September Hike on Shute Hill
2012

It was a perfect September afternoon. Judy and I hiked up to a field on Shute Hill.
I worked Bulgaria, Bosnia, Cuba and three stations from Washington state.



We parked the car and walked north on the Rufus Colby Road. The town only
maintains about a half mile of it, then it turns into an impassable woods road.
After another few hundred yards, we headed east through the woods on an
abandoned farm lane. The woods open into a small field after a few minutes'
walk.



Here there are two small fields separated by a stone wall. Judy gets a photo of
me walking through the first field.



On the other side of the wall, we enter the second field. I open my pack and
setup the little Chinese HB-1B on 20 meters. I heave a water bottle into an
oak tree so I can pull up a wire. I miss my mark, the bottle hits the ground,
splits and all the water runs out. The bottle has lasted for nearly three years
of frequent outings. It had to happen sooner or later. I search in the stone wall
for a suitable rock. I find one that's a bit too heavy and my throw doesn't go
as high as planned. I use a half-wave sloper instead of a vertical!
But still... it works.



With key in hand, I work six stations in about 20 minutes. Here's the log:

Date      UTC   Time   Call      My His   QTH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Sep-12 2005  14.021 LZ1DS CW  449 599 BULGARIA   
16 Sep-12 2015  14.026 E72U  CW  599 599 BOSNIA  
16 Sep-12 2019  14.047 K7TJ  CW  599 599 WA  
16 Sep-12 2020  14.048 W7WMO CW  599 599 WA  
16 Sep-12 2022  14.049 K7INA CW  599 599 WA 
16 Sep-12 2023  14.006 CO6RD CW  599 599 CUBA

This is a lovely, quiet spot to visit on an early fall afternoon. The air is chilly, but
the sun is warm. These few days before the first frost are treasured, and I get out
every time I can.