TOP OF THE WORLD: ASSAULT OF BLACK MESA

When I first read of Adventure Radio Society and Top of the World I thought it would be a good challenge for me.  I needed to practice my CW because I had passed the Extra Class test but had never had a CW QSO with anyone.  Therefore the Top of the World challenge gave me a goal toward which I would study CW.  I worked for six months until I finally made a CW contact with the same person who had given me my code test.  It was on 80 meters while filled with QRN.  He was using a bug so he really couldn't slow down easily but I still got about 20% copy.  Finally I had gotten on the air.  As the weeks passed I found a couple of others who were closer to my speed and proceeded to get more comfortable.
 
Finally Fall break at college was upon us.  I had studied hard to get here; both Computer Engineering and CW.  Patricia (KD5PZO) and I were ready for a little break.  We have been looking at the Top of the World Honor Roll for months now hoping no one would grab the high point of Oklahoma before we got our chance.  When we got back home from this expedition I checked again and found the high point of Texas had been captured.  That was the next on our list if we found time.  We had been to the Panhandle area before and really enjoyed the solitude and quiet.  While we were standing in the Nature Conservancy protected area we could sense the bison herd over the mesa and the Natives ready for the hunt.  It is a very pretty spot. 
 
I found a few web sites telling me a bit more about the journey to the top, but, Pat had dug through those sites a little deeper with a different mission in mind.  We had been thinking of camping but the weather had changed in this area of the high plains and we thought other accommodations might be more appropriate for our quest.  She found a few places in the area willing to put us up: one was a bed and breakfast, the other was a little cabin on the edge of Kenton.  We opted for the cabin run by the proprietors of the Kenton Mercantile. 
 
On the morning of October 10th we were ready.  The truck was packed and we left Albuquerque on Interstate 40 and then quickly on to Interstate 25, driving north through Santa Fe and Las Vegas.  At Springer we took US 56 to Clayton.  Just East of Clayton SR 406 heads North to SR 456 and then East into downtown Kenton, Oklahoma.  When we arrived in Kenton we stopped at the Kenton Mercantile to get the key to our cabin from Allan Griggs, who runs the store/deli/post office/etc.  Fortunately for us Fall Break was not earlier.  Allan told us Kenton had been a very popular place from September 18th to October 6th.  First was the Highpointers Convention from September 18th until the 22nd.  And then there was the Okie-Tex Star Party from September 29 through October 6th.  All of the rooming houses in town had been filled for these two activities.  The Highpointers would probably not wanted an antenna strung up on the monument as they posed for pictures either. 
 
Kenton and parts of Black Mesa are in Cimmaron County, the only county in the US bordered by four states.  These states are: New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and finally Texas.  Kenton, population 35 1/2, is the only town in Oklahoma which is in the Mountain Time zone, all of the others are use Central Time.  The one-half resident status was unclear to me, either one is coming or one is going, we are in the Wild West out here :)  The earliest residents of the area were some of the first hunters in Oklahoma crafting the Folsom and Clovis points for their spears.  Later came the Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes following the large herds of bison who ranged throughout this area of the Southern plains.
 
Black Mesa gets its name from the color of the volcanic basalt from which it is formed.  Before moving into the Southwest I was unaware of how much vulcanism took place in the area creating its characteristic landforms.  Mesas and arroyos are typical geologic features of the Southwest named by the early Spanish raiding parties.  Mesas are flat topped and so named because they are as flat as tables.  Arroyos are water carved gulleys.  In the Southwest, with its arid climate, what little rain does, falls all at once creating real gulley washers.  Albuquerque has an annual rainfall of around 8 inches but Kenton gets somewhat more, evidenced by the continuous ground cover not found in Albuquerque.  One can see how the huge herds of bison would prefer this area.
 
On October 11, 2002 we arrived at the Nature Conservancy parking lot at around 9:30 due to a leisurely morning.  After the constant bustle of Albuquerque it was quite a treat to be surrounded by silence.  It was almost too quiet to sleep, but we managed.  I had forgotten what it was like to be in the country after two and a half years of living in downtown Albuquerque.  I realized I needed to complete my degree and get back to my roots in the country again.  Pat and I got out our trusty VX-5R HTs and agreed on a simplex frequency for our hike.  Thinking my first contact window was at 10:30 AM and I was 3 miles from the high point I hiked rapidly.  She and Demi (Am. Can. Ch. Oregonized Misdemeanor) followed along at a more relaxed pace.  The radio link between us was comforting.  We often go skiing, hiking, or birding with headsets on so we can stay in touch while moving at our own pace. 
 
Within a half mile I had already shed my sweatshirt and was wondering how warm it would get.  The day had started off cool but soon the temperature was in the mid-80s.  Not bad for this country where it often gets to 100° or above with humidity levels in the low teens.  I had a little water but was sure Pat had brought along more.  I found out later we did not have enough but we will come to that as the story progresses.  We hiked through scrub and open range watching the hawks, vultures, prairie falcons, and meadowlarks fly by, investigating what we were doing.  By 10:30 I was only at the base of the road up the mesa and realized I would miss the first window which I subsequently remembered had been for 11:00 AM.  Black Mesa would have been more difficult to climb if it hadn't have had a jeep track switch-backing up the steep incline.  The trail was a little slippery at times but not too bad.  When I finally reached the flat top of the mesa I expected to see the monument but was disappointed.  I called Pat and found she was about half-way up the climb and slowing her pace.  I encouraged her with tales of the flat top and continued hiking. 
 
While I was searching for the high point monument on the top of the mesa I enjoyed the view into New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and East back in to Oklahoma.  It appeared all of the mesas in the area were of the same height but there were many higher points all around.  These were all in other states however.  The high point of Black Mesa is within the state of Oklahoma but only by a mere 1300 feet.  Once on the top of the mesa the monument is about one mile distant but unless you know where to look you will never see it.  There were a few markers along the trail to assure us we were on the right path.  When I finally saw the granite marker I contacted Pat to tell her I was almost there.  When I found she was doing alright I told her I would switch to the New Mexico Megalink and make contact with the Albuquerque group. 
 
The Megalink is a permanently linked system of repeaters which covers almost all of New Mexico as well as parts of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.  I wasn't sure about Oklahoma but had inquired of local hams and found it did work in certain areas, one of which was the top of Black Mesa.  This aided me immensely.  Since the hike to the top had taken longer than anticipated I had missed my first operating window.  I had prearranged with a few Albuquerque friends to contact me via CW at 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:00 PM MST until we were able to work each other for the Top of the World contact.  When I switched to the Megalink and stated I was monitoring another friend, Art (KC5EFM), came back to me with the news that I was being called on 40 meters via CW.  I found I was the talk of the town and a number of people were listening in on both the Megalink and on 40 meters.  I told him to relay a message to the others I would be a few minutes late and started to throw up my antenna.
 
I unpacked my Elecraft K2 (#2511)  and the vertical antenna when I found I had not brought along one of the antenna's parts.  Thus I could not run two antennas from the K2's antenna tuner.  Oh well.  I got out the dipole and looked around.  There was not much in the way of trees nor any tall supports save the monument itself.  Since I had planned on running the dipole NVIS I modified it to become an inverted V with the monument as the standard.  I found a rock (they were plentiful up there) and wrapped a few half hitches around one.  Tossing the rock with antenna up toward the top of the monument my knot came unraveled and the rock proceeded over the top of the monument to land on the base on the other side landing squarely between my glasses (I am hopelessly far-sighted) and the K2.  Luckily, I had placed them a foot apart and missed each by a good three inches.  You can view this offending rock in one of the pictures {OK3.bmp}.

About this time Pat and Demi arrived on the scene. She tried boosting me to the top of the monument to place the rock but our combined height was not enough.  Time to risk another toss.  I wrapped another rock with a 'better' knot and flung it from the side with the valuables toward the other side.  This time I was successful in making it land on top of the granite spire.  Once the antenna was up we routed the ropes on either end of the antenna to rocks to the North and South so I would be approximately perpendicular with Albuquerque.  The K2 was powered by a 7 Amp-Hour gel cell and keyed with a set Palm paddles.  These conveniently attached to the top of my clip board so I could rest the whole on my knee, or in this case the monument, and work a few stations {cw_k2_crop.bmp}.

Once the rig was situated (this was to change a couple of times due to the sun) I tuned to 7054 kHz and found an ongoing QSO.  It was between two of my cohorts.  I waited for them to get back with the program and tried to contact Jack (KD5OEO) -- no luck.  Tried Brian (KD5RPO) and he came back loud and clear.  He gave me a 339 on his Icom 706 MkIIg.  When we were done I tried KD5OEO again and we had a short chat.  He then said Richard (W5GUZ) was patiently waiting in the wings.  So I contacted Richard and we exchanged call signs and signal reports then chatted a bit.  He gave me on 229 on his TenTec Omni V.  Since KD5RPO and W5GUZ were both running QRO they were 599.  KD5OEO runs 3 watts on his TenTec 1340 so he was down at 589.  Jack also had the best 'ears' and gave me a 449 while the others gave me 339 and a 229.  I needed a higher antenna, NVIS was working but not well.
 
At this point I had completed what I set out to do but was hungry and thirsty.  Pat had brought sandwiches and water so we ate behind the shade of a friendly juniper bush (the only shade up there other than the monument) {all_OK.bmp}.  Once we were sated I got back on the Megalink to see if I could make contact with a young friend of mine, Chuck (KD5TBU).  I had assisted as a VE in two of his testing sessions and was one of his first contacts on HF.  I wanted to give him another state on 20 meters so I called him and we agreed upon a frequency.  I tuned the inverted V on 20 meters with the ATU and called him using the K2's SSB capability.  No response.  I listened and just barely heard him.  I had turned up the wick on my rig as far as it would go (15 watts) and he was running 100 watts.  After about 15 minutes we agreed we weren't going to make it work on 20 meters.  Unfortunately he could not tune on 40 meters where conditions were better.  Later that night I thought of a way we could have made it work but by then it was too late.  If we had only worked a split where I sent CW on one frequency on 20 meters and he kept sending on voice we might have been able to exchange call signs and signal reports to make a good contact.  As it was I was able to contact Albuquerque on two bands via two modes. 
 
By this time both Pat and I were pretty tired but Demi was still spunky but thirsty.  I packed up all the gear and we started the long trek back to the pickup truck.  It was a long dry hike back because we had drunk the majority of our water either on the way up or at lunch.  The other beverages had been unfortunately left at the cabin in our haste to get on site at the scheduled time.  I decided to keep moving since I was losing water to the environment whether I was moving or not.  Pat sat in the shade with Demi a few times so our pack train was once again strung out, but the radio link kept spirits up.  When I saw the truck through the juniper I called her to reassure her we were close.  When we finally got to the truck the spare water and shade sure felt good.  Almost a gallon of water disappeared between the three of us.  Once rehydrated and cooled by the shade of the truck we got in and drove the five miles back to Kenton and our cabin.  Pat informed me she had first dibs on the shower so I had to wait while drinking more water and pop.  Demi drank more and she felt better too.  She had only picked up a few burrs in her fur along the way.  Luckily none of us ran into any rattlesnakes.  They were smart enough to stay in the shade, not like the mad dogs and amateur radio types on a quest for the "Top of the World" :)
 
After the moon set that night I wandered outside to look at the stars and was greeted by gorgeous skies unpolluted by city lights.  I could pick out Messier objects with the naked eye.  Unfortunately I was much too tired to get the Televue Pronto out and set it up.  A great telescope but an exhausted astronomer :(  The next night I was raring to go and see some sights but after getting the telescope affixed to its mount and the eyepieces out of their cases I stepped outside to a gust of warm air and a very cloudy sky.  Disappointed I promised myself, "Next time we're in the town of Kenton we'll use the telescope."
 
I learned a number of things while on my quest to gain entrance to the “Top of the World” honor roll.  Remember to bring all of the parts to build the vertical antenna.  Take more water than you really need, it gets lighter once it is drunk.  A smaller battery would make the pack lighter.  Continue working on my CW skills since strenuous conditions make listening that much harder.  On the top of Black Mesa it was windy and I was dehydrated so my mind wandered at times.  I know I asked Brian for my RST three times at least and I kept missing it.  I have been searching for a collapsible fishing pole to use as an antenna mount.  One or two of these might be light enough to carry along on the next expedition.  Or, I could use hiking staffs as supports, only time will tell.  Most high points,  or even camping sites for that matter, are not so flat nor so barren.  Hopefully my next highpoint will have better antenna mounting possibilities.  I have ripped the 2.9 Amp-Hour gel cell from one of my robots and have tested it with my K2.  This appears to be a good power source for my next outdoor radio experience. 
 
The bottom line for the whole experience: I enjoyed the challenge and had fun in the outdoors. You can't do better than that! :)
 
A few web sites to fill in any blanks I've left in the story: