Yes, my only ever attempt at an overnighter was a few years ago. Something just didn’t feel right by the time I summited Great Gable, I decided to abort and make my way back to my car, by the time I got back to the car the rain had started and it was getting heavier. Driving home through the howling wind and heavy rain was a nightmare, thank goodness I wasn’t on top of the hill in a tent!
I still need to tick off that particular expedition.
The key to enjoyable overnight SOTA expeditions - check the wx first!
I didn’t set the date for the changeover from NP-025 to NP-032 when I had the chance of being the last to activate NP-025 and the first to activate NP-032. I seem to recall someone’s son did that…
The key to enjoyable daytime SOTA expeditons - check the wx first!
Unfortunately, like 99.9% of activators, I am not clairvoyant. It is impossible to know what the wx will be a month away from the activation date when the accommodation gets booked. That’s why my set-up is such that I can operate in all weather conditions. Only three or four summits and one complete day’s activating have been missed due to the weather (70mph gales) in almost 400 activations.
Besides, who says I don’t enjoy horizontal driving rain?
I didn’t set the date for the changeover from NP-025 to NP-032 when I had the chance of being the last to activate NP-025 and the first to activate NP-032. I seem to recall someone’s son did that…
This is true, but didn’t command you to visit on that very night. Someone and someone’s son did it a few weeks later on a nice (cold and snowy) day.
Unfortunately, like 99.9% of activators, I am not clairvoyant.
Me neither. I leave all that business to those nice crystal ball gazers at the Met Office (dot com). [Other internet weather information is available].
a month away from the activation date when the accommodation gets booked.
Schoolboy error. We tend to book ours about two days in advance after we’ve seen reasonably accurate forecasts that will cover our days out activating!
Having said that, due to inconveniences like Jimmy being in full-time employment, we have had to set our week to visit GD this summer in stone this evening. Fingers crossed that out of seven July days, we will have sufficient opportunity to activate the five SOTA summits in decent wx!
Schoolboy error. We tend to book ours about two days in advance…
Chance would be a fine thing! Unfortunately my SOTA Activation Partner has to negotiate dates with the dipstick that claims to be his immediate superior and who is definitely not SOTA-compliant!
Have GD in mind myself sometime soon - let me know the dates for GD and I’ll promise to stay away during that period. That should improve your chances of getting decent weather by more than the percentage interest rate on a pay-day loan!
In that case you will have glorious sunshine, dawn to dusk. It would be more than my life is worth to activate GD during the week of my 40th Wedding anniversary.
