US-11501 Chockalog Swamp WMA

It all began when I checked the ATNO channel on the HRAG POTA Discord server, which I do pretty much daily, and saw K1DJ activating a spot not all that far from me.

It surprised me, I didn't think there were many virgin spots left in eastern Massachusetts, but I next headed to POTA.app and downloaded the latest park list. Sure enough, there was exactly ONE remaining unactivated spot anywhere near me. It was US-11501.

The POTA page for the site did not look promising. Zero activations, 'swamp' in the name, and the note on the page indicated that, "This is a landlocked piece of property without any parking areas." There's usually a reason for a low activation number around here, and I figured I was looking at it. Nevertheless, I thought I'd at least go out and take a look, since there's no substitute for boots on the ground.

The location is only 20 minutes from my house, and I packed up a lunch and headed over. I used Apple Maps, and told it where I was going, using the nearby Blissful Meadows Golf Club as a destination. It in fact took me to the area but sure enough there didn't seem to be a way in. I don't mind knocking on doors to politely ask if I can cross a property, but I wasn't quite sure where to star knocking.

I brought up the Gaia GPS app on my phone to take a closer look. I use the app constantly, as it is invaluable in the woods, not just for POTA. The OpenStreetmaps map layer that Gaia uses showed an unmarked road leading to just about the edge of the swamp, and I swung the car around and drove slowly, watching Gaia for the turn.

There it was! An unmarked gravel road. There are a handful of houses along this road, and a mailbox or two, it just doesn't have a name. Look for a little 'country store' type of shed right at the turn from the main road.

The road is not maintained at all, so if you are in a car that sits low to the ground, keep an eye out for large exposed rocks that might snag your undercarriage. It isn't far to a parking area, just take it slow.About halfway down you'll see a small cut leading out to the left, but keep driving straight until you see a hay field.

The field abuts Cedar Swamp Pond, which from an aerial view looks like a sinkhole or even an impact crater, but more likely was formed by the many industrious beavers in this neck of the woods.

From the parking area I walked straight to Cedar Swamp Pond to see what I was dealing with. I counted four large beaver lodges on the south side as I circled the water clockwise. It was tough going, this reference is entirely cedar swamp, and I think that it was only thanks to the recent drought conditions that I was able to get in at all.

I couldn't find a spot immediately on the pond to accommodate my EFHW and cut over to the southwest along a small outflow brook. There were no hunters visible but I did hear shotguns in the distance. It's pheasant season in New England right now, so do be sure to wear orange blaze and keep an eye out for activity.

I had pre-announced that I was heading over here and once I set the wire and fired up the rig all I had to do was spot and call CQ once, and then worked a pileup for the next 20 minutes or so. I unfortunately didn't have a lot of time on this particular day and so I wasn't able to stay very long. I like to try different bands and modes when I can, but this was pretty much 20m CW.

I was surprised to find an unactivated reference in my own backyard. Some of my urgency was around an upcoming rainstorm, the first significant rain in months, and I knew that the water level in the swamp was going to rise. As it was I sunk into the muck in a few spots while hiking around exploring, a gentle reminder that I was walking on what is essentially a floating mat of organic material.

It's worth taking a look at the park list once in a while. I check daily for alerts from the POTA-UPDATE bot on the HRAG Discord server – there were 29 new ones announced in West Virginia just today – since you never know when a new one will pop up. I also periodically download the CSV park list from POTA.app to look for parks I might have missed.

This might be an interesting winter activation location, since it'll be easier to move around once things freeze a bit. Keep in mind that in a swamp there are underground currents, and that water might not freeze as quickly as surface water. This particular place isn't hugely swampy, just a little swampy, but it makes sense to be prepared.