I had this wildass idea and I talked with a few people about it and most seemed to like it.  We would select a range of 4 to 5 weekends.  Everyone who want to participate would let the host know what weekends they were available.  Which ever one the most people could make would be selected in secret.  The host would select a place in or close to the Interstate 10/35/45 Triangle and also keep it a secret.  Sometime early that weekend participants would receive a call or a text message to BO and meet at the coordinates given.   Participants would have to load up their family and camping/BO gear and Get Out Of Dodge.  Everyone could be judged by the distance they have to travel.  Once there, we could compare what we brought, and perhaps have some more fun survival related contests.  Mostly we would just be able to meet, chat, and get to know one another.

If you are interested in doing something like this, let us know.  I was thinking about the last weekend in April through the weekend before Memorial Day.  If you have any ideas to make this better or more fun, please share.  Thanks.

UPDATE: Alright, we're on!  The range of weekends will be from April 17, 18, & 19 through June 12, 13, &14.  It will NOT be on Memorial Day weekend.  If you want to participate, send me the list of weekends you can make it, a way to contact you, and an address.  You do not have to send your exact address, just something close enough that we can determine a distance within a mile or two.  The camp I found is between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 hours away from Houston, Dallas, and Austin.  I haven't decided if it would be best to give the exact location before the BO order or not.  Let me know if you have an opinion on that.  Either IM or email me please.  Please put Suprise Bug Out in the subject.

If we end up doing this on a weekend you can't, or if you're too far away, you can still participate by timing yourself on loading up.  I will call everyone that wants me too.

I'm hoping that by doing this, it will help us all to be more prepared.

That is a good idea. Would be interesting to see how it turns out.

IN

sounds like a neat idea.

Hey I am in too.  Let me know what dates everyone likes.  Holidays are hard for me to get off.  However I am pretty open.

Damn, that sounds like a gaggle of fun and education to boot.  Wish I was in the AO.  Can't wait to read the AAR if it pans out!

A big +1 to that.

The AAR and "lessons learned" threads here are extremely educational. I've always enjoyed reading them.

..

Sort of like signing up for our own lariat advance exercises?

The way things are sounding in Texas..you might want to save all those resources you would expend in a training event for the real thing soon...

I know that just taking my wife and 2 kids out of town for a weekend is about 500.00 without batting an eye..

Bugout's are expensive,especially unplanned!..I don't want to sound like a fuddy-dud..just thinking of the current state of affairs..

I hope you guys have fun and learn a lot...Just watch your assets as to not use them all before you actually need them!

The time for large training expenditures is over for me..I am saving up for that rainy day that is NO DOUBT just around the corner!..If I am not trained by now, God help me!

Sounds fun though!

That sounds like fun to bad I work every weekend but you could come down a BUG out in Terrell county. Trust me when I say just living here is bugging out. Nearest Wal-mart 65 miles away and I'm sure someone on here owns some land down here that everyone could BUG out on. I just ask don't do anything dumb if you choose to did it down here I really don't want to lock up a fellow A.S.M. I'll be pissed because I have to do paperwork.

Can we just meet in San Antonio for Margaritas?

I will be watching from the brush... in my ghillie suite...

I don't do Margarita's but I do like Zombie Antitoxin laced Mudslides made with icecream!

Yeah, ummmm. Count me in!  

No doubt, got to watch the pennies but I think the major cost will be gas since we're camping.. and I'm always down for a weekend of camping. Nothing too far in that triangle. I won't be bugging out with full ammo cans however.

Order up!

I would be up for that...

We need this to be a sticky...

Sounds cool. I wish we had more preppers up here in WA to do this kind of stuff with.

Hell, you know I am in if the call goes out on the right weekend. I like to plan like that. SHTF will have to work around my schedule.

Toad

TAG to watch

Not to hijack, but this could totally be an extra event for the Bug Out Drill that is held in Waco TX.  Or we could do this as a side thing the night before the BOD.  I see a lot of TX survivalists here that have not made it to Tiger Valley to test theory or equipment.  You are missing a life changing event.


Archive link for BOD

Bug out drill prep thread

That is a very good idea.

I am interested in how it turns out.

This is a very good idea.  Not to hijack, but I would be interested in hosting one of these in KS or Colo.

im in

o wait , never mind

have fun anyway




john

You could turn it into a nation wide thing.  Everybody gets the text and bug out to the nearest place.  

Wherever TX

Some pasture east of Denver  Edit (lganimalvet has prarie dogs on one of his pastures east of Denver)

Some hill in WA

You name it.

...IN

I am very interested in this. Both the bugout and mine and coversion's seeming avatar similarities.

I really think this is going to happen.  We have a couple of places we are looking at and we'll get back to you with more info as we have it.

If you would like to do this, but are too far away, or have plans for the weekend when the call comes in, consider this.  You can still be on the list to get the BO alert and if nothing else you can load the BOV and see how long it would have taken you to be ready to leave.  We can work out a system or a call tree to make sure everyone who wants to can get in on this.

tagaroo...  

we're working around teenagers' schedules, but we'll be there if we can...  and if not, we'll definitely take advantage of the "pack all your shit" drill.  

I hope you can make it.  Rumor has it that there will be zombie anti-toxin made with chocolate icecream for those who attend!

 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, anti-toxin...........................  

we'll definitely do our best to be there...  


and bump for those who may not have seen this yet...  

sitrep ..............

rumor of a zombie invasion swirl......
people should be preping for a bugout.....
confirmed reports of a suitable location to defend against the undead hordes have been obtained.......
again prepare your families and your gear.....
more to follow........

roger that...  

Sounds like fun!   What part of Texas and any ideas as to about what dates?

should be fairly central, and the dates are a surprise...    like a real, what if it happened for real thing.    IM Halffast for more...  


ETA:  this thing has - at least - DFW/San Antonio/Austin folks in it already...

This is an awesome idea! I wish I was in Texas now, anyone want to do one in Eastern NC?

you can take "the call" as a "pack your shit and drive to your BOL" cue.  

Bump for update.

This is how it might start.  Or, for some really out there fiction...a bunch of gun grabbers could take over the White House.

It was called the discovery of the century, even though less than ten years had elapsed since the odometer of History had rolled over into the 2nd millennium.  A Mayan temple, so deep in the South American wilderness that modern man had never seen it, gave scientists hope that it might give them some clues as to what had happened to that ancient society.  

The media had played up the discovery to the point that it consumed most of the water cooler talk in the civilized world for a week.  The president of the news network that had bought exclusive rights to broadcast the first entry of the archeologists hoped that it didn’t turn into a debacle like that Geraldo special had.  The network had agreed to totally finance the excavation of the site for five years.  It was an offer that the archeologists couldn’t refuse, even if they had to explore the whole pyramid in three hours so that it could be a live television special.  Their stipulation was that only one cameraman would be allowed into the pyramid for this uncharacteristically rapid initial exploration as the most tenured archeologist explained the findings to his camera.  

The network sent their best.  George Roman had been to every war torn country, back woods shithole, and celebrity event of the last twenty years.  His talent with a news camera was unmatched, and so was his ego.  

Normally, a lightweight wireless camera would be used for such a broadcast, but the producer was concerned that the thick stone walls of the pyramid might degrade the signal.  He insisted that George use an older, and heavier, hardwired camera.  George didn’t like it, but he understood that this was the defining moment of his career and he wanted everything to go perfectly.  He insisted that men be assigned to pull the power and video cords so that they wouldn’t get tangled and impede his movement.  The archeologists argued that they had agreed to only one person, but George contended that this was for the best to make sure the cords didn’t disrupt anything inside.  They reluctantly agreed when the producer threatened to cancel the deal and made George and the producer agree that the helpers would only step where the entry team stepped.

When the huge rock door was pried from its seal, the archeologists were immediately surprised and excited.  Skeletons and half mummified corpses littered the floor.  It appeared that the people placed in this tomb, at least most of them, were alive when the door was sealed.  One of the scientist speculated that this might have been an attempt to quarantine the sickness that wiped out the Mayans.  From the looks of things, another observed, some of them must have gone mad.

George followed the scientist as they explored deeper and deeper.  He knew the world was watching the skillfully taken images he was sending them with the greatest interest.  He wondered how many awards he would receive for this piece of work and how much those awards would mean to his upcoming new contract.

The entry team made it to the central chamber at the two hour and forty-one minute mark.  They quickly opened the door and entered; wanting to make sure they fulfilled their obligation to show every part of the temple-turned-tomb.  The people that had been placed in here must have been dead when they were entombed.  They were neatly laid in rows.  As the explorers began to examine them, it was apparent that they had been sacrificed in different ways.  Some of them seemed to have been tightly wrapped in some kind of fur.  The leader of the expedition guessed that the tribe must have tried many different sacrifices to try to please their gods and thus rid themselves from the plague that was killing them.  One of the other scientists noticed that the canine teeth of these corpses were slightly elongated and wondered if this was some type of genetic anomaly that made them outcasts and that was why they were killed.  George knew that everyone at the network would be ecstatic about this.  “What a way to end the show,” he mused.  He moved in to get a shot of the elongated teeth.  

The young man that had been tasked to hold the cords closest to George had stayed out late the night before.  He had successfully fought his sleepiness to this point, but it had finally caught up with him.  As he stood outside of the central chamber, almost in the dark, he didn’t notice the band of cables moving.

When the cords tightened, it caused the camera to rock upwards slightly.  Most cameramen wouldn’t have been upset, but George was furious.  His coverage so far had been perfect and some idiot had now ruined it.  He reached back with his off hand and found the bundle of cables and jerked them as hard as he could.

The cords slid through the young man’s hands.  A nylon wire tie that held the cables together had not been trimmed properly and a sharp edge cut his hand.  The jolt of the jerking cable coupled with the pain in his hand, caused him to fall.  Instinctively placing his hands to break his fall, the bloodied one ended up on some of the mummified remains.

On that day, scientists didn’t think that a virus could be passed from someone dead so long to a living being.  The world would soon find out how wrong they were.

And so it begins!

This is a great idea. We'd love to do this one. Depeneding on the weekend it gets called, it's possible we might not be able to attend, but most weekends are free. Even if we can't go, I like the idea of being able to use it as practice.

TAG!  Great idea...kinda a long hike from MI!

Bummer on the dates. I plan to be around San Antonio/Austin/Dallas on vacation around the end of June on a big road trip. I could resupply with .45 ACP, spicy Cheezits, or Nexium.

1451 Miles and 21 hours to Texas! I'll be there  Or I'll just drive to my friends where I'll be going if SHTF so we can take his truck and get the fuck out of Dodge.

IM inbound....

Toad

LOL - that second one is what I meant...  you practice YOUR bug out while we practice OURS.    the call will still be a surprise, so you'll still have to drop everything and see how fast you can do it and see what you forgot...  

Oh I gotcha now. That would be fun. Maybe in the future we can have people all over do it on the same day from one call or what not.

Oh yea, are we going to be able to shoot at this location?

Toad

Is the term "Zombie" code word for "Small brown guy with a weed eater"??

It could start like this....


It was called the discovery of the century, even though less than ten years had elapsed since the odometer of History had rolled over into the 2nd millennium.  A Mayan temple, so deep in the South American wilderness that modern man had never seen it, gave scientists hope that it might give them some clues as to what had happened to that ancient society.  

The media had played up the discovery to the point that it consumed most of the water cooler talk in the civilized world for a week.  The president of the news network that had bought exclusive rights to broadcast the first entry of the archeologists hoped that it didn’t turn into a debacle like that Geraldo special had.  The network had agreed to totally finance the excavation of the site for five years.  It was an offer that the archeologists couldn’t refuse, even if they had to explore the whole pyramid in three hours so that it could be a live television special.  Their stipulation was that only one cameraman would be allowed into the pyramid for this uncharacteristically rapid initial exploration as the most tenured archeologist explained the findings to his camera.  

The network sent their best.  George Roman had been to every war torn country, back woods shithole, and celebrity event of the last twenty years.  His talent with a news camera was unmatched, and so was his ego.  

Normally, a lightweight wireless camera would be used for such a broadcast, but the producer was concerned that the thick stone walls of the pyramid might degrade the signal.  He insisted that George use an older, and heavier, hardwired camera.  George didn’t like it, but he understood that this was the defining moment of his career and he wanted everything to go perfectly.  He insisted that men be assigned to pull the power and video cords so that they wouldn’t get tangled and impede his movement.  The archeologists argued that they had agreed to only one person, but George contended that this was for the best to make sure the cords didn’t disrupt anything inside.  They reluctantly agreed when the producer threatened to cancel the deal and made George and the producer agree that the helpers would only step where the entry team stepped.

When the huge rock door was pried from its seal, the archeologists were immediately surprised and excited.  Skeletons and half mummified corpses littered the floor.  It appeared that the people placed in this tomb, at least most of them, were alive when the door was sealed.  One of the scientist speculated that this might have been an attempt to quarantine the sickness that wiped out the Mayans.  From the looks of things, another observed, some of them must have gone mad.

George followed the scientist as they explored deeper and deeper.  He knew the world was watching the skillfully taken images he was sending them with the greatest interest.  He wondered how many awards he would receive for this piece of work and how much those awards would mean to his upcoming new contract.

The entry team made it to the central chamber at the two hour and forty-one minute mark.  They quickly opened the door and entered; wanting to make sure they fulfilled their obligation to show every part of the temple-turned-tomb.  The people that had been placed in here must have been dead when they were entombed.  They were neatly laid in rows.  As the explorers began to examine them, it was apparent that they had been sacrificed in different ways.  Some of them seemed to have been tightly wrapped in some kind of fur.  The leader of the expedition guessed that the tribe must have tried many different sacrifices to try to please their gods and thus rid themselves from the plague that was killing them.  One of the other scientists noticed that the canine teeth of these corpses were slightly elongated and wondered if this was some type of genetic anomaly that made them outcasts and that was why they were killed.  George knew that everyone at the network would be ecstatic about this.  “What a way to end the show,” he mused.  He moved in to get a shot of the elongated teeth.  

The young man that had been tasked to hold the cords closest to George had stayed out late the night before.  He had successfully fought his sleepiness to this point, but it had finally caught up with him.  As he stood outside of the central chamber, almost in the dark, he didn’t notice the band of cables moving.

When the cords tightened, it caused the camera to rock upwards slightly.  Most cameramen wouldn’t have been upset, but George was furious.  His coverage so far had been perfect and some idiot had now ruined it.  He reached back with his off hand and found the bundle of cables and jerked them as hard as he could.

The cords slid through the young man’s hands.  A nylon wire tie that held the cables together had not been trimmed properly and a sharp edge cut his hand.  The jolt of the jerking cable coupled with the pain in his hand, caused him to fall.  Instinctively placing his hands to break his fall, the bloodied one ended up on some of the mummified remains.

On that day, scientists didn’t think that a virus could be passed from someone dead so long to a living being.  The world would soon find out how wrong they were.


Stay tuned for updates!!!!