Waking up on Wednesday 14th January to a bright sunny morning presented me with an unexpected opportunity. The forecast had suggested wintery precipitation, followed by more of the same.
A winter bonus grab of Stiperstones, and possibly Corndon, was on the cards.
The road out from Shrewsbury was clear, but as I approached the western flank of the Stiperstones, lying snow was increasingly in evidence. The last mile or two is obciously not a milk tanker route, as it had not been cleared or gritted. Eventually, the car would go no further up the gradient, wheels spinning ineffectually.
After a couple of cautious reverses and reruns at increasing speed, I managed to slither into the lower car park, and very pretty it was, too!
The walk up was therefore longer than intended, but no complaints in conditions like this, it was well worth it.
As I reached the summit, the wind was increasing, and the blue sky was becoming hazy, a cloud bank on the horizon was heading my way.
However, I managed to qualify comfortably on 2m FM, with 8 QSOs spaced over half an hour. By now the shadow of the rocks had moved across, and I was starting to get cold. No HF, then, time to pack up.
It was a useful first sub zero activation since last winter, and a reminder of how insidious the cooling effect can be. Despite wearing gloves - fingerless for setting up and operating - and having adequate layers in reserve, by the time I had packed up and was walking off, a couple of my fingers were numb, and I was feeling quite chilly. Next time, I will don the down jacket on arrival at the summit, and must minimise time without full gloves. Or use the bothy bag!
The additional time negotiating the roads, and the longer than anticipated walk, meant that I didn’t have time for Corndon. Rod M0JLA and Vicki M6BWA had offered to keep an ear out for me, and so my apologies for not popping up. Next time :o)
73s
Adrian
G4AZS
