Fox in Hiding, Westford, August 10, 2019

Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, writes on the fox-hunting list at 10:53 AM on August 10, 2019:

Fox hunters: get ready!

I am headed out shortly to hide two foxes in Westford.  Get your gear ready for 2m and 80m fox hunting!

I will send another email in an hour or so with a clue about the location.

Wait until 12:30 PM before fox hunting in Westford.  The highly encrypted clue uses the ROT1 decrpytion algorithm.

BCDE_UFYBT_SPBE_BCDE

One Comment on “Fox in Hiding, Westford, August 10, 2019”

  1. From: Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, posts to the foxhunting list on August 11 at 9:57 PM:

    Hello Fox Hunters,

    I have retrieved the 2m and 80m foxes from the Emmet Conservation area on Texas Road in Westford.

    The people who found the foxes (as far as I know) are:

    K1IG 2m and 80m
    W1FDR 2m and 80m

    If you found it, please let us know!

    On another note, beware when stomping around in the woods. I actually got myself lost(!) for about 30 minutes.

    * The trails in the Mass. Audubon part of the property are IMHO very poorly marked. They indicate “MAS” but don’t have any trial names. I somehow got onto those trails.

    * I did not bring a trail map, but it might not have done much good due to the aforementioned. I should have brought it anyway.

    * I did not have enough water for an extended outing.

    * I could not tell the direction of the sun in the forest.

    * I did not have a compass.

    * I did not turn on my 2m radio(!). That was pretty stupid of me. K1IG was in the immediate vicinity about 20 minutes before I extricated myself.

    * I incorrectly assumed that listening to the 80m fox beacon would be enough to bring me back to civilization. NOT TRUE! Without a map, the trails didn’t seem to take me back in that direction, and then the fox was out of range.

    * I wish I had brought my GPS to see how many times I walked in circles. That’s typically what happens when people get lost.

    * Yes, I had my cell phone.

    * I almost called the fox hunters to bail me out, but then I saw a very large meadow and some houses. I walked that way and found myself on Hayrick Lane, about 1/4 – 1/2 mile away from my car.

    * I suffered no injuries except perhaps to my pride.

    * Perhaps a future fox hunt should be a human on the move, simulating a scared and lost hiker. Your thoughts?

    73,

    Andy

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