April Fools Day

April Fools Day has more than a casual meaning for me.... My friend Steven Newman (from Bethel Ohio) started his LONG walk in 1983 on this day. Steve always considered himself a modern day "Huckleberry Finn".


So, this morning, when I worked K0ZXQ, in Hannibal Missouri, the thoughts of Steven's "Walk Around the World" was again returned to my mind. K0ZXQ (Ken) lives in the "boyhood home town" of Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). I also have friends that were married on April Fools Day. (you got'a have a sense of humor)


I worked K0ZXQ about this same time last year and work Missouri easily with QRP power from here (about 500 miles). I've worked several stations, this last week, in the area around St. Louis and band conditions (at least for me) still favor this area. When I was living in an apartment complex many years ago, I worked NF0R/qrp, who was using 1 watt and a "St Louis Pocket Vertical" antenna taped to the inside wall of his home. I had about 30 foot of random wire laying on the floor and "tuned up" (amazingly) using bell wire.


Getting back to radio, I've always enjoyed a good hike (a walk with a purpose) and take the radio along with me whenever possible. In my early radio days, I carried a " Portable Packet Station" with me when I hiked the "Appalachian and Allegheny" trails in West Virginia and I once worked the Russian MIR station while sitting in a "cow pasture" with the TNC, a HT and a "palm top computer" (a Hewlett Packard 95LX ). I carried the entire thing in my backpack and it didn't weigh much more than a pound. Steven could have carried the thing along on his "World Walk" and hardly known he was carrying it.


April Fools means different things to different people. I'm sure many jokes will be played with one another today. But this April day made me think on the long hikes I've often taken with my radio gear. If you have a few minutes, check out "The World Walker".


Steve is the only person to have ever solo hiked around the world!