peak is a large commercial communications site.  Given that, the road accessible to the public is narrow, brushy and with few places to pass on coming vehicles.  The road can become a bit crowded in later summer if a huckleberry crop along the road entices pickers. 

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Pine Benchmark, W7O/CE-068.  A little earlier in the day, we had Activated Pine Mountain, W7O/CE-058, approximately 1.6 miles SE away, as the crow flies.  This duo makes a fine single day Activation with minimal effort getting from one TH to the other.

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Pine Mountain, W7O/CE-058.  On the same day, a few hours later, we also Activated Pine Benchmark, W7O/CE-068, which lies approximately 1.6 miles NW of Pine Mountain.  That Activation will be subject of separate report.

Between our October 21, 2020 arrival in Sunriver, Oregon, and our October 30 departure, we were fortunate enough to have a spell of mostly cold and dry weather.  This allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  We also had the opportunity of doing 2 joint Activations with Ron, W6PZA, of Bend, Oregon - which was a lot of fun!  This report is one of a series, and deals with Mount Bachelor, W7O/CM-005.  The mountain is a Strata-Volcano, standing 9,065 feet in elevation.  It is in close proximity to the Three Sisters Wilderness, with its 3 name

Brandy Peak is a short hike on a good trail. It is accessible in any vehicle. It’s not close to a population center. You knew there was a catch. The views from the top are spectacular and 360 degrees. It might be on your shuttle route if you are running the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue or the Illinois Rivers. Road is closed in winter.