Exposed Summit

Bald Mountain, above Sun Valley, Idaho, is one of the most interesting and picturesque activations I’ve ever done.  There is no need to describe access due to the myriad of information available on-line (i.e., hike/snowshoe, mountain bike, drive, etc.) If you choose to hike, there is a foot traffic permit required.  Though it costs to ride the gondola/chair lift up, there is no cost to ride them down.  We decided to make the activation a family affair and took the gondola to the Roundhouse restaurant, transferred to the Christmas chair lift, and then hiked the .44 miles along

After climbing climbing Mt Thielsen (W7O/CS-002) with K6ARK our legs were feeling good, so we decided to try for the first activation of Hollys Ridge (W7O/CS-007). From the junction with the Thielsen climbers trail, take the PCT North. This will wrap east around the ridge line. Exit the PCT at 43.16113, -122.06537 and head down to the glacial stream. Here we crossed to the north side of the stream and bushwacked through the pines (not bad) towards the saddle between Thielsen and Holly. Here we made the mistake of going straight up the saddle.

Of the four Cougar Mountains in Oregon, this one is an easy two pointer south off of Highway 58, east of Oakridge, OR. This is a near drive up (or drive up if you are brave) and makes a convenient summit when travelling Hwy 58. 

See Etienne's report for more details.  I wanted to add just a few words on the road condition to the upper trailhead (road 370).  

It is definitely high clearance and 4WD recommended, quite bumpy with large ruts in places.

However, we made it here and were able to park 500 ft east (43.140115, -122.280369) of the upper trailhead (43.139310, -122.281990).

I had hiked into the Independence Lakes area a few days earlier and was blown away with the beauty of the ancient glacier bowl where the lakes are located. From the lakes you can see Cache Peak to the south dominating the skyline, thus my interest was piqued.  From summitost.org:

This was a first-time activation of the summit.  There are two summits very close to each other with a shallow saddle.  I ignored my GPS and arrived at the false summit and had to scurry over to the actual summit.  This was a 400-foot (only 20-foot elevation) mistake.

Lovely mostly shady hike to a peak with a good view of mt hood. Highly recommended activation.

There are a few routes to get to Mount Defiance. We took the hike from Warren lake described here on Oregon Hikers (different from 2012 trip report). 

Black Butte is a moderate hike, with phenomenal views of the Central Oregon Cascade range. There is an active fire tower that should be avoided, as the public is not allowed near the tower during fire season. The hike is a 2.1 mile, steady pitch that ascends 1600ft from the parking area. Getting to the trailhead can be done in any passenger car, though the last mile is a bit rough due to a lot of runoff from the heavy snows this past winter. From US Highway 20 turn South on FS-11, then take a left on FS-1110 to the parking area.

WV-117 is a long walk along a mostly exposed route to a completely exposed summit.  In fact, it was a very sunny and very warm hike that was much longer than expected.  I estimated based on what I could see with my eyes from the Santiam Canyon (and what I could see in satellite imagery) that there'd be no shade, and possibly no trees either.  I guessed about a 3/4 of a mile shorter than reality.   But I was mostly right - there was only one treed spot along the 4.5 mile route up that offered any relief from the sun, and there were none for either shade or suitable a