This is one of three SOTA peaks in the Kaiser Wilderness above Huntington Lake. After some staring at a map, I decided the easiest approach was to drive up to Kaiser Pass, then follow the ridge. This is broadly what we did.

About to enter the wilderness.

The road gets pretty narrow and windy on the way up to the pass, so be prepared for that. There was plenty of parking at the pass, and even some bathrooms. Much cushier than I expected. Heading up the hill we passed a few campfire rings, then the sign marking the wilderness boundary. The slope here is pretty gentle, and it was a pleasant walk through a Sierra forest. On top of the first sub peak we headed down to the col.

Enjoying the view from the open areas.

On the way there we stayed high enough to avoid the marshy meadows. It was probably slightly longer, but having dry shoes made it worth it. The original plan was to get on the ridge and follow it to the summit, but the ridge looked pretty rough. We decided to stay a little below where we only had to walk through calf-high brush. Going was pretty easy, and there weren't any areas we had to fight through.

Huntington Lake.

After you pass around the last sub-peak, you can see the summit above you. This climb was the steepest of the day, but nothing terrible. From below it looks like there are some cliff bands, but the rocks are broken and it was easy to just walk to the summit. From the top the views to the north were excellent, there being a cliff on that side of the mountain. My Verizon phone had ok service, enough to put out some spots. AT&T had some, but not as good.

Making contacts with the new KH1.

The bands were not in good shape, but I managed to get enough on HF with only the KH1 whip. We called on 2m for a while, but there was a station hogging the calling frequency, so we didn't make many there. 

We retraced our steps, more or less, to get back to the car. We stayed a little lower on the ridge during the traverse, and it was just as easy as higher. It did mean, however, we had to cross the wet meadow. Luckily we were able to find enough solid ground to keep our feet dry. Back at the car we coasted down the hill to the general store at the marina to get some snacks and beverages, then back to the campground to relax by the lake.

 We were in Korea for vacation, so naturally I wanted to do some SOTA. Korea is a mountainous place, and it looked like there were plenty of choices. The first summit we did is in the middle of Seoul, literally. The geographic center of the city is on the side of the plaza on top.

The tower is visible from a lot of places in the city, including this traffic island in Myeongdong.

Our hotel was in the Myeongdong neighborhood, near the Hoehyeon subway station. From exit 1, head uphill through the neighborhood. There was a flight of stairs just below a busy road, which we crossed to enter Baekboem Plaza. The tower on top was visible from here, and it was easy to follow the path to the bottom of the staircase. 

From the plaza. Still some blossoms on the trees!

Since the summit is easy to get to in a big city, there were a lot of people out. The stairs up to the top were wide and paved. There are plenty of benches, and even a few viewing platforms on the way. It was hazy as we ascended, but we could still see Bukhansan a few kilometers away to the north. We were glad it was cool out, it probably would have been a miserable hike in the summer.

Base of the stairs.

You know you are close when you see the cable car terminal. This is also where it goes from busy to crowded. Once you make it up the last few stairs, there are plenty of benches around the plaza and under the structure. We sat for a few minutes taking in the scene. On one side the fence is filled with locks that couples have attached. There was even a vending machine to buy your own to add.

High point of Namsan.

We found a bench out of the way, and I got on 2m. I had been warned that Korean hams are chatty, and they were. It took a couple of minutes calling CQ, but I soon had a long conversation with someone who couldn't quite get my Korean callsign (HL1/AA6XA). The slash seemed to trip him up. After a long chat I got two more stations in the log. Some more CQ calls didn't get anyone else, and we were getting bored and hungry, so I packed up. I thought about trying HF, but there really isn't anywhere to put up a wire without getting in people's way.

At the geographic center of Seoul.

We took the stairs back down, then turned onto a different road to get to the bibimbap restaurant near the base. It was a tasty and well earned lunch. 

Trailhead: We started from Hoehyeon Station exit 1, but there are myriad routes one could take

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Make your way through the streets to the base of the stairs, then up the stairs to the summit. Or take the cable car.

Red Tape: None.

Video: https://youtu.be/PhfTnJKnz4U

This is not the most interesting summit I've done. It is, however, a short and easy hike. Drive up to the end of Lakeside Drive, and find a place to park in the neighborhood. At the end of the pavement, the dirt starts and it is a quarter mile up to the summit.

The summit is visible from the trailhead.

Views of the Jurupa Hills, and the San Gabriel Mountains.

 This mountain west of Portland is an easy activation. There are a few places you can activate from. The traditional spot is at the Winkelman dog park on SW175th Ave in Beaverton. But the Cooper Mountain Nature Park on SW Kemmer Road is also in the activation zone, and this is where I chose to set up. See the video linked at the bottom for a longer exploration of the actual activation zone.

Not the greatest view, but at least I was in the shade.

There was plenty of parking on the Thursday afternoon I stopped by. There wasn't much shade in the parking lot, though, so I walked a few meters down the trail to a picnic table under a tree. I wasn't in the mood for setting up HF, so I only brought my HT and did 2m. The hill is in the middle of the Portland metro area, so there were plenty of chasers. Most people were on 58, but I did get one random person on 52. There was a bit of interference from something, so I was glad to have the band pass filter with me.

Getting those QSOs.

 Some time recently Pleasanton Ridge regional park was expanded to include the southern part of Sunol Ridge. This is great news for peak baggers and SOTA enthusiasts - there is now a public trail to the summit. The trailhead is the Tyler Ranch Staging Area at the end of Foothill Road in Sunol. There is a large dirt lot with pit toilets.

Looking down at the new parking lot.

Partway up the steep section.

View as I approached the summit.

Looking over at Pleasanton Ridge on the way down.

Top of the free parking lot.

There are a lot of trails in the park, so bring a map. I didn't see any paper ones available for taking at any of the kiosks. I took a fire road that seemed to be going in the right direction. It was, but it would've been more direct to take a single track trail at the start.

Looking back at Oat Mountain.

The fire road trail winds its way up nearly to the summit. About 3/4 of a mile before the summit the road reaches a col with a pit toilet and bench. After a quick pit stop I continued up to the top. Just before the summit a trail reaches the road. Take this single track up to the high point.

Pacific Ocean

The very top of the mountain is pretty small, so I went down a few feet to set up near some bushes. I didn't have cell service where I was sitting, but RBNhole spotted me no problem. Once I was done on HF I went to the top for some VHF and made a few more contacts.

Summit just behind my pole and antenna.

I took the same route down, mostly. I did take a little single track that went over one of the bumps. It added some variety, though there were some steep parts. Back at the car I put on some clean clothes before heading to the airport to go home.

Trailhead: End of Reseda Blvd. There is both free and paid parking.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route:  Take the fire road to just below the summit, then take the Backbone Trail up to the top.
Red Tape: None. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube