Quick Jaunt to Blackie Spit

Blackie Spit was recently added to the Parks on the Air list and I was impatiently waiting to do my first activation there. I was waiting for a day with decent weather but also one where I hadn’t planned a visit to a more distant park. That day finally came. The morning was wet and I didn’t think I would be going anywhere. But as noon arrived the sun appeared and the day warmed up. So, I decided to head out and finally get the Spit in my log book.

Going to Crescent Beach on a week-end is no longer a pleasant visit. The traffic from visitors is high and parking can be fully consumed by late morning. They even have traffic control restricting people coming in, so I avoid the area on week-ends. On a nice Monday, the numbers are low and one can find parking. In fact, as I sought a spot to park today, I was able to get the one closest to the path I wanted to walk! – so nice.

I arrived around 1pm and loaded my cart so I could walk it to the central grassy rise area. There I picked a nice spot west of the rise and settled in. There were no benches here but my portable chair works fine even though it does give me a bit of a back strain if I stay too long. Once selected, I stretched out the antenna wires and was soon on the air on 15m. Then band was quiet and I had no issues picking a frequency. I put out a few calls and soon had a response. I then spotted myself and waited for some activity. And waited and waited … no one came, so I switched to 20m.