It was a nice day for a hunt. I hit the road and arrived at the Summit Inn at about 8:30, had a nice 3
 cups of coffee and a cinnamon bun. I expected to see Richard, but he never showed at the Inn. At the
 start point by 9:15 and had a long talk with N6VCR about punching the mandatory hole in the Prius roof. 
And received the last of the ALL-DAY trophy’s from Doug. I now have 4. If anyone who wants to become
their custodian speak up. I wrapped it carefully in my padded jacket anticipating much bouncing around
on dirt roads later in the day.

We all stopped talking for a few seconds to note that there was a transmitter on the air at 10:00,
then went back to talking. My bearing was found to be 20 deg off. Worried about that for a few minutes
and placed it in the too-hard column for future worrying.  The consensus was that the bearing was 280 or so.
Very bad as this was right down the north edge of the mountains. I announced that I heard 2 transmitters,
but no one else seemed to. I definitely heard T2 and T3 at the start at the same bearing (300 in my case).
A lot of discussion about whether to go back south on 15 to 138 or go north to Phelan road and then go west.
I finally decided to go north and left at about 10:50

I had also decided (incorrectly) that the two transmitters were together (within 5 miles or so of each other)
so I went to Phelan road and on west to 138 and further west to about east 106th before I concluded that now
I was in between the to transmitters. So I went back east.

Left 138 for Valyermo road and eventually found T2. Doug was sitting there and Deryl had just left. Only me
and Tim remained to find this one. I talked with Doug for a while and Tom showed up. Doug left and Tom and
I signed the ticket together. I had 90.5 miles. We talked about what to do next and Tom said he heard T9 on
his way down the hill from route 2. I hadn’t heard it as I was going up the road toward route 2, so it must
be between up and down so we chose to find it next. I went up the road from T2 about ¼ mile and I too heard
T9 but the bearing was everywhere. We spent the next 1 ½ hours trying to find T9, but eventually it was gone
and neither of us was hearing it.

I decided to focus on T3 which was fairly steady at 300 degrees. I went into Palmdale, and up to Lancaster
and ate lunch. By now it was 4:30. I got gas at M street and noticed that the signal; was now 270 or due west.
I went due west for a very long way. M street ended and I zigged and zagged north until I got to 138. 138 ran
into Gorman and I then went right on to Frazer Park and on up to Mt. Pinos.

 I found T3 in the dark and with snow on the ground.  I signed in with 90.5 miles. What is this??? I guess when
I reset my odometer at the start it didn’t reset completely and the reset mechanism stuck and now it won’t change
the stuck setting so I found every T in 90.5 miles.

I heard snake T and found it about 100 ft from T3. It was on top of a rock, a ten foot high rock. I slithered up
this rock and the T was hidden on a pile of pine needles and the sign in sheet in another pile in a crack.

At this point I wondered about me….Picture this if you can. Here is an overweight 80 year old laying on this rock
10 feet above the snowy ground dressed in his shorts, tee shirt and tennis shoes, hanging on to the rock with one
hand, flashlight in mouth and groping for this sign in sheet in the pine needles with the other hand. Is that
dedication or lunacy?

Bob WB6JPI