[TexasARDF] West Texas knockin' at yer door!

[Scott Johnson (kd5mhm)]

Howdy, y'all!

Scott Johnson (kd5mhm) here (also my son Devin, ke5sym).

Please allow me to introduce myself.  I'm a Boy Scout leader out here... 
I've been doing fox hunts with the boys for most of this century, also the 
annual Jamboree on the Air each October, as well as teach the Radio Merit 
Badge several times a year.  Devin (ke5sym) even got a small article 
published in September's QST about his JOTA experience putting Cub Scouts on 
the air...

I'd like to try some more advanced fox hunts, that are perhaps a little 
closer to Radio Orienteering style.  The problem is my location.  Out in 
Midland.  Northern tip of the Chihuahuan desert.  No trees, no forests, no 
hills - well, y'all get the idea.

So I'd love some advice.  Can I do an "urban" version?  Out in the wild, I 
have to contend a lot with rattlesnakes, black widow & brown recluse 
spiders, scorpions, and cactus & mesquite thorns, and similar things that 
make rushing around in the brush a tad risky.  Also, the Boy Scouts of 
America really want me to do things safely.

Most articles on typical fox hunts involve driving around for hours (ain't 
gonna happen with a bunch of kids) or radio orienteering in the woods (I 
have to drive 300+ miles to get to a woods so that won't happen here). 
Believe it or not, Bastrop may well be one of my closest "forests"...  I 
love Bastrop, been there many times last century.

I've done the fox hunts with both Cub Scouts (7-10yr olds) and Boy Scouts 
(11-18yr olds) and they always love it (and I mean LOVE it!).  I just feel 
that I need to come up with something more similar to a real Radio 
Orienteering challenge so it generates more fun and interest.  I might even 
get some of the guys to go after their ham ticket, one never knows.

Other Ham/Scout folks in my area here are Greg, N5ATO; Johnny, KD5HGB and 
Keith, KD5IRL.  If I were to work on a more full-featured event, I'm sure 
they'd be interested in helping and also encouraging Scouts to participate.

So, if y'all are up to the challenge of providing suggestions, etc, just let 
me know.  And if there are things coming up, please add me to your emailing 
list.  Who knows, with enough advance notice I might even be able to get a 
group of Scouts interested in attending events in Texas.

Best wishes,
Scott

Scott D. Johnson, CDP, CSP, CCP
432-638-5993 cell
kd5mhm at clearwire.net
(take a look at our troop site, http://bsatroop270.org)