Fox Butte Fire Lookout - First Activation 1Jun14

Fox Butte is the site of a now defunct fire lookout tower that is listed in the National Historical Lookout registry. The road to the top is gated, leaving you with a hike of roughly 3/4 mile to the summit. That's if you're comfortable backing down an inclined double track about 1/4 mile - there is no, repeat no, turnaround.

Summit

Dragontail Peak, WA | May 2014

Dragontail Peak, near Leavenworth, WA, is a committed and remote alpine climb - it can't really be considered a hike. This trip report can only give an impression and some basic facts - you will need to prepare carefully and appropriately by reading guidebooks and climbing websites, and making sure you have the necessary skills, experience and equipment. You will need to be able to handle wilderness route finding, high angle snow ascent and descent, rock climbing, and challenging terrain.

Summit

SOTA Activation: Rattlesnake Mountain, King County, Washington - May 15, 2014

On a training hike for our Switzerland Hiking / Climbing tour next July / August.  Accompanied by my wife Sharon and our Labrador Retriever Dexter.  Rattlesnake Mountain is a relatively easy 9.2 miles round trip (including preliminary walk to trail head from parking lot), gaining 2,500 feet +/- to a summit elevation of 3,517.  TH is is easily accessible from my home QTH in Bellevue, WA.  I-90 east to exit 32 in North Bend, then good but windy paved road to Rattlesnake Lake area.  The hike is through mostly wooded terrain, with some sections

Summit

Trailhead Pass Enforcement in Southwest Washington

There are a bunch of different passes required to access public land for Summits on the Air - I currently have five and under some circumstances, I might need to acquire another. For example, the 35-year reciprocity between Oregon and Washington for Sno-Park permits ended in 2014 - if I do a winter activation in Washington I would need to get a $20 day pass or a $40 annual pass.