First off, and like the over zealous person I am, I totally underestimated the weight, size and logistics of my new "portable" battery.
I've gotten everything else to fit perfectly and quite comfortably in to my day pack, but it's all quite useless and fairly pointless without a battery.
The battery I have, the only battery right now, is over 17 pounds and not very tiny. I tried throwing everything in to my 90L hiking backpack and cinching it all down, but it was too cumbersome and everything was loose.
The spot I found is a ~12km round trip and 1100 feet up, so I can exactly Mickey Mouse my pack setup.
Next, the weather was my greatest foe. Our supposedly sunny weekend has turned to a grey, drizzly and miserable affair.
Now before I start hearing chicken noises, please let me assure you that I am a hardened outdoorsman, weather doesn't bother me in the slightest, but I'm not about to risk having to replace all my gear because it got wrecked while I was out trying to prove what a big man I am.
Hopefully later tonight the weather will clear and I'll be able to cart all the gear up the hill.
Then a third obstacle reared it's ugly head... I was going to head out last night after dark, but the kids went to bed late and just would not go down. As much as I would love to be walking out of camp mumbling to my wife that "they are you're problem now...", sometimes my gut gets the best of me.
I wish I has known about ham radio when I was single, had money and spent my days romping through the backwoods of VE7, and silly things like weather and kids weren't even a thought in my mind.
But, I am undeterred. I'm going to spend the day figuring out this battery, praying for clear skies and running these kids in to the ground so they are in bed at a descent hour and for good!
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