My 120-mile Hike Carrying Homebrew Tube Transceiver

The forecast tomorrow is for “heavy rain” and breezy.

There is a Yellow Warning of thunderstorms.

Ouch, especially because:

• Box Hill is one of the highlights of the trip.
• There are very few shelter possibilities.

Hmmm.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

Re-ouch.

The only solution is to set out at 4 a.m. and make serious time. The rain starts at 8 a.m.

It’s a 9-mile stage. I can always come back to Box Hill on a future trip.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

I'm signed on for that voyage as well.

Normalcy can strike anyone anywhere -- don't let it happen to you.

 

On this trip the British character had been in full display.

When I operate ham radio trail side, absolutely no-one has come up to me and asked what the ?&! I am doing throwing wires into trees and hunching over a small briefcase.

Instead, there’s a passive-aggressive stare, then they move on.

The exception was a young girl and her mother, both on horseback.

“Mummy, who’s that weird man?”

“Quiet, Wendy, and don’t stare!”

Bedtime. Getting up in four hours.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

I used the word gumption in an earlier post in this thread because of Pirsig's use of that word in Zen.

 

There is also this book of course, which is great, but not the same in that it doesn’t have the narrative flow. IIRC it is a collection of great tips from multiple sources. I have it in hard copy.



IIRC one of the quoted sources is Steve @WB2WIK, he of this parish.

This hiking trip has been a huge boost for my CW skills. Yesterday I noticed I was oscillating my wrist up and down in a slow rhythm (independent of the dits or dahs) and staring into the forest in a kind of trance.

The copy skills are finally coming back too although I’m grateful for people’s kindness in going QRS.

Sending while squatting on the ground is a challenge but one well known to generations of military operators.

I have a British knee-mounted key but did not bring it because it weighs a ton. The Polish key I have mounted on the Peashooter weighs 60 grammes.

74 de Martin, G3EDM

 

In less than an hour I head for Box Hill, scene of the pivotal picnic scene in Jane Austen’s Emma.

The beautiful and rich Emma gratuitously insults the plain and indigent Miss Bates. She is taken aside later by Mr Knightley, who roundly tells her off for her boorish behaviour.

Something like that anyway, this is from memory. I will be passing through just before official sunrise.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

Breakfast is instant coffee from the room freebies, a couple of complimentary biscuits (U.S.: cookies) and a handful of trail mix from my emergency stash.

Fortunately, I wolfed down a large steak six hours ago and that will help. There is a snack stand in a car park (parking lot) halfway through today’s stage but they are unlikely to be open so early!

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

On this side of the pond (admittedly, in a state that's known for its "nice" passive-aggressive behavior), you occasionally get a few people posing questions, but I've never had anyone criticize throwing wires in trees (although I'm very careful when I do use trees). Usually, they just politely ignore me.

But the best reaction from a kid was the one who ran over and excitedly asked, "are you a scientist?" It took me by surprise, so I muttered something about not being a scientist, that I was bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere, and I pointed in the general direction of the ionosphere.

He was a little bit disappointed, but followed up with, "so, you're like a meteorologist?" I told him that yes, it was something like that.

In 20/20 hindsight, I realized that I gave the wrong answer. I should have said: "Yes. Yes, I am a scientist. I'm a citizen scientist conducting research about the ionosphere. To do this kind of work, you need a license from the federal government. Say, you look like kind of a smart kid. I bet you could get a license. Here's some information."

 

I’m off, at 4 a.m. local. It is still dark but this will change within minutes.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

What an epic adventure truly in the spirit of real ham radio challenges. Its very inspiring! Lots of luck and safe hiking. Craig KD9UQE Antioch. IL USA

 

Have a grea day, Martin. I hope you beat the rain.

I guess the new shoes are doing well. You haven't said anything,
I'm really enjoying your adventure.

Take more pictures. They'll be great when you write the book!

 

Arrived Reigate Manor Hotel at the end of an eventful 9-mile hike (five hours).

I started out at 4 a.m. in the predawn penumbra. The next few photos are taken with a 5-second exposure; it was much darker than the pics imply.

It was raining quite heavily and this was the first challenge:



Yup, you are supposed to ford the river on those stones, which are quite far apart, slimy, and in the rain, in semi darkness.

Dear reader, I briefly considered it then decided “no way”. What would happen to me if I slipped, laden with a 10kg backpack ? What would happen to the Peashooter?

I consulted the map and was relieved to find a longer route marked “FB” — footbridge.

I reversed track, took the longer route and sure enough:



The next challenge was this.



It was 287 steps, by my count, before emerging at the famous Box Hill picnic site.

“Badly done, Emma.” You can almost hear Mr Knightley even though it’s fiction.



Next, a beautiful but physically challenging trek through chalk uplands. Punishing, steep climbs and slippery downhills.









With all the rain, frogs were hopping about and this little fella made an appearance,



Got to the Reigate hotel in time for a proper breakfast.



That was 20 miles walked in 24 hours, in two stints. Tomorrow, 14 miles.

Mot sure about radio today. Not outdoors, the weather forecast is dire: thundery showers.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P

 

I don’t consider myself to be particularly fit. My job is sedentary and I never exercise for the sake of it. I do go on long walks near my home but that’s because I love the countryside.

I’ve had diet-controlled Type 2 diabetes for a decade (“thin diabetic”). Probably caused by lack of physical activity.

Perhaps it helps that I last owned a car seven years ago. I walk everywhere or use public transport.

Most of all it’s a question of will. It’s easy to think “I’m not fit enough to do X”. But you don’t know unless you try.

I approached this project with some apprehension. But I was amazed at how fast I got used to carrying a heavy load and clocking up the miles.

If I can do it, many other people who think they can’t… probably can.

My only major fear is a “slip and fall” injury and believe me, I am being super careful, slowing to a crawl sometimes, especially on the downhills.

Edited to add: hiking (or simply “walking” as it is called in the U.K.) is popular among the middle aged and elderly in this country. One of its key attractions is that you can scale it to your level of health and endurance, never quite giving up altogether.

In our village we have an elderly gentleman who does long “constitutionals” every day. He must be in his late 90s and at this point, walks at a crawl, with two canes. But I’m pretty sure he’ll never give it up unless it becomes literally impossible.

73 de Martin, G3EDM/P