September Hike on Shute Hill
It was a perfect September afternoon. Judy and I hiked up to a field on Shute Hill. I worked Bulgaria, Bosnia, Cuba and three stations from Washington state.
We parked the car and walked north on the Rufus Colby Road. The town only maintains about a half mile of it, then it turns into an impassable woods road. After another few hundred yards, we headed east through the woods on an abandoned farm lane. The woods open into a small field after a few minutes’ walk.
Here, there are two small fields separated by a stone wall. Judy gets a photo of me walking through the first field.
On the other side of the wall, we enter the second field. I open my pack and setup the little Chinese HB-1B on 20 meters. I heave a water bottle into an oak tree so I can pull up a wire. I miss my mark, the bottle hits the ground, splits and all the water runs out. The bottle has lasted for nearly three years of frequent outings. It had to happen sooner or later. I search in the stone wall for a suitable rock. I find one that’s a bit too heavy and my throw doesn’t go as high as planned. I use a half-wave sloper instead of a vertical! But still… it works.
With key in hand, I work six stations in about 20 minutes. Here’s the log:
Date UTC Time Call My His QTH
———————————————————————————
16 Sep-12 2005 14.021 LZ1DS CW 449 599 BULGARIA
16 Sep-12 2015 14.026 E72U CW 599 599 BOSNIA
16 Sep-12 2019 14.047 K7TJ CW 599 599 WA
16 Sep-12 2020 14.048 W7WMO CW 599 599 WA
16 Sep-12 2022 14.049 K7INA CW 599 599 WA
16 Sep-12 2023 14.006 CO6RD CW 599 599 CUBA
This is a lovely, quiet spot to visit on an early fall afternoon. The air is chilly, but the sun is warm. These few days before the first frost are treasured, and I get out every time I can.
Jim it sounds like is was a great day out both weather wise and radio wise as well. Very nice pictures and nice contacts with the QRP rig.
Mike
Sounds like a great day,Jim! Thanks for sharing your successful outing. Guess there won’t be too many more days like this before the weather changes.