I went back to the same spot where I did my first Little Missouri National Grassland activation(US-7485) and my first SOTA activations (W0D-ND-026). This time, I decided to hike to a ledge on a small plateau on a butte. It’s been a bit since I’ve done any weighted hike, so I was going to make it a mile endeavor. It came out to about three-quarter mile…and it was enough for me.
And my dear wife. Yes, she came with it.
(Our destination is on the very edge way out there)
An observation:
Gauging distances out here can be very deceptive. What I had assumed was a mile to our point was less. Granted, the path we took might have been a mile, but my Garmin said different. Which brings about the terrain out here: they don’t call it the Badlands for nothing.
Out in Appalachia, you have trees one can grab and use to pull oneself up. Out here in the prairie, trees are a commodity. It’s also something to consider with antenna choices that you maybe limited to a vertical or mast for your antenna. There are trees and WWFF does recognize this area as a site, so don’t let my warning discourage EFHW wire operators. You’ll just have to explore. (Be mindful when looking on a map that the green you see could just be large bushes or smaller trees).
The lack of trees makes judging distances easier in one aspect (especially with the use of a good range finder) but harder that objects are relatively closer than they appear. It can make something as what may seem a daunting hike actually be a little easier.
Well, just slightly. You still have to contend with the rocky, and sandy terrain. Wearing flip-flops and sandals isn’t wise. For one, the grass out here are like pongee sticks to your toes. Second, we do have ground cactus out here. And danger noodles (small rattlesnakes)
And horned lizards (first one me and my wife have ever seen out in the wild, and I nearly stepped on it).
The Hike:
To an extent, it was uphill both ways. First leg was to drop down into a side-by-side two-track that followed a series of telegraph/power polls down. Those polls would end somewhere down toward the Little Missouri River, but the starting poll had no connections to anything up where we started.
We came to a small fence that had a “gate” if you call it that. Easy to get by except that the road was steep with past rain runoff. Climbed a rocky ledge and then skirted through the open plateau.
**Activation:
**
It was easy to push the Chameleon ground spike in. Screwing the Mad Dog coil and 17’ whip in, adjusted the whip to my 20M marks, and began getting the G90 and my Toughbook set up.
After figuring out my issues with the FT8 and FLrig (had too many FLrig programs opened) and was able to make a few FT8 contacts, two CW contacts (hunted my first Mississippi park) and a few SSBs—all hunted.
Not getting a full 10 wasn’t an issue; I got them when we went back to the truck. My goal was just to hike and see how the weight on my back and person felt…and to gauge how out of shape I was. Which I am, yet, not as bad as I had feared. The hike back was the real test, and I passed to a degree. Nothing terrible sore this go, not even my back.
(me working two CW POTA stations with my trusty J-45)
Gear and Lessons:
I’ve been running an old ALICE belt kit system for the past few years between airsoft back in TN, hunting and hiking. It still works (I know some of you 80s and 90s service members are smiling). I can carry my GPS, phone and range finder in the M16 mag pouches, two canteens of water with one canteen in the coffee mug kit in the pouch. I also carry about 24hrs worth of rations, poncho, string and a small heater for water.
As for the radio gear in my backpack: man, I need to get one of those toughpads. The toughbook was the bulk of the weight (used a 6Ah battery that I’ve carried before). granted, I did nessicarily need it, but I wanted to run digital and see what the weight was on the hike. It’s substantial, especially going up hill.
As for me: more air squats and walking for sure.
