Williamson Mtn, OR | July 2020

Summit

Williamson Peak is a nice day hike in the Cascade Lakes region west of Bend - located in the Three Sisters Wilderness area near Lava Lake.  The best way to reach the mountain is from the Lucky Lake Trailhead, just off Cascade Lakes NS Byway/Lava Lake Road.  From there the hike up to the summit is a little under 4 miles via the Senoj/Six Lakes Trail.  The trail grade varies from near flat to moderate with a total elevation gain of around 1600'. 

North Chuckanut Mountain, WA | February 2020

Summit

North Chuckanut is a heavily treed summit with very limited views, but is a nice well-marked hike.  On a cloudy and rainy Saturday, the trail was well used.  To access the summit, use the Pine & Cedar Lakes trailhead which is easily accessed off I-5 near Bellingham, WA.  There is good parking and no pass required.

 Directions:

Camano Island, WA | Nov 2019

Summit

Camano Island is a 1-point summit accessed via a short and nearly flat elevation gain hike, or drive-up due to larger activation area.  Thank you Josh WU7H for blog comment about drive-up option, and difficulty trying to chase this summit.  Stopping on side of N Cross Island Rd just North of the summit appears to be one drive-up option (see picture below).

Park Butte, WA | July 2019

Summit

Park Butte was one of my favorite hikes this year, and is a 6 point summit located near Mount Baker in Whatcom County, WA.  Thank you to Todd W7TAO for his YouTube SOTA videos, which sparked my interest activating.  Definitely enjoyed hiking near Mt Baker, the views, and activating near the lookout.  Since it is a heavily trafficked trail, this was mid-week activation.

Bald Hill, WA (near Monroe) | March 2019

Summit

Bald Hill is located just west of Monroe in Snohomish County, WA.  While the summit is on private property, there is a small activation zone located in the SE corner of Lord Hill Regional Park.  Hiking distance was ~2.2miles RT, and 467 feet of gain (most of which was in short section of Pipeline trail). 

Patterson Mountain, WA April 2019

Summit

After the North Cascades Highway opened, enjoyed taking a mid-week day to activate this summit near Winthrop, WA.  Spring is a great time as temperatures were in mid-60's, there was no snow, and some flowers were blooming.  Both WTA and AllTrails have great trail information, and links are provided below.  Trailhead is located about 15 minutes (7.8 miles) from main 4-way stop in Winthrop.  Boatlaunch & Trailhead parking is at the Northeast corner of Patterson Lake, and a Discover pass is required for parking at the boat launch.

Green Lookout Mtn Trip Report

Summit

Road Access: Good to Trailhead. The last 1/4-mi to summit is a bushwhack over steep terrain and fallen trees, undergrowth dense in areas. High-clearance 2WD okay to the recommended parking area. Access: East from Yacolt on Sunset Falls Rd which turns into FR42. Travel the pot-holed FR42 until it intersects with FR53. Then travel NW for about 1/2-mi until the next intersection and a rock quarry. FR5304 is not marked but is the eastern most road. Travel about 1/2 mi NE then park at the "Y" fork in the road.

Tolmie Peak

Summit

It took me 2 days to get my 4 contacts at Tolmie Peak. I drove an hour and a half from Buckley, WA down HI 162 to Mowich lake. I then hiked the 2.9 miles past Lake Euclid to Tolmie Peak and experienced strong winds and driving rain to get heard. 

I bought my Rainier park pass on the way to Mowich lake and a Fee Stop, $20. 

There is clean water at Lake Euclid and while the rain is falling so are the streams. there were 2 waterfalls along the trail. 

Coldwater Peak / August 31, 2013

Summit

Trail starts at the east end of the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center parking lot. Need a USFS permit to park there. Trail is good most of the way and there is information on the hike here. You can actually see the peak from the trailhead and the majority of the trail is out in the open so make sure you bring sunscreen. Bring plenty of water as there is none along the trail. The hardest part is the last 3/4 mile which is steep climbing with switchbacks. Ran into lots of people along the trail but only 3-4 back towards the peak.