“Be Prepared” for Baden Powell

Summit: W6/CT-004

Activation Date: November 18, 2015

ATT Data Coverage: Spotty trending hopeless

ATT Voice coverage: Spotty trending hopeless

APRS Coverage: Not sure

Access: Park/trail head at 34.373371, -117.752046

Hike stats:  8.3 miles roundtrip and 3,200′ of ascent up to 9,400′, walk on forested trail to exposed summit.

It wasn’t very deep, probably 4-6 inches but it covered the trail and much of the immediate area. The unknown previous hiker had a longer stride than me and each effort to step into his footprints seemed a little unnatural but probably the smartest way for me to navigate the snow.

The repetitive APRS crackle was oddly comforting and it gave me a sense of others as I zigzagged alone up this mountain. On my right were occasional views north across the desert and the contrast of dry sunbaked land and this slippery trail wasn’t lost on me.

The distance between the switchbacks became shorter as the trail guides me up the north ridge of Baden Powell taking me further up and through one small flat meadow of dense pine trees. It pushes me more toward westerly facing turns buffeted by an abrupt cold wind that disturbs the tranquility of this place. The trail seemed harder to follow over its last thousand feet of ascent. The snow was deeper and it seemed my unknown predecessor was getting impatient and taking shortcuts. The trail narrows and follows a ridge with views in all directions including what is clearly my destination.

 

I’m not sure why someone has hauled a monument to the founder of the Boy Scout movement up this mountain but I’m sure BP would be impressed that he is memorialized six thousand miles from his homeland in a place he knew little about.

My momentary reflections of happy English scouting days were rudely interrupted by distant shouts getting closer. Maybe two or three persons at first arrived on the peak but it soon expanded to twenty or more all dressed quite similarly and I wondered what club or group this was. As I busied myself hoisting my end fed, one of them came over who looked like Chris Kyle. He apologized for his colleagues boisterous nature and I said no big deal. He explained they were from a really large local federal prison and somehow “mates” and “inmates” was mixed up and for a moment I thought I had found myself amongst a group of hardened criminals all on a nature outing. How unfortunate but fortunately not, as it turned out they were the prison SWAT team.

ATT and Apple conspired to frustrate my activation. SOTAGoat did its thing and announced my intentions on 40m but after that all attempts around similar intentions on 20m, 10m or even 2m were thwarted. I know the SWAT team guys were curious what I was doing on a peak with a fishing rod stuck in manzanita while I sat under a bush babbling to myself and now they probably chuckled even more as I walked this way to random points, held the phone  in contorted positions and unbeknownst to them turned it off and on but all to no avail. In the end I owe a big thanks to Rob Kliman (KB6CIO) as he was on hand to spot from his home once I asked via 2m.

I still seem to fumble with my 2m activations but I did have rather a gratifying all transplanted Brit moment in the form of a QSO from Baden Powell summit to the Queen Mary liner radio club (W6RO) in Long Beach. Bill (K6MET) W6RO operator commented tongue in cheek that I sounded from Alabama which I took as a compliment!!

This was my largest haul of chasers; 26 in all. Thanks all round!!

 

Time	Call	Band	Mode	Notes
18:13z	W7RV	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 57 RX
18:14z	WA6KYR	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 55 RX
18:15z	WA9STI	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 59 RX
18:16z	AA7DK	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 56 RX
18:16z	N7AMA	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 59 RX
18:17z	K6WFV	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 59 RX
18:18z	NG6R	7MHz	SSB	59 TX and 59 RX
18:18z	W6JMP	7MHz	SSB	57 TX and 33 RX
18:35z	KB6CIO	144MHz	FM	59 TX and 57 RX
18:44z	N4EX	14MHz	SSB	34 TX and 45 RX
18:46z	W0ERI	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 45 RX
18:46z	W0MNA	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 45 RX
18:46z	W4DOW	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 33 RX
18:47z	ND0C	14MHz	SSB	33 TX and 55 RX
18:48z	K4MF	14MHz	SSB	35 TX and 33 RX
18:49z	KC9TTR	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 55 RX
18:49z	AE5B	14MHz	SSB	55 TX and 55 RX
18:50z	KX0R	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 33 RX
18:51z	K8TE	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 53 RX
18:53z	W7CNL	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 57 RX
18:54z	N4MJ	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 45 RX
18:54z	NE4TN	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 33 RX
18:55z	K0LAF	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 22 RX
18:56z	N6JZT	14MHz	SSB	45 TX and 57 RX
18:56z	KG3W	14MHz	SSB	44 TX and 22 RX
19:26z	W6RO	144MHz	SSB	59 TX and 59 RX