We just returned from Albuquerque, New Mexico and the 2001 ARDF National Championships. Four members of the Georgia Orienteering Club traveled all night down I-40 to arrive at Fenton Lake State Park outside of Albuquerque to practice the sport of finding hidden radio transmitters.
We arrived at the state park just as dark was falling and pitched our tents by the glow of the moon. The next morning we awakened to the glow of sunrise on the cliffs above our campsite.
We were surrounded by high canyon walls, with a lake in the center of the park. We fired up the camp stove for a breakfast of oatmeal, croissants, and coffee. The park proved to be a good spot for hiding transmitters; the lake and the canyon walls produced many reflections and false signals. Each of us took off in a different direction with one of the transmitters and walked up the slope as far as our lungs would carry us.
Several hams arrived at the lake to join us for the hunt. There were people from the Albuquerque area, from California, and a pair of hams from Australia. Also attending was Joe Moell, the author of a book on radio hunts. The group from California brought "Tri-tips" barbecue, and persuaded others to complete the meal with pasta, potato salad, and baked beans.
The Georgia Orienteering Club hid the transmitters on the steep wooded slopes of the valley. Most of the attending hunters needed help with using either the map-and-compass, or using the direction finding radio.
The high altitude and the steep terrain were a challenge for everyone. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, especially the Georgia group since we did both the hunting and the hiding of each transmitter box. We needed a good meal to replenish our energy. The picnic was quite a feast, but a short afternoon thundershower sent everyone scurrying for shelter.
The next day we packed up and headed for town. On the way, we passed through an Indian reservation and a small restaurant serving traditional southwest breakfast of scrambled eggs and green chilies. After that Bill and I persuaded our companions to visit Petroglyph National Monument. We walked along a canyon of black basalt rock and searched for ancient symbols on the black rugged stones.
To discourage vandalism, none of the ancient drawings is marked; each visitor must search the rock faces to rediscover each petroglyph for himself. Great fun! At this lower altitude, the sun was hot and the air was dry. Sam complained about having to hike on his rest day, so we cut the visit short and headed for the University to meet the rest of the competitors.
The hams are easy to spot; just look for the antennas. There were a variety of participants; some were experts, some were just learning. Some were engineers who designed their own radios to use. Everyone has a two-meter radio, but some are still building their 80-meter receivers. I met a fellow bike rider from North Carolina and got an update on the Tour de France.
On Wednesday morning, we attended the opening ceremonies where everyone stood up and introduced themselves. Among the 42 participants were 12 Chinese tourists, not radio experts, but all had some technical background. None of them spoke English!
Several practice transmitters were hidden around the University campus, and we spent most of the day hunting for these. Sam, from the Georgia club, gave a talk on map reading. Later in the afternoon, we had a technical show-and-tell to display our radios.
On Thursday morning, we all gathered on the bus, and were driven to the secret location in the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque. All participants were collected at a staging area before being driven to the start in groups of four. This was a slow process and all of us were on edge, raring to go!
From the start line, I ran down a short hill then stopped to take bearings. I decide the second set of bearings should be taken from near the center of the map, and I headed up the trail and uphill. The seven thousand foot altitude slowed me down a good bit. Transmitter two was the strongest, so ran straight for it. The next strongest signal was from #1, so I headed straight for it. This route took me down a steep hill and into a gully that was steeper and more overgrown than depicted on the map. My radio gave me several false readings and the terrain had me crawling on hands and knees. When I finally arrived at transmitter one, I realized there should have been an easier way. Here I learned from officials and other competitors that a mother bear and cubs was spotted on the course!
From here I ran around to number four and then on to number three, using my head and picking a better course. The forest was open with little undergrowth, so the running was fast. The forest floor was covered with small boulders, the size of a football or soccer ball, so one had to be careful of each footfall. Near the end of the course, I scared two elk. The hoof prints looked like cows, but their bodies were the size of a deer.
For this run, I came in third place. No results were posted at the end, so that evening we came up with a way to get the results displayed quickly after the run. Having everyone's name on a card, posted on a string, allowed us to display event standings. This helped to break the language barrier; the Chinese runners could then point to their names and get recognition for their performance.
On Friday, I hoped to do better, since I understood the map maker's way of depicting the landscape. As soon as I started running, the map fooled me again.
I found several trails not shown on the map and could not understand why I felt so lost. Following the signals was my only way of navigating; I just followed the strongest signal. After getting the first two transmitters, I came across a high point of land near two intersecting gullies; suddenly I realized where I was! Plotting two bearing told me I needed to run to number four before finding number three. At the third control I saw Steve, another Georgia teammate, jogging through the woods. With his skirted hat flapping in the breeze, he reminded me of the "Flying Nun".
On the bus ride back to the University, we designed two new antennas and radio (in our heads of course). There was a lively discussion of radio and antenna theory. We had a quick shower and headed for the awards ceremony. Two of the event organizers were late for the final meeting because they were out in the forest looking for a lost competitor; one of the Chinese runners had lost his way.
Everyone exchanged QSL cards and small gifts at the closing ceremonies. The Georgia team exchanged T-shirts with several participants. Sam and I took home medals for second and third place finishes. The next morning we got back in the car for the long drive home again. After 36 hours in the car, we were back home again. It was a great trip, but I regret I didn't get pictures of the elk, the bear, or the flying nun.
