Up at 05:30 - the earliest that I have ever started for SOTA. First shock of the day was that my son had decided not to come (hastily scribbled note on stairs). Fortunately Mai Ling (10 yrs) was still wanting to go walking. 06:26 second shock of the morning. The Lymm Truckstop Cafe was closed. This very nearly forced cancellation of the entire trip. We ate at McDonalds, next door. Not the same.
09:05 arrived at summit Honister Pass. Cloudless sky. Icy patches but no real problems. Paid £5 to park (National Trust car park). Booted up and set off at 09:20. Took direct route up Grey Knotts (good path), over Brandreth (one of a handful of hills named after politicians). Over Green Gable and down to Windy Gap. No wind today. Started up scree/shattered path for the final assault. ML asked if she could go straight up (she is fearless). I let her go and continued up the “path”. By the time I reached the top, ML was sunbathing behind a cairn having constructed a sort of stone “throne” to sit on. I ditched my rucksack and wandered up to the top to take in the view. Magnificent. Approach took 2hrs 20 minutes, including stops along the way.
Activated but ran into problem with ATU. This forced use of “emergency” aerial configuration. This is a compromise but still works fine. 21 contacts including John G3WGV (surprised that he was not flying).
On descent ML stuck to path on steep section. At one point she slipped and ended in a heap. She got up and announced that she had grazed her hand. Many small girls might have burst into tears at that point. Not ML though. She simply said “Oh that’s OK; it will prove to mummy and Lewis that I was up the mountain”(!)
At Windy Gap we took the G4YSS variation, descending the scree path heading NW then skirting Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts before heading towards the quarry and down an incline to the road. We were not convinced that this saved much time but it offered a variation for the return.
Back to the car by 15:00 and then off the the Derwentwater Youth Hostel. I was rather hoping for a rest at this point but ML noticed a table tennis table. Thus we had to play for nearly an hour
A super day out in sunshine. Cool but not cold and no breeze.
Nice child-friendly stroll (if you have a child like ML). 5.37 miles, 734m ascent. Curiously we saw no other children all day.
Careful Richard - “Up at 05:30 - the earliest that I have ever started for SOTA” - you are creeping into YSS-OIG territory. If you want to get in training I’ll give you a ring on the landline at 03:30 tomorrow
ML is not human. She fools everyone by turning up on expeditions looking very much like a little girl and not very much like a walker - pink flowery leggings, fluffy cartoon gloves etc. And then walks and scrambles like a master. I recall the look of disbelief on everyone’s faces when she left most of them for dead on an ascent of the Old Man of Coniston around 18 months ago. I managed to keep up with her most of the route, but even I never worked out why she was incessantly smiling and clearly experiencing no pain whatsoever.
No. Richard simply paid the heavy price for his over-enthusiasm. By around 7.15am, Jimmy, Liam and myself were in the very same establishment, tucking into bacon, egg, sausage, black pudding, hash brown, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, fried bread and tea.
(I’ve itemised the contents just to rub Richard’s nose in it).
Pretty poor show of Richard to take her on his trips so she can test the ascent route… I bet he makes her taste his food before he eats it as well!
Gerald
P.S. The young don’t feel pain - I often used to get home after “adventure play” to a shocked look from my mother as she saw dried blood on my face! I never knew what I’d done - too busy getting on with the task in hand.
I often used to get home after
"adventure play" to a shocked look from my mother as she saw
dried blood on my face! I never knew what I’d done - too busy getting
on with the task in hand.
I forgot to mention the very unusual propagation conditions on 40m the day before yesterday. At 12:00 local the band was alive with American stations - not often that happens but mid winter is the most likely time. Some were quite strong. No contacts although I think that an N8 did call me once.
Thanks for the report which was enjoyable to read.
Your boy must have got to that ‘certain age.’ I remember it well, taking it quite badly at first.
Note you came back the flatter way. I always use this because there is less ascent and I normally turn right and start with Pillar, working back to GG via Kirkfell. I usually have to cover some of this section in the dark which is why I use the safer but longer route.
I am so glad that, as yet, I have never been called upon to play table tennis at the end of a hard day’s SOTA!
The ‘emergency aerial configuration’ sounds interesting.
The bit about £5 parking fee caused a shock. This sounds new to me.
Yes, the view was great a month ago but I was wiped off the air by a helicopter at close range.
There are quite often poppy crosses by the memorial but I can’t remember if I saw them this year.
Your summit time must have been quite short. I admire the way you CW experts get through the QSO’s! I could use the time saved.
By the way, your ‘black goup’ has been a great success for bringing a fat HF rig cable through a rubber grommet on the car & sealing it.
The aerial that I took on the trip is a long-wire which I use on 40m only. It is designed to have the current maximum at the highest point (at the pole) and is therefore longer than a quarter-wave. I use this aerial tuned against two 1/8 wave radials with a very small ATU:
Realising that I might one day forget the ATU or drop it or it go faulty, I put in a jumper on the wire at a quarter-wave. This then gives a good match but lowers the height of the current maximum to ground level (the wire is connected directly to the radio - I carry an adapter in my spares kit for this purpose). It works and was used on all three summits. I have never actually had to do this before so I was pleased that it worked.
I tend to use the long-wire on harder mountain trips as it gives me the lightest configuration. My complete 40m radio set-up including mast, batteries etc weighs around 1.3kg.
In reply to G3CWI:
Wise man to always fall back on a resonant aerial for band of choice and something i also choose to do. I no longer use random wires but always a cut aerial for band of choice and yes ATU has to be used if other bands are to be used. Sean M0GIA
