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KD5ZZK
Bob,
Every trail description I've found online says 12 miles RT. That is from the highway! How far is it from the upper 4x4 parking area. Looks like less than 1 mile. Can you confirm?
Andrew
KD5ZZK
Baton Rouge,LA
W5A-Arkansas SOTA manager
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Bob K0NR
Hi Andrew,
The 4WD road (FS 278.1A) to Mt Antero ends at about 13,700 feet,
then it's about a half mile and 600 feet vertical to get to the
summit.
There is kind of a trail leading up over piles of talus but its
mostly climbing over the rocks, which takes some time.
The 4WD road varies in condition from year to year but it is usually
"moderate" difficulty, no problem in our stock Wrangler.
There is active mining near the end of the road, which keeps the
road open.
There are quite a few big switchbacks on the 4WD route where you
don't want to pass another vehicle.
It pays to watch for vehicles coming from the other direction and
anticipate where you can pass each others.
This map shows the area around the summit pretty well.
73 Bob
On 14-May-20 6:15 AM, KD5ZZK via
groups.io wrote:
Bob,
Every trail description I've found online says 12 miles RT. That
is from the highway! How far is it from the upper 4x4 parking
area. Looks like less than 1 mile. Can you confirm?
Andrew
KD5ZZK
Baton Rouge,LA
W5A-Arkansas SOTA manager
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I'll second Bob's statements on Antero. From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600 feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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My experience differed. I found the final leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution that is needed for some of these conditions. Lets be careful out there, Jon KM4PEH
From: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io <ham14er@ham14er.groups.io> On Behalf Of nmmi9100 via groups.io Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 8:41 AM To: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io Subject: Re: [ham14er] Mt Antero I'll second Bob's statements on Antero. From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600 feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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Bob K0NR
Jon,
Perhaps it depends on your expectations.
That climb up Antero from the Jeep parking spot is pretty typical of
the top 500 feet of a 14er: lots of rocks, some loose, pretty steep,
etc.
( I always say to myself, there's a reason they call these the rocky
mountains.)
It would be pretty easy to fall and hurt yourself.
But by 14er standards, it is not difficult but it is also not a walk
in the park.
73 Bob
On 24-Jul-20 9:20 AM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
My experience differed. I found the final
leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots
of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that
could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am
proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but
we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution
that is needed for some of these conditions.
Lets be careful out there,
Jon
KM4PEH
I'll second Bob's statements on Antero.
From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600
feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of
radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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Ron K6CPR
We will be in BV all week. I will probably activate a couple peaks while here and definitely do some chasing. We may attempt Mt. Antero on Thursday, and most likely just a 2M activation for that one to keep our packs light. Our Jeep is capable (we did Schofield Pass yesterday, a double diamond). Yes, we are California flatlanders, but we spend as much time at elevation as possible. I’m sure it will be a slow 600’ 1/2 mile hike for us. My question is, if we get up there and the last pitch looks questionable for our capabilities, will we most likely be in the activation zone? Also, does anyone know that road well enough to give us a driving time estimate once we leave pavement? We want to make sure we hit the trailhead very early.
Also, my XYL is K6SBB (Sheri). You may hear her on the air, but she probably won’t be activating.
On Saturday Aug 1, I will chase VHF and HF until about 1030 local time, then we have to hit the road. I am definitely looking forward to this week and hope to talk to many of you!
73, Ron K6CPR
On Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 2:14 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
Jon,
Perhaps it depends on your expectations.
That climb up Antero from the Jeep parking spot is pretty typical of
the top 500 feet of a 14er: lots of rocks, some loose, pretty steep,
etc.
( I always say to myself, there's a reason they call these the rocky
mountains.)
It would be pretty easy to fall and hurt yourself.
But by 14er standards, it is not difficult but it is also not a walk
in the park.
73 Bob
On 24-Jul-20 9:20 AM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
My experience differed. I found the final
leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots
of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that
could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am
proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but
we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution
that is needed for some of these conditions.
Lets be careful out there,
Jon
KM4PEH
I'll second Bob's statements on Antero.
From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600
feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of
radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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Ron K6CPR
I am heading up to W0C/WE-109 right now. Activate by noon hopefully.
We will be in BV all week. I will probably activate a couple peaks while here and definitely do some chasing. We may attempt Mt. Antero on Thursday, and most likely just a 2M activation for that one to keep our packs light. Our Jeep is capable (we did Schofield Pass yesterday, a double diamond). Yes, we are California flatlanders, but we spend as much time at elevation as possible. I’m sure it will be a slow 600’ 1/2 mile hike for us. My question is, if we get up there and the last pitch looks questionable for our capabilities, will we most likely be in the activation zone? Also, does anyone know that road well enough to give us a driving time estimate once we leave pavement? We want to make sure we hit the trailhead very early.
Also, my XYL is K6SBB (Sheri). You may hear her on the air, but she probably won’t be activating.
On Saturday Aug 1, I will chase VHF and HF until about 1030 local time, then we have to hit the road. I am definitely looking forward to this week and hope to talk to many of you!
73, Ron K6CPR On Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 2:14 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
Jon,
Perhaps it depends on your expectations.
That climb up Antero from the Jeep parking spot is pretty typical of
the top 500 feet of a 14er: lots of rocks, some loose, pretty steep,
etc.
( I always say to myself, there's a reason they call these the rocky
mountains.)
It would be pretty easy to fall and hurt yourself.
But by 14er standards, it is not difficult but it is also not a walk
in the park.
73 Bob
On 24-Jul-20 9:20 AM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
My experience differed. I found the final
leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots
of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that
could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am
proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but
we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution
that is needed for some of these conditions.
Lets be careful out there,
Jon
KM4PEH
I'll second Bob's statements on Antero.
From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600
feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of
radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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Walton Stinson <w0cp@...>
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area. I don't recall if there is a place to activate below the summit, but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting. The last pitch is'nt really any more difficult than the rest of the ascent if my memory serves and there is some shelter just below the summit Prepare for foul weather, especially high winds - though you might get lucky. You should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and get off before storms come in. You've probably noticed they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
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Bob K0NR
Another tip: on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on the
road going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet anyone
coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles coming
up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you just
want to anticipate that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson
wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area. I don't
recall if there is a place to activate below the summit, but I
don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting. The last pitch is'nt
really any more difficult than the rest of the ascent if my memory
serves and there is some shelter just below the summit Prepare for
foul weather, especially high winds - though you might get lucky.
You should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and get
off before storms come in. You've probably noticed they've been
arriving pretty early lately. 73
_._,_._,_
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Bob K0NR
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are activating on Thursday, so
you probably won't encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on Thursday, so I hope
we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM, Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip: on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on
the road going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet anyone
coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles
coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you just
want to anticipate that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson
wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area. I
don't recall if there is a place to activate below the summit,
but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting. The last pitch
is'nt really any more difficult than the rest of the ascent if
my memory serves and there is some shelter just below the summit
Prepare for foul weather, especially high winds - though you
might get lucky. You should plan a dawn start to ensure you can
activate and get off before storms come in. You've probably
noticed they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
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I’ll be in Rocky Mountain National Park Thursday. I put out an alert for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail Ridge (FR-123) there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on 2m? Jon
From: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io <ham14er@ham14er.groups.io> On Behalf Of Bob K0NR Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2020 11:35 AM To: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io Subject: Re: [ham14er] Mt Antero Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are activating on Thursday, so you probably won't encounter very many vehicles on the road (compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on Thursday, so I hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM, Bob K0NR wrote: Another tip: on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on the road going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet anyone coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you just want to anticipate that in advance. On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson wrote: Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area. I don't recall if there is a place to activate below the summit, but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting. The last pitch is'nt really any more difficult than the rest of the ascent if my memory serves and there is some shelter just below the summit Prepare for foul weather, especially high winds - though you might get lucky. You should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and get off before storms come in. You've probably noticed they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
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Bob K0NR
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain National Park
Thursday. I put out an alert for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail
Ridge (FR-123) there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on 2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are activating on Thursday,
so you probably won't encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on Thursday, so I
hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM, Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip:
on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on the road
going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet
anyone coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles
coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you
just want to anticipate that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson
wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area.
I don't recall if there is a place to activate below the
summit, but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting.
The last pitch is'nt really any more difficult than the
rest of the ascent if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for foul weather,
especially high winds - though you might get lucky. You
should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and
get off before storms come in. You've probably noticed
they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
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Ron K6CPR
Thanks for all of the pointers everyone. If I do 2M only I will have a yagi with me. We are watching the weather guessing sites & we will decide by Tuesday if we make the attempt on Wednesday or Thursday.
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020 at 3:21 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain National Park
Thursday. I put out an alert for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail
Ridge (FR-123) there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on 2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are activating on Thursday,
so you probably won't encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on Thursday, so I
hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM, Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip:
on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on the road
going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet
anyone coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles
coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you
just want to anticipate that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson
wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area.
I don't recall if there is a place to activate below the
summit, but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting.
The last pitch is'nt really any more difficult than the
rest of the ascent if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for foul weather,
especially high winds - though you might get lucky. You
should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and
get off before storms come in. You've probably noticed
they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
|
|
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Ron K6CPR
Wednesday is looking slightly better for us than Thursday for Mt Antero.
My questions to the group are: if I attempt 2 meter FM only with about a 75 mile range (yagi), am I going to get my needed four contacts fairly confidently? (per your experience in this area). I should be able to post via APRS. Can I get some local people to commit to watching the SOTA Spots and giving me a try on 2M FM Wednesday morning, to boost my confidence doing this peak without HF?
TNX, Ron K6CPR
Thanks for all of the pointers everyone. If I do 2M only I will have a yagi with me. We are watching the weather guessing sites & we will decide by Tuesday if we make the attempt on Wednesday or Thursday.
Tnx, Ron K6CPR On Sat, Jul 25, 2020 at 3:21 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson
(KM4PEH) wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain National Park
Thursday. I put out an alert for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail
Ridge (FR-123) there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on 2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are activating on Thursday,
so you probably won't encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on Thursday, so I
hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM, Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip:
on the map you will see a series of switchbacks on the road
going up to Antero. The road is narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests, you won't meet
anyone coming down those switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are watching for vehicles
coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the switchbacks but you
just want to anticipate that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM, Walton Stinson
wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to the parking area.
I don't recall if there is a place to activate below the
summit, but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on summiting.
The last pitch is'nt really any more difficult than the
rest of the ascent if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for foul weather,
especially high winds - though you might get lucky. You
should plan a dawn start to ensure you can activate and
get off before storms come in. You've probably noticed
they've been arriving pretty early lately. 73
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Bob K0NR
Ron,
I'd say you will be OK with getting contacts on 2m FM from Antero.
Of course, no guarantees.
I'd be happy to forward your plans to a bunch of hams active on 2m
FM around Buena Vista and Salida.
I don't know if I'll be within range of Antero on
Wednesday...probably not.
And SOTAwatch helps, too.
Bob
On 27-Jul-20 12:57 PM, Ron K6CPR wrote:
Wednesday is looking slightly better for us than
Thursday for Mt Antero.
My questions to the group are:
if I attempt 2 meter FM only with about a 75
mile range (yagi), am I going to get my needed four contacts
fairly confidently? (per your experience in this area). I
should be able to post via APRS. Can I get some local people
to commit to watching the SOTA Spots and giving me a try on 2M
FM Wednesday morning, to boost my confidence doing this peak
without HF?
TNX,
Ron K6CPR
Thanks for all of the pointers everyone.
If I do 2M only I will have a yagi with me. We are
watching the weather guessing sites & we will decide
by Tuesday if we make the attempt on Wednesday or
Thursday.
Tnx,
Ron K6CPR
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020
at 3:21 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...>
wrote:
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be
achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson (KM4PEH)
wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain
National Park Thursday. I put out an alert
for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail Ridge (FR-123)
there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on
2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are
activating on Thursday, so you probably won't
encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on
Thursday, so I hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM,
Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip: on
the map you will see a series of switchbacks
on the road going up to Antero. The road is
narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests,
you won't meet anyone coming down those
switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are
watching for vehicles coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the
switchbacks but you just want to anticipate
that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM,
Walton Stinson wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to
the parking area. I don't recall if there
is a place to activate below the summit,
but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on
summiting. The last pitch is'nt really any
more difficult than the rest of the ascent
if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for
foul weather, especially high winds -
though you might get lucky. You should
plan a dawn start to ensure you can
activate and get off before storms come
in. You've probably noticed they've been
arriving pretty early lately. 73
|
|
|
Ron K6CPR
Thank you Bob. We are going for it tomorrow. Hope to be hiking by 0700 and activate around 8. There are some west winds coming tomorrow, but hopefully the "Windy" App is correct that the bad winds won't hit until after we are down. I should be able post via APRS. Yes please, let your local buddies know to be watching Sotawatch Spots and be listening for me.
73, Ron K6CPR
On Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 1:36 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
Ron,
I'd say you will be OK with getting contacts on 2m FM from Antero.
Of course, no guarantees.
I'd be happy to forward your plans to a bunch of hams active on 2m
FM around Buena Vista and Salida.
I don't know if I'll be within range of Antero on
Wednesday...probably not.
And SOTAwatch helps, too.
Bob
On 27-Jul-20 12:57 PM, Ron K6CPR wrote:
Wednesday is looking slightly better for us than
Thursday for Mt Antero.
My questions to the group are:
if I attempt 2 meter FM only with about a 75
mile range (yagi), am I going to get my needed four contacts
fairly confidently? (per your experience in this area). I
should be able to post via APRS. Can I get some local people
to commit to watching the SOTA Spots and giving me a try on 2M
FM Wednesday morning, to boost my confidence doing this peak
without HF?
TNX,
Ron K6CPR
Thanks for all of the pointers everyone.
If I do 2M only I will have a yagi with me. We are
watching the weather guessing sites & we will decide
by Tuesday if we make the attempt on Wednesday or
Thursday.
Tnx,
Ron K6CPR
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020
at 3:21 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...>
wrote:
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be
achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson (KM4PEH)
wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain
National Park Thursday. I put out an alert
for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail Ridge (FR-123)
there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on
2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are
activating on Thursday, so you probably won't
encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on
Thursday, so I hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM,
Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip: on
the map you will see a series of switchbacks
on the road going up to Antero. The road is
narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests,
you won't meet anyone coming down those
switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are
watching for vehicles coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the
switchbacks but you just want to anticipate
that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM,
Walton Stinson wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to
the parking area. I don't recall if there
is a place to activate below the summit,
but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on
summiting. The last pitch is'nt really any
more difficult than the rest of the ascent
if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for
foul weather, especially high winds -
though you might get lucky. You should
plan a dawn start to ensure you can
activate and get off before storms come
in. You've probably noticed they've been
arriving pretty early lately. 73
|
|
|
Ron K6CPR
Also I can be tracked on APRS.fi, K6CPR-7.
I'm going to try to activate my Garmin Inreach, but they were hacked by a ransomware attack and the system would not let me activate my device on the last try. I will post the link for my Inreach if I can get it working.
Ron K6CPR
Thank you Bob. We are going for it tomorrow. Hope to be hiking by 0700 and activate around 8. There are some west winds coming tomorrow, but hopefully the "Windy" App is correct that the bad winds won't hit until after we are down. I should be able post via APRS. Yes please, let your local buddies know to be watching Sotawatch Spots and be listening for me.
73, Ron K6CPR
On Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 1:36 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...> wrote:
Ron,
I'd say you will be OK with getting contacts on 2m FM from Antero.
Of course, no guarantees.
I'd be happy to forward your plans to a bunch of hams active on 2m
FM around Buena Vista and Salida.
I don't know if I'll be within range of Antero on
Wednesday...probably not.
And SOTAwatch helps, too.
Bob
On 27-Jul-20 12:57 PM, Ron K6CPR wrote:
Wednesday is looking slightly better for us than
Thursday for Mt Antero.
My questions to the group are:
if I attempt 2 meter FM only with about a 75
mile range (yagi), am I going to get my needed four contacts
fairly confidently? (per your experience in this area). I
should be able to post via APRS. Can I get some local people
to commit to watching the SOTA Spots and giving me a try on 2M
FM Wednesday morning, to boost my confidence doing this peak
without HF?
TNX,
Ron K6CPR
Thanks for all of the pointers everyone.
If I do 2M only I will have a yagi with me. We are
watching the weather guessing sites & we will decide
by Tuesday if we make the attempt on Wednesday or
Thursday.
Tnx,
Ron K6CPR
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020
at 3:21 PM Bob K0NR < bob@...>
wrote:
That looks like 130 miles or so, which should be
achievable.
Having a Yagi antenna on both ends would help.
On 25-Jul-20 12:21 PM, Jon Richardson (KM4PEH)
wrote:
I’ll be in Rocky Mountain
National Park Thursday. I put out an alert
for Sundance (FR-019) and Trail Ridge (FR-123)
there (both ~12,400 ft). Will I be able to
reach y’all on Antero and Collegiate area on
2m?
Jon
Ron/K6CPR,
I read your note again...I see you are
activating on Thursday, so you probably won't
encounter very many vehicles on the road
(compared to the weekend).
Still, the same advice applies.
We should be activating somewhere around BV on
Thursday, so I hope we can do an S2S.
73 Bob
On 25-Jul-20 11:32 AM,
Bob K0NR wrote:
Another tip: on
the map you will see a series of switchbacks
on the road going up to Antero. The road is
narrow in this section.
If you get an early start, as Walt suggests,
you won't meet anyone coming down those
switchbacks.
Then on the way down make sure you are
watching for vehicles coming up.
It is easy to pass at the corners of the
switchbacks but you just want to anticipate
that in advance.
On 25-Jul-20 11:14 AM,
Walton Stinson wrote:
Hi Ron,
Plan on 1 3/4 hours or so to drive up to
the parking area. I don't recall if there
is a place to activate below the summit,
but I don't think so. So, I'd plan on
summiting. The last pitch is'nt really any
more difficult than the rest of the ascent
if my memory serves and there is some
shelter just below the summit Prepare for
foul weather, especially high winds -
though you might get lucky. You should
plan a dawn start to ensure you can
activate and get off before storms come
in. You've probably noticed they've been
arriving pretty early lately. 73
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Ron K6CPR
Jon, I agree. Today I did Mt Antero. I thought the whole trail, at least 80% of it was rough and risky. I did it solo, only because there were many other people on the "trail", and my XYL was tracking me from the Jeep at the trailhead. There was tons and tons of sharp, loose rock. A fall anywhere is most likely an injury, and most likely serious enough to stop you or turn you around. Going down was even more treacherous. There are several "trail" choices along the way, some end up rocking out. This hike is not for the faint of heart. I am glad I did it (it is my first 14'er hike), but no thank you for a repeat next year. I don’t mind a few areas on a hike where you have to be careful. I just found this one risky most of the way, just be aware. Thank you to all the chasers that gave me contacts.
Also, I remember a couple others posting that they are going to Mt Antero tomorrow and Saturday. Just be aware, the road was very busy today. We probably saw about 40 or 50 other vehicles up there. Lots of pulling aside and squeezing by. Pretty busy for a Thursday, so I imagine this weekend will be very busy....go early! We hit the 4x4 road at 0500, it was great going up virtually alone. The way down was a different story.
I don’t mean to discourage anyone from doing this hike, I just want people to be aware. Trails change in these harsh environments. Be safe!
73, Ron K6CPR
My experience differed. I found the final leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution that is needed for some of these conditions. Lets be careful out there, Jon KM4PEH I'll second Bob's statements on Antero. From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600 feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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I plan on climbing to Pikes Peak summit tomorrow, from Devil’s Playground. I am curious to see how the trail will compare with Antero. Trail Ridge yesterday had lots of talus, but it seemed quite stable and comparatively not steep. I found myself hopping and skipping over it and now and then pausing and telling myself that I needed to be more careful. Its too bad we couldn’t complete a contact yesterday. After I had dismantled my yagi, I heard you, via my 19” whip, talking with K0REW and heard you quite clearly. I called out to you but heard nothing back. I then tried calling again with my other, bigger, antenna (MFJ-1714), but again heard nothing. I didn’t have time to set up my yagi again, so sadly accepted that I wouldn’t score points for trail ridge, nor chase Antero. Jon
From: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io <ham14er@ham14er.groups.io> On Behalf Of Ron K6CPR Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2020 9:00 PM To: ham14er@ham14er.groups.io Subject: Re: [ham14er] Mt Antero Jon, I agree. Today I did Mt Antero. I thought the whole trail, at least 80% of it was rough and risky. I did it solo, only because there were many other people on the "trail", and my XYL was tracking me from the Jeep at the trailhead. There was tons and tons of sharp, loose rock. A fall anywhere is most likely an injury, and most likely serious enough to stop you or turn you around. Going down was even more treacherous. There are several "trail" choices along the way, some end up rocking out. This hike is not for the faint of heart. I am glad I did it (it is my first 14'er hike), but no thank you for a repeat next year. I don’t mind a few areas on a hike where you have to be careful. I just found this one risky most of the way, just be aware. Thank you to all the chasers that gave me contacts. Also, I remember a couple others posting that they are going to Mt Antero tomorrow and Saturday. Just be aware, the road was very busy today. We probably saw about 40 or 50 other vehicles up there. Lots of pulling aside and squeezing by. Pretty busy for a Thursday, so I imagine this weekend will be very busy....go early! We hit the 4x4 road at 0500, it was great going up virtually alone. The way down was a different story. I don’t mean to discourage anyone from doing this hike, I just want people to be aware. Trails change in these harsh environments. Be safe! My experience differed. I found the final leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution that is needed for some of these conditions. Lets be careful out there, Jon KM4PEH I'll second Bob's statements on Antero. From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600 feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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Ron K6CPR
Yes, sorry we couldn’t make to connection Jon. My yagi cable came apart on pre-checks the night before. I assembled a back-up cable but somewhere lost my 259 to SMA adapter. It might of fallen between the rocks on the peak as I emptied my antenna bag? So I was stuck with the rubber duck on the FT3Dr. Thank you very much for trying though.
Thinking over Antero again, I guess it’s that you must concentrate on almost every step and trekking pole placement..., there’s not much trail to just cruise and enjoy the scenery. I’m sure most 14’ers are like that near the top, as many of the peaks in the Sierras are the same.
Catch you on the air 73, Ron K6CPR
I plan on climbing to Pikes Peak summit tomorrow, from Devil’s Playground. I am curious to see how the trail will compare with Antero. Trail Ridge yesterday had lots of talus, but it seemed quite stable and comparatively not steep. I found myself hopping and skipping over it and now and then pausing and telling myself that I needed to be more careful. Its too bad we couldn’t complete a contact yesterday. After I had dismantled my yagi, I heard you, via my 19” whip, talking with K0REW and heard you quite clearly. I called out to you but heard nothing back. I then tried calling again with my other, bigger, antenna (MFJ-1714), but again heard nothing. I didn’t have time to set up my yagi again, so sadly accepted that I wouldn’t score points for trail ridge, nor chase Antero. Jon Jon, I agree. Today I did Mt Antero. I thought the whole trail, at least 80% of it was rough and risky. I did it solo, only because there were many other people on the "trail", and my XYL was tracking me from the Jeep at the trailhead. There was tons and tons of sharp, loose rock. A fall anywhere is most likely an injury, and most likely serious enough to stop you or turn you around. Going down was even more treacherous. There are several "trail" choices along the way, some end up rocking out. This hike is not for the faint of heart. I am glad I did it (it is my first 14'er hike), but no thank you for a repeat next year. I don’t mind a few areas on a hike where you have to be careful. I just found this one risky most of the way, just be aware. Thank you to all the chasers that gave me contacts. Also, I remember a couple others posting that they are going to Mt Antero tomorrow and Saturday. Just be aware, the road was very busy today. We probably saw about 40 or 50 other vehicles up there. Lots of pulling aside and squeezing by. Pretty busy for a Thursday, so I imagine this weekend will be very busy....go early! We hit the 4x4 road at 0500, it was great going up virtually alone. The way down was a different story. I don’t mean to discourage anyone from doing this hike, I just want people to be aware. Trails change in these harsh environments. Be safe! My experience differed. I found the final leg of the Antero ascent to be difficult and dangerous. Lots of bouldering, lots of sliding scree and near landslides that could have ended badly for me and put rescuers at risk. I am proud that I made it and the 10 Sota points that I earned, but we shouldn’t minimize the difficulty and necessary caution that is needed for some of these conditions. Lets be careful out there, Jon KM4PEH I'll second Bob's statements on Antero. From the upper 4wd area, it's about a half mile hike and 600 feet of vertical. It's an easy hike. We carried a pile of radio stuff up there last time.
/David
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