Hi all,
It’s time to start ramping up for the biennial Hike Across Maryland (HAM), which will be held on Saturday May 23rd. The HAM is an adventure where ~80 hearty souls hike the 41-mile Maryland segment of the Appalachian Trail southward from Pen Mar Park on the Mason-Dixon line to Harpers Ferry, WV in a very long day. Our mission is to provide radio support for the hike organizers, operating from ten checkpoints plus one welfare-check location, all along the trail. We primarily pass requests for assistance, as well as listing of hikers that have passed through each of the checkpoints.
Couple more points (in no particular order):
- Hikers leave Pen Mar Park around 5:30am and the last will likely arrive in Harpers Ferry around 9pm.
- Checkpoints open and close based on previous HAM hiker data. For example, Pen Mar will open at 5:15am and likely close at 5:40. As the day (and hike) progresses, checkpoints open later but remain open longer.
- We go rain or shine, unless conditions are dangerous.
- The majority of the checkpoints are a VERY short walk from parking.
- The POGO Campground welfare check is located between two relatively distant checkpoints, and requires a ~two mile hike (each way) via the Thurston Griggs Trail. If you’re interested in this role, let me know in the comment section of the sign-up sheet.
- High Rock checkpoint is a couple hundred yards into the woods from parking, and Ensign Cowell checkpoint is maybe a half mile up the trail from parking. If you’d like either of these, let me know in the comment section of sign-up sheet.
- While most checkpoints require only a handheld radio, one or two require handheld with enhanced antenna, and one or two require mobile-type radio and large antenna. We have loaner equipment, so please don’t let lack of gear prevent you from volunteering.
- An amateur technician license or better is required.
- This is an excellent first-event for new hams – if you’ve participated in any of the radio nets, you have the skill-set for this event. If you’d prefer, we can pair you up with a more experienced operator.
- We plan to use a combination of voice and digital data modes (Winlink/FLDigi) to transmit hiker data – whatever works for the operator at a particular checkpoint.
- Our primary repeater will be the W3CWC 146.94 in Clear Spring.
If you can help support this event, please complete the sign-up form here: https://forms.gle/7Gq9dC6nRDLkyz4M7 On the form, there is a place to provide free-form comments, questions or other useful information.
If you have any questions about this event, please send me a note using my call sign @arrl.net
Thanks and 73!
Mike K3MMM
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