While logging into the POTA site to get the park numbers for some potential weekend targets, something caught my attention. There was a little rectangle under the header block of my profile. It was an award! A Bronze Hunter Award. I have apparently been a hunter for 10 unique parks. That’s quite a feat given that I think I only have 10 contacts to parks as a hunter. And those were mostly done park to park (which is hard to communicate over FT8).
To be clear: I wasn’t hunting THAT piece of paper. It just showed up. And when it did, there was a very strange sense of satisfaction that washed over me. 10 contacts isn’t a big deal by any stretch, but it was still a good feeling because it was fun! Sort of a “Huh. Well look at that!” moment.
It’s probably a sad commentary that I get so excited over having found a hobby that I can sit back and enjoy like this. I didn’t know that this feeling was missing until it showed up. It didn’t have to be ham radio. It could have been a lot of things, but it just so happens that radio pulls together so many things that I enjoy into one challenging and rewarding activity.
I wonder if others think about their hobbies this way. This probably deserves a little more attention and for me to ask a few questions of friends who have this and other hobbies.
Oh well. Back to the rig!