here is your challenge go for Denali
This is such a sad truth. For a brief period of 8 months I lived in Albuquerque and spent every free minute I could up high. I remember the first two weeks being no fun. Eventually 3000m+ became enjoyable, with a heavy dose of the mountain high you describe. Life moved on and I ended up back at sea level. I am not sure if it was just familiarity or youth but for the next 10 years or so I found that I could go back and still acclimate quickly. Sadly, that seems to have gone away. I have hiked at 3000m+ at least once for the last few summers, and it seems like my tolerance is getting worse as I get older. That is despite the fact that I am probably in better overall cardiovascular shape. I climbed around the peaks outside Park City, Utah last summer after arriving at altitude the day before (sadly before I knew about SOTA!) and they really put me in my place.
For us weekend warriors that live at sea level, this puts your stomping grounds basically out of reach. I would love to take a cheap flight to Denver after work on Friday and climb all day Saturday and Sunday, but I know it would be foolhardy. Even a week trip would probably be pushing it for anything that requires long hikes (which is what I really like to do).
Enjoy those summits for us sea levelers!
73,
Joe
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Great post George @KX0R
I’ve only had one experience of anything anywhere near that altitude, and that was Pico del Teide EA8/TF-001. El Teide TF-001
My sister-in-law was there a couple of weeks ago and went up on the cable car, but the summit path itself was closed due to snow, much to her disappointment (although I’m not sure if she had the required booked permit anyway). I was on Tenerife over the weekend for work, and the summit cone of Teide was still covered in snow, so presumably still off-limits for walkers. The snowline was creeping up higher each day though, so it will probably become accessible any day now.
As we were doing it as a day outing, from our holiday base down by the coast, we were well aware of the altitude acclimatisation dangers, and were very careful in both our planning, and execution. As it was, all went well, and no ill-effects - or indeed “summit brain”.
Geoff @G6MZX - yes that did look steep on the other side of Calf Top G/NP-022 from where I approached! Calf Top NP-022
You’re right though - the “easier” way is a very long walk! Your story reminded me of when I first attempted Raw Head G/SP-016 back in 2002, with Jimmy and Liam when they were just 10 and 5 years old respectively. It was an all-round tale of inexperience, ill-preparation and rank stupidity!
I didn’t have a detailed OS Map for the area, so used my road atlas to drive to the approximate position then look around for what looked like a hill. We found one and set about climbing it. This quickly took us onto steep and tricky ground, and some muddy scrambling that we hadn’t bargained for! When we got to the ‘top’, you know what we found? Yeah - the road with the proper parking spot for Raw Head, and the start of the correct walking route. The hill we’d climbed was the wrong hill, and entirely unnecessary.
By this time, we were out of energy, spirit, and time - it was going dark. We went home, defeated.
Here’s some happier tales from a much-missed SOTA summit! Raw Head SP-016
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Well, it can happen on the Chaser end, also, and even down to almost sea level.
With no Summits anywhere nearby I’ve been heading to the woods to try to chase and fine tune the system for when I do get back on a hill. Cndx have been terrible the last few times, so no successful chases yet. But that’s another good excuse to go out again. If you can’t get to a hill to activate, chasing from the woods is still pretty enjoyable. Nice to test everything ahead of time, but really nice to be in the woods on a great spring day (any excuse will work). Yesterday was sunny and 60 deg F with light wind, so packed up and hiked into the woods. The plan was to test the MTR-3’s operation with the SOTA Tuner, wire antenna and crappie pole (crappie as in the fish) and just get to the woods. Also to get more familiar with the MTR-3 operation and settings changes. Setup spot was only about a mile hike in with a small climb (South Carolina isn’t known for Alpine peaks - general elevation around here is about 200 feet MSL). Daughter was planning to join me, so also carried a pack of snacks/drinks as I tried to imitate a Sherpa.
Found the favorite hilltop and started setting up. Got the Jetboil all set up and ready to make coffee, antenna pole set up (it has to fall at least twice, and in the midst of the worst brambles to tangle the antenna wire as much as possible), the ground cloth set out (and weighted for the wind) and the MTR batteries in the holder. Had both the Palm and Whiterook paddles ready to try both. All that was left was to connect the short jumper between the MTR and the SOTA tuner.
You guessed it - the coax jumper was in the truck back at the trailhead on the FT817 case right where I’d left it while transferring some equipment. And I’d already checked alerts and had the antenna ready for some planned 20m activations to chase. A bit bummed, but it was a very nice day to be out (not making fun of the folks in the snow right now) so I just packed everything back up and waited for my daughter. We had a picnic with coffee, hot apple cider, assorted snacks, and generally enjoyed the afternoon in the woods and the hike out. So the day wasn’t wasted and ended up being pretty enjoyable after all.
Next on the list is to build an extra jumper instead of sharing between the 817 and MTR. And today at the Charlotte Hamfest picked up a couple of double male BNC adapters to go between the adapter on the MTR and the SOTA tuner’s BNC to stay with the MTR in its travel case. Won’t be pretty, but if (meaning next time) I forget the coax jumper I’ll at least be on the air.
At least it wasn’t a multi mile hike up steep terrain, but had some lessons learned. Not a summit story, but will hopefully help avoid one.
Mike, N4VBV
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Not on a summit but was in a park on a beautiful day planning to get a hour or so of radio play while on holiday.
Easy walk in, Beautiful spot. Even a picnic table to sit at.
I set up, spot and start calling. Nothing. Zilch. Nothing. Antenna is fine, did I blow the finals on the 817 the day before and didn’t notice. Hmm AM Is making modulation on the indicator so no …
An hour it took me to figure out the sotabeams voice compressor was in the mic lead the wrong way around. I normally leave the pigtail in to not catch me out but I disassembled when packing the day before. Turn it around correct way and the chasers light up asking where I’ve been.
VK1MIC
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Got to an empty car park for Helvellyn (G/LD-003) nice and early this morning and was about to push a load of coins into the ‘Pay & Display’ parking ticket machine when I noticed my rucksack [carefully packed with jacket, food, water, radios, antennas, etc] wasn’t even in the car.
Donkey Brains(!) had rushed out with his mind distracted by thoughts of Is yesterday’s local road closure now open? and I must get petrol else I’ll run out on the way home – leaving the rucksack on my bed.
As a consolation prize my dog and I walked up the waterfalls section of the path that leads to Seat Sandal.
Apologies to any chasers expecting to work me on Helvellyn this morning. I’ll reschedule it for a fair-weather day soon.
Moral of the story:
- Not only checklist the stuff you are packing but also check you transfer everything to the car
- Don’t let your concern about running late distract you
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One trip I did a summit on the way to my usual over night stay acomms with a plan to be up early next day and do a 13 km round hike for my Sunday Summit. Seeing I had arrived early afternoon on the Saturday I decided to have a pizza for tea which was made at the local pub. They had a very tasty dark Ale on tap and I had to wait a long time for the pizza as they had a lot of orders. 5 pints later and about 2 hours of blowing my bags about how good SOTA is I got my pizza and wandered back to the cabin I had booked. I am pretty sure there may have been anchovies on the pizza which usually make me “crook” don’t think it was the Ale. Up shot was no sleep and I thought no way am I going to be hiking 13 km on Sunday so packed up about 3 am and headed home. XYL and the dogs going mad at 5am in the morning was not the best reception I got when I got home. Must have been food poisoning I told her.
I have stayed in that town lots of times since but never been to the pub again.
Regards
Ian vk5cz…
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Even this doesn’t guarantee getting to the summit with all the necessary stuff.
When I activate on my own, I usually do things with good concentration and nothing is forgotten, but when I’m activating with other people, I usually chat with them at the parking place and that makes me loose concentration, so I have already started twice a SOTA summit hike having left my telescopic fishing rod in the car boot, so I had to return to the car to pick it up after a few minutes hiking.
I should add to the moral of the story: don’t let other people around distract you.
73,
Guru
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Or, even leaving expensive stuff at the summit.
I once carefully packed away all my radio kit at the summit but left my mobile phone on a rock [maybe after taking some photos]. Fortunately, I had descended for only a few minutes before realizing and went back up to collect it.
Since then I’m a bit paranoid and look around my activation spot several times before leaving.
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Probably purchasing a cw filter, installing it in the radio, and then going 6 years without using it because I didn’t want to figure out the menu’s to turn it on LOL.
Charlie NJ7V
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I wonder if resurrecting this thread has renewed Paul’s memory? 
He’s been gargling twice a day with mind-bleach but it hasn’t worked AFAIK. 
Activating always requires about 20 IQ points more than what’s available. I like to think of the “hill-me” who is on the summit as if he were a separate person. I think of him as well-intentioned, but forgetful and not too bright.
Showing up on the mountain with no batteries whatsoever is my favorite stunt, closely followed by batteries but only 1/2 of my power cable.
Leaving the summit is also a problem for me. For a while I had a problem with collecting all my gear before hiking out. I left behind my favorite EFHW matchbox and an entire antenna.
Kevin/K4KPK
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I can relate to this - I’ve lost count at the extra elevation gain I’ve logged on hikes due to climbing back UP to a summit to retreive my da** SOTA pole that I left lodged between a rock somewhere.
Also hypoxia, for me, makes CW significantly more difficult
Fail to prepare, prepare to… I once arrived at the first summit of a two summit hike after a two hour slog to find I hadn’t packed the SO239 to BNC converter for my IC-703, no notebook and a dodgy biro. I bashed the BNC plug off the cable and managed to bare the wires and make a temporary connection. My survival bag served as my log. I have left two guying kits on summits - I expect to retrieve the most recent one next spring. As Guru said, car park conversations can lead to pre-activation brain fade. Spot the FT1XD where I left it at the start of this activation…
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For me it is more to do with spotting and logging. As I usually have a reluctant teenager with me summit time is limited. Having got to the summit, assembled the antenna, usually in haste, then repaired the antenna which I have just broken the spotting debacle begins. Firstly can I load any spots to decide which band to use? This usually follows an intricate process of turning the phone on and off whilst attempting to point in different directions. Having established that high speed communications are impossible finding my notes on how to self spot by SMS is the next challenge. Find a frequency then try and spot following the now familiar dancing around the summit with a mobile phone routine. Try and check the punctuation on the screen. Decide I should have my glasses. Get back to the radio - hopefully without damaging the antenna held together with what debris was found in the rucksack and then … find the frequency is now in use. Repeat process. Finally spot and either struggle to find or see the logging app or find the pencil is broken for the paper log. Respond to the question “can we go yet?” whilst attempting the first QSO and eating lunch Retrieve logging pencil from dog. Fail to retrieve sandwich from dog, and todays spectacular failure was anchoring the dog to the rucksack to watch dog and rucksack accelerate accross the summit scattering remaining contents accross the AZ. … and sometimes things go according to plan 
Paul
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Here’s a pic of my back-up paddle. Also forgot the antenna and the back-up wire. The antenna substitute you see is the 7 foot cord leading to my headphones, which are up in a tree. Good 'nuff for a contact with Fred, WSØTA, in New Mexico. Discovered later that I was running one watt, from California. Fred’s rcvr runs on ESP, apparently.
Elliott, K6EL
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Another topic in the making - Substitute antennas?
How about substitute antenna supports? An example of a rare success… a contact made in November 2017 on Red Screes with George N1GB - made after my 8m pole snapped in the icy windblast from the west (obviously whilst there were plenty of muggles around to enjoy the spectacle). His signal came up a full s-point when I shouted ‘lift it higher’. Bless her my daughter nearly caught hypothermia, but hey, a QSO is a QSO eh?
Still, after having to sneak in a somewhat expensive bothy bag purchase all was forgiven when it was hastily deployed…
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This is my cell phone in the roof rack of my car at the trail head for VE2/BL-012. After hiking for about 30 minutes, with some gain in elevation, I thought I might have cell coverage so I stopped to send a text. No cell was found, so after an “oh . . . . . . . . ._” moment back to the trail head I went.
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