Achieved my first Sloth yesterday, courtesy of a QSO with Chris M0KPW who was on Black Coombe, LD 030. Not as great an achievement as getting MG, but it will do for a start! I started collecting points 3 years ago, but it is only in the last year that I collected 950 points after I erected a X50 & a new HF antenna. Next stop Super Sloth!
I’m probably too long in the tooth to achieve MG- I need to average 100 activator points p.a. for the next 9 years to get there, by which time I’ll be nearly 80! I’ll be happy with half a Goat, say the front half. It’s a bit annoying in hindsight, as I knew of SOTA 15 years ago, according to my walking log, as I had QSOs when out in Wales on the Glyderau & Carneddau a couple of times, but I either didn’t know of the points scheme or wasn’t interested then. Ho hum, I am where I am now. 73.
Good luck on your quest to MG. It took me 6.5 years to make MG summit average was 3.75 points for most of that time and ended up 3.8 points per activation by the end. I visited about 44 summits per year to make MG accumulating roughly 150 points per season. I visited the same summits on my list but only once per year to make MG.
Lots of travel involved as the summits are spread far and wide about 7,800 km per year of driving and 180 km of hiking. It can be done you just need to commit to getting it done.
regards and good luck.
Ian vk5cz …
Go for it John! You still have time on your side - especially if you try to pile the points on a bit more quickly while you are still young (!) and then, bit like overpaying a mortgage, the predicted time you will take to reach MG will get shorter and you can afford to average a bit less as you get that little bit older and, perhaps, slower going up the hills. One tip that some people seem to ignore is to go hell for leather for the winter bonus as (warning advanced maths now imminent!) going up a hill and getting 5 pts helps to build up the total more than twice as quickly as getting only 2 pts! Hence look for fairly close 2 pt hills (Clwydian hills, Cyrn y Brain etc in the Welsh direction and there must be some suitable Pennines not too far away), check the weather carefully, ensure you have adequate clothing and hillwalking skills (no problem for you if you were playing around on the Carneddau some time ago) - and a bothy bag just in case - and check the calendar carefully for 1 December. Remember the slate gets wiped clean on 1 Jan and you can bag the easy 2/5pts again fairly quickly and watch your total grow. I do realise that this advice does depend on the Covid rules and general health - but get planning so you will be ready when the opportuniity arises. We tried desparately to keep some fitness during lockdown, mainly by gentle cycling, but knew that we weren’t as fit as we were before (which was somewhere between slow and even slower!) so we chose easier hills or allowed more time on our N Wales and SS visits - but still came home very tired!! Get those maps out and get planning. Good luck
Viki M6BWA
Congratulations John on achieving Shack Sloth.
Jimmy M0HGY
Well done John but am not surprised the way you boomed out Yesterday. If the points keep coming like they are at present it won’t be long before you’re a super sloth as I have been fortunate to gather 800 points or so in the last 6 months. Take care mate and best 73
Well done, like you I wanted to be a goat but am a sloth. I only have the front quarter of the goat with 275 points so there is still some way to go! My next challenge is all of NP which lockdown dependent might be this winter. Soltas is brillaint for showing hills not activated or not activated this year by clicking on the filter. I notice that Richard G3CWI seems more active since retirement, and that milestone is rapidly approaching so am hoping that I get the chance to get out more.
Well Done on being a Sloth - and hope to work you on a summit. 73 Paul
Congratulations John. Thank you for the QSO’s. Looking forward to working you on your way to Super Slothdom!
Good luck with your MG - it seems so far away when you start and then you get to the half way mark …
Long Mynd, Stiperstones and Corndon Hill are not too far and 15 points with winter bonus. Also the Lancashire 2 pointers can be paired up (subject to decent driving wx and lockdown).
73
Karen 2E0XYL
Congrats John,
Hardest part is getting started; you’ve done that.
At some point, a magical disease, known as Goat Fever, will kick in, and your activation rate will increase.
You’re only 71? Nothing better than SOTA activating to maintain fitness, for persons of a certain age.
Best, Ken
I commend you Ian for your SOTA efforts in VK5, we here in VK3 are spoiled for choices of high point summits by comparison!
Well done on the Sloth achievement John and all the best for your continued chasing. Like Viki says, you probably still have time to achieve MG if you use the points system to your advantage. There are some super 2 and 4 point summits that suddenly become that much more attractive at the start of December. Hope to catch you on a few.
73, Gerald
Thank you everyone for your kind & encouraging words. I certainly will carry on activating as much as I can (covid lockdowns etc permitting, as I live in this new Tier 3 restricted zone.) Hopefully things will improve in time. Stay safe & best 73s.