If your looking for SOTA and POTA chaser points, check out my upcoming trip where I will be hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. This two week trip includes the following stats:
272 miles from the Massachusetts border to Canada.
38 SOTA summits with a possible 209 points available
11 POTA activation sites with many being multi day due to their large size (Appalachian Trail, Green Mountain, etc).
Trip details: https://kb1hqs.com/2020/06/20/hiking-the-long-trail/
Online Trail Journal that includes my gear lists: KB1HQS' 2020 The Long Trail - Vermont Journal : Entries : Trail Journals, Backpacking and Hiking Journals
I will also attempt to do daily vlogs as I hike, dependent on internet availability. You can follow me via my InReach: Spotwalla Tracking | KB1HQS . I gave up on APRS as I found it too unreliable in the backcountry. My InReach has been rock solid.
For amateur radio gear I am taking my LNR Precision Mountain Topper 5 band and a Packtenna end fed antenna with a WS0TA trap (20/30m). A cheap eBay collapsible fishing pole will serve as my antenna. For my HT, I still on the fence as to take my VX3 or FT1DR (both Yaesu). Not sure if I will work satellites or not. Still working out the logistics. I’m not taking any of my solar panels as they wouldn’t be effective in this type of wooded environment. Backpacking with 3-4 day resupply is all about carrying more battery. Much more effective compared to other type of portable operations. Simplicity and lightweight is key here.
I plan on spotting at the summit via my Inreach (thanks to Andy for helping me set it up).
See ya’ll on the air!
73,
Stuart, KB1HQS
