I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about that. Back in college I found myself in the computer labs and spending a lot of time between my studies, work, and laboratory assignments. I did my BS in Networking and Systems Administration and at some point when we were going through our toughest courses — one that would cause people to fail out of both the course and the degree program if we did poorly, I was spending upwards of 80 hours a week behind the soft glow of the terminal. It was then that I realized that I couldn’t do that forever.
I know that it pays well, and that the work is very interesting for my personality. I’m a problem solver by nature. Well, that year I took more time than ever during Thanksgiving and spent the entire time at our hunting cabin in Pennsylvania walking through the woods to blow off steam and maybe tag a grouse or two. I did OK, a couple of squirrels here and there, but I was able to spend time and relax away from IT stuff for a few weeks.
Fast forward to today. I’ve got a job in the Computer Security field and work is as fast paced as ever. I can easily be working that hectic schedule but I make time for myself every year to take a month off and spend it in the woods. I’ve been fortunate enough to work a schedule that at the sacrifice of more time up front, I’m able to spend vastly many more days on the water and in the woods than I ever thought possible while working in a career field that’s rewarding and challenging.
So… what about APT?
In computer security terms, APT is an Advanced Persistent Threat. The term is given to hackers penetrating a network’s defenses. As I matured as a hunter I realized that hunters and fishermen had similar characteristics in the woods and on the water to the APT. Not for nothing, the Marine Corps adopted a program several years ago called Combat Hunter Program where they brought in professional trackers and big game hunters to teach Marines how to bring down a different type of dangerous game.
This is a little like that, but from the technology angle. When a network is hacked by an APT there is often a survey, an identification of weakness, an exploit of said vulnerability, and an attack, and then exfiltration. That marries up nicely to hunting and fishing. During scouting you’re attempting to pattern your target, hanging your stand or siting your groundblind you are attempting to identify a weakness in the behavior of an animal.
APT Outdoors is also dedicated to the technology that makes this fast paced world possible. With being a cubicle dweller during most of my waking hours of the work week, I use nights and weekends to scour over maps, read through hunting regulations of the states that I hunt regularly and try and see if I can’t go about solving some of these problems a little more intelligently using the skills I paid so dearly for at a brick and mortar college to enhance the trail smarts I’ve been able to obtain over a lifetime in the woods. Technology is an undercurrent here, but the focus is to enhance your overall experience in the outdoors and just have fun. So let’s see where this goes.
