Activation Reports

Miller Peak is a large commercial communications site.  Given that, the road accessible to the public is narrow, brushy and with few places to pass on coming vehicles.  The road can become a bit crowded in later summer if a huckleberry crop along the road entices pickers. 

Another Bald Mountain on my list. I swear we need a S2S Party just for summits with "Bald" in the name! Easy drive to summit but not really any view, just a nice park-like area. Beautifully timbered, relatively flat summit top. Easy to set up. I had zero service here. Might of had texting if I set up on the west edge but I almost always go for the east side. I had trouble hitting RBN and being found. 40m rescued me and I was able to get several QSOs once found.

Olson is a near drive to summit. Find a good spot to park on the side of the road and find a good opening in the timber and brush to get to the top/AZ. The road may even be in the AZ but I went a bit higher. Ample area and trees to set up and logs to sit on. We took the Butte Falls Hwy to Cobleigh Rd to Medco B Rd. All gravel roads were well maintained.

TL;DR - Peak 3534 is a twenty to thirty minute drive from South Saddle Mountain (W7O/NC-002) over logging roads. You pass South Saddle to get to 3534 so a two summit, four point day is easy. 4WD, good directions, and GPS are really handy. Once you park, the short hike up is steep but no worries, there's a longer, gentler path, too. The summit has no views, a small open space, trees, good APRS signals, and is RF quiet. Not a summit for hanging out nor the best place for HF antennas but easy to activate with 2M FM.

TL; DR - There are at least six Saddle Mountains in W7O and W7W, this is the one close to peak 3534. The drive to the parking area is easily done in a 4WD vehicle but is a bit confusing, so have a good map and GPS. From the parking lot to the summit, the walk is easy. I had no RFI issues, good two-way APRS, and a comfortable spot (in the sun) to sit. Below the commercial communications site, you will find trees for wires and a broad view to the east.

Camelback Mountain is accessible by taking Pocatello Crk Rd (in Pocatello) east until you see Park Rd just East of the KOA campground.  Park Rd connects Pocatello Crk Rd to West Buckskin Rd.  Go East on West Buckskin Rd.  Camelback is a BLM landlocked summit.  The only public access is on W. Buckskin Rd located at 42.86979  -112.35881 There is barely enough room for two cars on the side of the road across from  a private residence. There is a BLM pin but it is hard to find..it is there though ...I found it..

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Pine Benchmark, W7O/CE-068.  A little earlier in the day, we had Activated Pine Mountain, W7O/CE-058, approximately 1.6 miles SE away, as the crow flies.  This duo makes a fine single day Activation with minimal effort getting from one TH to the other.

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Pine Mountain, W7O/CE-058.  On the same day, a few hours later, we also Activated Pine Benchmark, W7O/CE-068, which lies approximately 1.6 miles NW of Pine Mountain.  That Activation will be subject of separate report.

Haystack Mountain is one of several SOTA summits near the Magruder Corridor.  This road divides some of the most wild-country in Idaho, the Selway Bitterroot and Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness areas.   A trail system FS#26, and a non-system hunter trail is near the summit however it is much shorter to just bushwhack from the road through mostly open forest.  Only a short obstacle of downed trees slows the otherwise easy hike. 

An opportunity for a one-day, three summits activation.  A good US Forest Service road system gets one close enough to activate three summits easily in one day, rare in Western Montana.  Babcock Mountain is forested summit.  The other two summits, Golden Mountain (W7M/GA-141) and Burnt Mountain (W7M/GA-145) are open summits and accessible via short hikes from the same US Forest Service road system.  Trees are available for attaching wire antennas or antenna poles.  The summit has limited views due to its being nearly flat and completely forested.