Activation Reports

All,

Here's a drive-up summit a few miles off Highway 26 when you are on your way to the coast. Not from from the well-trod Saddle Mountain, W7O/NC-004, it's one more point for the ambitious activator. The roads are easily traveled in a passenger car.

This summit is north of Highway 26 on the way to the coast from Portland.

In August 2017 Lewis & Clark Timberlands has posted the road to Humbug Mountain "Land closed to public entry due to high fire danger."

It had been open to foot traffic before summer and it was open in January 2018 - see trip report here.. 

This summit had never been activated and I now know why!  The USGS maps would have you believe there is a road to the summit.  There actually was a road when the forestry lookout was standing, but the last 1-1/2 miles of road is now overgrown and would take some guts and a great off-road 4-wheeler to traverse it.  These same last miles are steep and unrelenting, though completely forested.  When the so-called road ends. there are a few hundred feet of vertical trail required to reach the summt.

Scar Moutain is a old lookout site. No trail to the summit which required some bush wacking. Start by taking Parish Road off of Highyway 22 east of Detroit at 44°31'31.88"N 121°59'40.09"W. Follow this for about 2.25 miles. Turn right onto NF-1164 at 44°31'19.71"N 122° 1'49.04"W for about 2.5 miles. Then turn left on NF-1161 at 44°33'2.95"N 122° 2'38.65"W. Follow this for 4 miles. Turn left at 44°33'56.79"N 122° 6'26.54"W. The peak is on your left. After I went left I parked on a wide spot on the road less then a quarter mile in.

This is a quick update on Grass Mountain, W7O/CC-002, near Alsea, OR. In the past, this trail to a grassy meadow with nice views of the valley below was worth the time and effort.

However, the trail (actually an old logging road) has seen no maintenance for a number of years. It is very overgrown with young trees and shrubs; and it has quite a few downed trees over the trail, making passage difficult.

Powell Buttes HP is an RF intensive summit between Redmond and Prineville, OR. I believe that it is a VOR site in addition to the other typical radio equipment. It is clearly marked as off limits.

Give this one a pass.

On June 7, 2017 my wife and I were in the region east of Canyonville, OR. After enjoying Pickett Butte, we headed to Acker Rock, another rock outcrop with a lookout perched on top. Both of these are 2 point summits.

Pickett Butte is a two point summit east of Canyonville in southern Oregon. This 3296' peak has a lookout cabin on top of a 40' tower. The cabin is rented when not in fire lookout service. It was occupied on the June day we hiked up. The government guidelines specify that it is ok to hike from the locked gate to the summit when the cabin is rented. Just don't disturb the occupants. The hike from the gate to the summit was a little over 1/2 mile with 400' of elevation gain.

I was staying at The Lodge in Castle Rock State Park for a long weekend. This park is just north of City Of Rocks National Reserve which is a world class rock climbing destination. Though I am not a rock climber there are also a whole bunch of nice SOTA summits in the area. I picked CI-131 as I could see it from the front porch of The Lodge. In fact when I was on top, my wife, looking through binoculars, could see me waving at her. How often can your wife actually see you on a summit if she is not also with you?