Looking south at dawn toward Tres Orejas (W5N/OT-026) and Santa Fe Baldy.
14 JULY 2022 W5N/OT-025
| Route: | Wide open cross country |
| Hike Distance: | 1.2 miles round trip |
| Elevation Gain: | 400′ |
| Navigation: | Easy |
| Steepness: | Easy |
| Vehicle: | High clearance passenger vehicle |
| Road: | Seasonal, very rocky at the end. |
| Cell Coverage: | Fair (Verizon) |
For this really fun activation I got up around 5AM and the full moon was hanging low over the Taos Mesa. My work schedule had subsided the day before and I felt I could reasonably take off and get in an early activation before clients started calling me again.
I followed Tom K6TAA’s directions and found the approach to be pretty rocky toward the end. I was glad to have a high clearance truck and I certainly would not want to try these deeply rutted roads in wet conditions.
The hike is pretty short and straightforward. The little community I passed through is pretty, uh, different. I was a little nervous parking past the abandoned trailer, but the early hour seemed to be in my favor. On my way back I talked with Joshua, a resident in the last house I passed and he was curious as to what brought me out his way. Once I told him I was hiking he was quite friendly. He did say that I woke him up at 6:00 when I drove by, but that he was fine with me hiking up Cerro de los Taoses. he said not many people came down his road.
After I did Tres Orejas (W5N/OT-026) last week I was contacted by Eli HA9RE in Hungary. Eli is a dedicated US county hunter and he expressed a desire to add Taos County to his log. I figured that I might be be able to work him from the portal of my wife’s little adobe near Arroyo Seco using my K3/100 at 100 watts and a large doublet.
I was shocked when Eli called me on 20m toward the end of my activation! He was a solid 54 to me and he gave my little 12 watt signal a 33. This made both of our days!
I also worked Adam K6ARK on Red Butte in Arizona for a summit-to-summit and a lot of my favorite chasers, including Jon NT6E back home. This turned out to be a really fun activation!
KG6MZS 