Summit is exposed to wind, rain, sun (and good views)
Summary - Little Huckleberry's small summit is open, has terrific views of the surrounding mountains, and is a nice place to operate. The trail is easy to follow, climbs about 1800 feet over two and half miles, and is popular, so an early start is a good idea. Bring a mast if you want to hang a wire. Two meters works okay. Both APRS and ATT digital service are reliable.
Black Pine Ridge is a drive-to summit on easy Forest Service roads just outside of Phillipsburg, Montana. The last mile of the road is rocky and I advise four wheel drive for the trek.
Getting there: From Phillipsburg, Montana travel north on highway 1 approximately 1.8 miles. Turn left onto Black Pine Road and go 2.9 miles. Take a left turn onto Forest Service Road 448 and travel 3.25 miles. Here, veer left onro Forest Service 178. Travel 6.0 miles to the summit.
An easy drive to the trailhead and a moderate 2.5 mile hike makes for a good day in the northwest corner of Montana. As with many summits up here, it's just a very remote area and it's quite a long drive from anywhere. Well worth it, however.
Here's a wilderness peak where backpacking is a good choice - it's a long seven miles one-way and about 2700 feet of gain - it would be a lot to do in one day. It would even be possible to camp on the summit - but be ready to carry your water.
Unless you're in extremely good shape (or just crazy) Sentinel Peak should be done as a backpack trip. The best way to activate is to hike to Aneroid Lake along the E Fork Wallowa Lake Trail (1804) starting at the Wallowa Lake TH.
To get to the Wallowa Lake TH drive to Joseph, OR and continue South on hwy 351/Powerhouse Rd. Once near the southern end of the lake take a left to stay on Powerhouse Road and follow it to the end. Parking is free and you do not need a NW Forest Pass for this TH.
I have already written a long blog on Wagner but thought I would do a separate update as I finally took the trail for most of the trip. Keep in mind that what all us locals know as the trailhead is not on most maps, they have it down the road. There is a large parking area opposite the TH that is not on many maps 42.11449, -122.80047 is where you want to be. From here it will be about 9 miles RT with about 2600' gain, according to my trackers. I took a few paths off trail so there is a little estimation. The trail is nice.
An easy summit in the John Day area is Long Creek Mountain. To access it turn east off of Highway 395 on NF-3940. This turn is at the Long Creek Summit, 44.6789, -119.1309. The turn off the highway is steep, but I believe it is Priusable to 44.6626, -119.0480. From here it is half a mile and 250 ft. of gain on a rough road to the summit. You can drive it with high clearance and your mirrors folded in, if you don’t mind a few paint scratches.
If you are touring anywhere near Crater Lake National Park, Garwood Butte is a quiet destination for an activation. The forest road is fairly Priusable and the hike is reasonably short, even if a bit steep in places. As for a number of other summits, one reward for making it to the top is a historic fire lookout. The "upper" trailhead is about 1 mile and 600 feet of gain - from Forest Road 3703 (Three Lakes Rd) it's about 2.3 miles and 1000 feet.
Summary - Lookout is drive up with a wide open summit, though parts of the way up aren't for the faint of heart. There is a small comm facility that doesn't generate appreciable RFI, a couple of places to set up, and when the clouds aren't in the way, excellent views. Bring a mast if you want to put up a wire. 2M contacts are possible with a 1/2 wave whip but a yagi will make things a lot easier. APRS is easy from here, too. Drive time from SE Portland is about two hours through Stabler and out Hemlock Road (turn at 45.80838, -121.90741).
