Reprise on Jester Mountain, exactly 8 months later.  We originally activated Jester on September 3, 2014.  This time I returned with a different crew, and in a different season: Spring.  The flowers were out, the views were incredible as usual, and the weather was sunny, with a slight cooling breeze which kept it very pleasant.  Good company, successful Activation and sections of beautiful flower blooms made for a very nice outing.

This was our third hike to Elbow Peak; this time it was sunny!  Wow! Incredible views of the east side of all the Snoqualmie Pass peaks, and the mighty Stuart Range. We only saw 2 other couples the entire day, so a very peaceful and beautiful hike in the Teanaway region.  Only a few minor patches of snow at the 5000 foot level, and these were in the shady areas. No trouble passes them with only hiking poles. 

Willamette Valley Summit to Summit (S2S) Party
Saturday, May 16th 19:00 UTC (Noon local)
Frequency: 146.55 - FM

This event is a perfect way to introduce both hams and non-hams to SOTA.
Invite hams from your local club, bring your kids, neighbor or invite other
curious hikers on the summit to make a contact. This is a great day to enjoy
and promote our radio sport. If you bring HF gear, we can share our party
with distant chasers too.

The party will convene at 1900 UTC on 146.55Mhz - FM, rain or shine. A central

Attempt #1:

The rough road up to Kepros Mountain is only open during the fall hunting season.  I had concidered attempting this peak with a friend who has one of those cool RZR 4x4's.  However, that trip early last winter was called on account of bad weather.  So I waited until Spring to make the first real attempt.

A very nice springtime activation of Squak Mountain, 2,024 Feet, 617 Meters elevation, a 2 point SOTA summit.  This was a return trip to work HF, as opposed the all 2M FM I used on my first activation of Squak, a little less than a year ago.  We also ascended via the much less crowded East Ridge Trail, through nice old growth evergreen trees, and the lush green growth of spring.  I highly recommend the East Ridge route on Squak!

This is an easily accessed peak in an area that's currently undergoing logging activity. We went up on a Saturday and had the place to ourselves. The peak and ridge is rocky with a few trees and lot's of deer and elk sign. There is a pleasant view mostly to the east. The activation area is large with plenty of room for a dipole antenna. 

K7MK and I headed out on a somewhat blustery spring day for our second ever activation. With snow still on higher peaks and Forest Service roads not opening up until April 30th we headed to this nearby 1 pointer. Per Google Earth and other satellite imagery we knew there was a private home on the actual summit. But, it had been activated once before and the terrain looked like we should be able to find a spot in the activation zone somewhere to setup. Actually getting to this summit is a bit of a navigation challenge.