Early Spring on Shute Hill
April 2015

Today I hiked on Shute Hill. I operated in the 20 acre field at the top of
the hill and worked Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain.



Today it is 64F. Most of the snow has melted leaving only patches here
and there in the woods. I am hiking about a mile from my house on
Shute Hill. The town stops maintaining the Rufus Colby Road about a
quarter of a mile from the Shute Hill Road. Here  it becomes little more
than a logging road. I hike north on the old range road until I reach the
gate at Will Ellis's property.



This is an old farm lane way. The buildings are all gone, but some fields
remain. I hike in about 15 minutes' walk to the 20 acre field at the top of the
hill. Every now and then my foot drops into the muddy earth three or four
inches. The frozen ground has thawed and given way. Tiny rivulets cross
the lane draining some wet spot. I jump across to avoid the mud. It's a wonderful, 
quiet place. The only sound I hear is the whisper of the wind in the trees and the
hammering of a woodpecker staking out his territory for the season.



I toss a 33 foot wire over an old oak branch and set up the KX3 at the edge of the field. 20 meters
is dead, so I try 17. I hear stations. LZ883PI is calling CQ from Bulgaria and I work him. Then I
work two more: S51DX, Janez in Slovenia and EG90IARU, an IARU special event station in Spain.



Finally, I give a listen to 15 meters. I only hear one station... PA3DRL, Willy in the Netherlands.
He gives me a 539 and I pack up for the walk back.

It's glorious to be out once again.