MM0EFI does a Day in the Life of @GM5ALX Alex
- 21 days with no sunshine
- a sore knee after doing four activations in arctic conditions last week
- three days this week finishing off my snagging list on Bruce Almighty, my 6x6
By Thursday, I was ready again for SOTA.
Just one problem, the weather was forecast to be as it always has been this year - cloud and snow showers.
Actually, just two problems. My next-door-neighbours H-Lux was knackered and I had volunteered to do the school run, so my window was 0915 to 1445.
I got the GTI home at 0915 and by 0925 I was on my way in the 110, the choice of the slower vehicle being due to fresh snow overnight. A short drive over to Towie, then a wee road along the River Don valley, before crossing the Don and up to my secret (haven’t told Alex yet) parking spot.
Parking for Coiliochbhar Hill GM/ES-060. This gives the shortest route
A usually nice yomp up the fields, wasn’t, due to deep tractor ruts, so I skipped across to the opposite diagonal, hopped a fence and took the hill track from there. I haven’t visited the actual summit of this hill for some time. There is a nice wood at the top and it is inside the activation zone. It’s a bit of a clamber through the trees to get to the cairn, which is also out in the open, so SOTA people don’t bother much.
first Morven view for some time!
activation zone
activation person
There weren’t many SOTA alerts this morning, so I was particularly busy - first on 2m, then 40m and 20m, extending my planned time on the summit by ten minutes. Mercifully, the pole was strapped to a twiggy thing and it took no time to get packed up and on my way.
No snow yet. I was carrying my snow shovel, bothy bag, goggles, poles and everything else - ready for a blizzard.
A 25 minute drive took me up Strathdon and then a turn right at the Spar to get up the winding single track road and the Ladylea Hill paking. There was a bit of snow on the road now, and at the car park.
parking for Ladylea Hill GM/ES-049
I thought the track through the woods might have held a bit more snow, and it did. Fresh powder over crust over old stuff. Not the best. Never mind, the open hill would be better…
up the track
and on to the hillside
…it wasn’t, and my snow shoes were at home. Two two point summts, 80m difference in height and just 16km apart, but a world away from one another. Ladylea Hill held a lot more older snow and I basically post-holed all the way up.
approaching the summit
I couldn’t believe how good the weather was being to me. No snow, no wind. Just lovely skies and vistas all round. Even the high tops were in the clear.
Distant Ben Avon - Leabaidh an Daimh GM/ES-006 1172m
2m delivered a mobile chap who was 55km east, on the Aberdeen bypass. Nothing else. Again, HF was busy, with a dead sounding 40m band bringing in good reports. 20m and 15m basically brought in the same chasers. It must have been a slow chasing day!
MM0EFI
I had an hour to get down the hill, get the Land Rover home and swap cars. The maths didn’t add up, so I stumbled and blundered down the hill, then Reggie the 110 did his bit by overtaking a logging truck and delivering some previously unheard squeally tyre moments on the nice sun dry roads.
I made it home for 1440 and was away again at 1445. There you go, a day in the SOTA life of Alex.
. That’s how it happened.