Silver Star, WA | November 2016
Silver Star is a classic hike in SW Washington that should be on everyone's list to do at least once.
Trail requires special care due to difficult or technical obstacles
Silver Star is a classic hike in SW Washington that should be on everyone's list to do at least once.
Rock Butte is a short bushwhack with no views or other redeeming qualities in the Activation Zone. It's just past Timothy Lake east of Mount Hood.
Peak 7384 is the next SOTA Peak to the north of Granite Mountain W7I/SR-138. It is bushwhacking at its finest with endless deadfall on the main portion of the mountain. Limited views from the summit make this peak not the most enjoyable, but it is SOTA nonetheless and that is always good!
Sky Mountain is a high point on the ridge directly across US Highway 2 from Stevens Pass Ski Resort. The summit is at Point 5,482 feet, and is not actually named on the USGS topo maps. Sky Mountain hike/scramble is only about 5 miles RT, and 1,700 feet elevation gain. Despite the relatively short distance and modest elevation gain, this scramble is not trivial. Tim, KG7EJT, tried it in winter, but turned back due to weather and avalanche hazard. So now we returned for a joint Activation in the last week of summer 2016 for what turned out to be the "The Great Tarzan Traverse" route variant.
Pansy Mountain is a challenging activation with a steep cross-country approach for the last half mile. Be sure to use a GPS or have a fantastic sense of direction so you can find you way BACK to the trail.
Cruising through Chemult Oregon at 6:40am, the dashboard said the outside temperature
was 29 degrees. This was far cooler than we anticipated for our attempt on Mt. Thielsen.
A few years ago, my son Andrew and I tried this summit but were driven off by mosquitoes
and our lack of DEET. I actually inhaled two of the beasts and slapped my glasses off my
face several times before we literally ran back to the safety of our car. The Diamond Lake
area is legendary for mosquitoes.
This morning was different. It was a brisk 36 degrees at the Mt. Thielsen trailhead. Seeing
Here's another summit in the Diamond Lake area to activate if you have a few hours to spare - it's a short hike, but there's no trail. And note that there are three Oregon summits with this same name.
Ben Smith (Peak 2592) is a summit with a short but steep hike in the Coast Range of Oregon - specifically in the Tillamook State Forest. Roads in the Tillamook Forest are usually good - however the signage and documentation are remarkably poor. What's on the ground doesn't necessarily match your GPS map or what in Google Earth and vice versa.
Access: Since SR26 is closed from the north due to a washout, you must come in on SR26 from the south. Take SR25 south out of Randle then SR99 west towards Windy Ridge. At approx 11 mi in, take SR26 north for about 1 mi to the Norway Pass TH parking area. Restrooms are available.
Note: The Independance Ridge trail is closed due to a washout.
Just north of Detroit, Oregon are a nice bunch of summits - Peak 4740 is more of an...let's say...adventure. From where I parked it's less than a mile to the top - some on a rough road and some "cross-country" travel.