SOTA The Cascades VK2/SM-014

With some time off work decided to escape the heat for a while and head up to Thredbo for a few days. The temperature there at altitude is in the low 20s instead of mid to high 30s at home. Decided to activate a nearby summit, The Cascades, VK2/SM-014, which I have done a few other times but still enjoy doing.

Drove SW out of Thredbo along the Alpine Way until reaching the Thredbo River crossing and the car park for the walk. The car park is known as Dead Horse Gap. At 9:00 am it was crowded, got one of the few spots left to park. Followed the Cascade walking trail

The trail follows the Thredbo river, initially high above but after a few km drops down to the river

 Reached a metal bridge over the river.

Looking upstream.

Looking downstream where I had come from and to the main range

Climbed up the track on the other side, steep in places. After a few more Km headed into the bush towards the summit. A little swampy in places but with the drought not that deep.

Reached the summit, a large rocky outcrop with an old wooden trig.

It was very windy. Set up on an old stump, the rocks protected me from the wind but the squid pole was bouncing around everywhere.

Looking the other way.

Squid pole attached to the stump

Radio perched on my pack.

Got on 40 m on 7.090. After a call got VK3AFW Ron quite strong. Worked VK3GTV Col next, then a summit to summit from VK3PF/p Peter on VK3/VE-159. Quite surprising as the summit was in NE Victoria, only about 100 km W of me.

Went on to work

VK5WG Wal
VK3SQ Geoff

After contacting Geoff the squid pole collapsed, twice... Really very windy.

VK3XPT/7 called me, on a beach in VK7 using an old military type portable radio. Audio sounded like a telephone handset... He had some company, worked VK7FOLK Helen and VK7JON Jonathon as well on the same radio.

The VK3ZPF Peter, VK2IO/m Gerard and a faint copy on VK4TJ John.

Went to 20m. Worked ZL1BYZ John, then another summit to summit, with ZL/VK2GPL and ZL1SKL on ZL1/WK-158 Puketutu. Both weak but workable

Worked ZL1TM Andrei, and VK5AYL Sue. Packed up and headed back down. Track log of walk, map from Google Maps. Its around 4.7 Km each way.

SOTA The Cascades VK2/SM-014 for UTC New Year Rollover

For the UTC New Year rollover there is a chance to get SOTA activation points for contacts made on either side of 00:00 UTC, which in NSW Australia is 11:00 am local time. Decided to get 20 points by activating a 10 point summit in the Snowy Mountains, The Cascades" VK2/SM-014.

After stopping at Thredbo overnight for New Years Eve slept in a bit. I had been up to after midnight... Had breakfast and drove the short distance to the start of the Cascades Walk, parking about 8:45 am. The weather here was cold for January, about 11c, so dressed warmly.

It's a 4.7 Km walk from here to the summit. Followed the Thredbo River for a while, quite scenic.

The track eventually crosses the Thredbo River at a metal bridge put in by the park rangers.

Looking upstream. Summit around to the right.

Looking downsteam

After crossing the river the track heads up and heads around to the right. Good views. Looking back.

Note the white patches on the main range in the distance. These are snow drifts, in Summer!

Just a few hundred metres from the summit needed to leave the walking track and head cross country to the summit. Lots of tracks to follow, probably left by brumbies, wild horses. A bit of a marshy area before the summit but not too bad to walk through.

After an hour and a quarter of walking reached the summit. A rough post on a rock trig point.

At the top the wind was very strong and cold. Probably gusting to about 30-40 Km/Hr. Found a rocky outcrop out of the wind, and set up the squid pole here, radio shack on the tarp mostly out of the wind.

Shack on the tarp

Even though I was out of the wind the top of the squid pole was not, and collapsed on me a few times. So operating was interrupted now and then by my having to hoist it back up again...

The 40m band was full of activators... Started with an S2S with Andrew VK1AD/p on VK1/AC-043 Mt Stromlo with a good signal. Andrew spotted me and let me have the frequency. Worked my way through a pileup of activators and chasers, also going after new ones on SOTAwatch. Pre UTC

Time	Call	Band	Mode	Notes
23:27z	VK1AD/P	7MHz	SSB	s58 r58 s2s vk1/ac-043
23:29z	VK3PF/P	7MHz	SSB	s58 r56 s2s vk3/vg-001
23:31z	VK3ARR/P	7MHz	SSB	s51 r56 s2s vk3/ve-008
23:33z	VK2AOH	7MHz	SSB	s52 r55 s2s vk2/ct-012
23:34z	VK5WG	7MHz	SSB	s58 r55
23:35z	VK2YW	7MHz	SSB	s58 r57
23:35z	VK2IO/P	7MHz	SSB	s58 r58 s2s vk2/hu-093
23:36z	VK7CW	7MHz	SSB	s58 r57
23:37z	VK5ZAT/P	7MHz	SSB	s58 r59
23:38z	VK5FANA	7MHz	SSB	s57 r33
23:39z	VK3GGG	7MHz	SSB	s58 r54
23:40z	VK3PMG	7MHz	SSB	s58 r54
23:42z	VK1MA/P	7MHz	SSB	s55 r55 s2s vk1/ac-008
23:45z	VK3SG/P	7MHz	SSB	s55 r59 s2s vk3/ve-007
23:50z	VK7ZMS	7MHz	SSB	s58 r25
23:51z	VK7FAMP	7MHz	SSB	s53 r53
23:52z	VK4RF	7MHz	SSB	s53 r55
23:53z	VK4HA	7MHz	SSB	s53 r55
23:54z	VK3ARH/P	7MHz	SSB	s53 r57 s2s vk3/vs-027
23:57z	VK3TST/P	7MHz	SSB	s53 r55 s2s vk3/ve-034

Note VK3TST/p at 23:57. He had just got on air with only 3 minutes to go to rollover. Don't think he made the 4 contacts needed...

Post UTC. Only 1 contact on 20m, John VK6NU/p on VK6/SW-039.

ime	Call	Band	Mode	Notes
00:04z	VK6NU/P	14MHz	SSB	s51 r51 s2s vk6/sw-039
00:10z	VK3ARH/P	7MHz	SSB	s53 r55 s2s vk3/vs-027
00:11z	VK3ARR/P	7MHz	SSB	s52 r52 s2s vk3/ve-008
00:20z	VK5PAS/P	7MHz	SSB	s57 r54 vk5/se-001
00:21z	VK5FMAZ/P	7MHz	SSB	s57 r54 vk5/se-001
00:24z	VK3TST/P	7MHz	SSB	s53 r55 s2s vk3/ve-034
00:26z	VK3AFW/P	7MHz	SSB	s51 r53 s2s vk3/ve-031
00:31z	VK3SG/P	7MHz	SSB	s55 r56 s2s vk3/ve-007
00:35z	VK2IO/P	7MHz	SSB	s57 r57 s2s vk2/hu-093
00:37z	VK7TW/P	7MHz	SSB	s41 r41 s2s vk7/sc-063
00:38z	VK7FREU/P	7MHz	SSB	s41 r41 s2s vk7/sc-063
00:42z	VK3PF/P	7MHz	SSB	s55 r55 s2s vk3/vg-001
01:06z	VK1MA/P	7MHz	SSB	s55 r55 s2s vk1/ac-008

Poor Justin VK7TW and his son Reuben VK7FREU had microphone failure just after I worked them and had to qualify on 2m FM. After midday I had had enough of the wind and cold and packed up, heading back the same way, taking a bit over an hour to get back to the car. Drove to one of the picnic areas down from Thredbo out of the wind for lunch. 20 SOTA points done :)

SOTA The Cascades VK2/SM-014

Left Jindabyne at 8:30 am, drove up the Alpine Way to Thredbo, stopping to pay $16 for the Kosziusko national park one day entry fee. Just past Thredbo stopped at Dead Horse Gap, a car parking area for several walks in the area. Quite full at 9 am. Took the Cascade Trail.

This follows the Thredbo River up the valley. Quite scenic.

After 2.5 Km the track crosses the Thredbo river. NSW Parks have provided a good foot bridge here for walkers.

The crystal clear Thredbo River

After the river crossing the track climbs steeply up Bobs Ridge. To get to the Cascades peak, cut off cross country to the left of the track for about a 400 m bush bash.

Not very hard, some marshy bits and a few rocks to navigate around.

Reached the top. There is a trig here, a simple post on the highest rock.

Just below the trig to the South a pleasant grassy area in the activation zone

Set up the squid pole on a dead snow gum, with the dipole legs strung out to some trees

Set up the SOTA shack in the grass in the shade of the trees. Quite pleasant, apart from the odd March Fly...

Got on 40 m about 20 minutes before UTC rollover, got swamped by chasers...from VK1, VK2 VK3 and VK5. All good strong signals, even VK5s quite good. A S2S with Peter VK3PF on VK3/RI-033 Hamilton Hill. Post UTC rollover another S2S with Peter, also Matt VK1MA/3 on VK3/VE-105 Mt Big Ben

Tried switching the dipole to 20 m. Worked Ernie VK3DET with a good signal, Andrew VK3BQ/2 with a weak signal from nearby Thredbo Diggings. He invited me to say hello after activating. Went on to work VK7YP, VK2UH and VK2KTT, before packing up and heading back down for lunch in Thredbo. It took me a bit over an hour to get back down.

After lunch drove to Thredbo Diggings. Found Andrew by his Antennas :) He was camping there with the family, his wife Christine VK3FCEK and his 2 boys Toby and Nathan. Had a good chat about SOTA and a cup of tea. He suggested an easy nearby summit to try in the afternoon, Box Ridge VK2/SM-065, with instructions on getting there. Thanks Andrew :)

Track log of walk.

Track profile. About a 4.8 Km walk each way with a 300 m climb