40 Carried For 10

This is not a 10mm vs .40S&W post.

Instead its about the challenge I did today:  Rucking 10 miles carrying 40 pounds.

In one word:  Ouch.

Ten miles was a lot.

We drove out to Pontiac Lake Recreation Area and met up at 7:45 am.

We then did a little warm up stretching, and hit the trail.

 Beautiful clear and sunny day in the 30s, and we were soon more than warm enough as we rucked on.

 I had on a lot of safety orange as did some of the others in the group as this was an active hunting area, as well as a jogging and mountain bike area.

We passed by a few hunters and while we saw deer tracks we never saw a deer.  We were more in danger from the mountain bikers barrelling away on the trail than anything else really. The hunters we passed by all had excellent muzzle discipline and good situational awareness that there were other people in the woods, which is always nice to see.

The trail was quite rugged with many rocks and roots hiding under the leaves to trip you up. Lots of slipping and recoveries from hidden roots occurred. I did the "Don't Fall Dance" many times.

Switchbacks, and climbs, and dips added to the challenge, and we had an elevation gain of 1,219 feet during the walk.

We did a short break at 3 miles in and another at the 6 mile mark.

About 8.5 miles in,  I asked for a break as my feet and legs were killing me, feeling every rock underfoot and always fighting to maintain balance took a toll and I was starting to hit a wall. Others indicated they appreciated and needed the break as well.

A few minutes sitting down helped and I got up and carried on.

The last miles felt like they were forever, and the last was the hardest, with a lot of elevation change and even more damn rocks and roots.  The last mile was really the last mile plus making it a 10.46t mile ruck. But, no one gave up and we did it.

 

Afterwards we had a campfire and hot dogs to celebrate.

The group lead brought Teton Grass Fed Beef Hot Dogs for the group to cook over the fire, and while the hunger and effort of the ruck certainly made everything taste great, those were really amazing hot dogs.  I mean, best tasting hot dogs ever. Highly recommend.

 He also brought some non-alcoholic beverages and a pumpkin pie. All great stuff.  It was a great time with great camaraderie hanging around the fire after all the hard work.

Feet and legs are all sorts of sore right now.  But the accomplishment makes it worth it.

6 Miles

It was a chill 40 degrees outside as I got to the trail today.

Time to up my rucking game a bit.

 Since the Group 10-mile ruck is coming up on November 22, it was time to increase the mileage.

For additional difficulty, I added 5 pounds to the pack, bringing it to 40 pounds.

First three miles were done in just under an hour at an average 19.55 minutes a mile pace. 

The nature trail is different every time I ruck it now.

Can you spot the three deer in this photo? 

In addition to deer, many ducks were hanging out.

Not a ton of people on the trail,  as the cooler weather reduces people showing up, but still quite a few.   But most of the time I pretty much had a good portion of the trail all to myself, occasionally passing others or them passing me from the other direction.  All good and the solitude and quiet while moving through the woods was rather nice. The noisiest thing, aside from passing people talking on their phones, was the squirrels running through the brush.

By mile five, I could definitely feel the hike, and my feet were informing me that they were no longer enjoying the process, and why did I add another five pounds to the pack, anyway? 

But I pressed on, and completed my 6 mile goal.

 Pretty much achieved 6 miles in 2 hours which was the plan.

Not a bad way to spend a beautiful morning. 

A Ruck In The Woods-ish

After the range I went home, dropped things off in a secure manner, and did a ruck today on the nature trail.

The leaves are a-changing.

 

Overcast, but it was a very pleasant day to get out and move about. 

I did a 3 mile walk carrying 32 pounds in my ruck in the woods. I did it in an hour, with a varied pace, stopping or often walking at a slow and quiet pace to take the occasional snapshot of the wildlife.

  

 

Quite a number of deer were out asking to be photographed. 

Also got to see the ducks work on the synchronized mooning of passers-by.

 

It was a nice relaxing activity outdoors in very enjoyable weather.

Head Clearing

To escape much of the ugliness online with Leftist's celebration of the murder of Charlie Kirk, including by many people whom I thought knew better and would act better (Boy, was I wrong about that), and the other horrible events of the week, I decided to get a bit of a break in this morning.

So, I drove out and then hit the West Bloomfield Nature Trail this morning, increasing the load in the rucksack with another 5 pound soft weight to 30 pounds for a solo ruck. 

30 pounds felt somehow markedly heavier than the 25 pounds from Tuesday, which of course was heavier than the previous 20.   I figure I will keep adding weight as I go to increase the workout.

That this ruck hopefully would clear my head a bit was the goal, as well as the bonus of getting a workout in. 

Of course, it started sprinkling rain as I began, which was not in the forecast, but that soon cleared up.

 Getting into the trees and away from the sounds of traffic and the day-to-day was rather nice.

 

Quite a few people about, but I soon managed to get on my own and just concentrate on maintaining a decent pace and enjoy the quiet.

I was doing a 19-minute mile pace for most of the ruck, but by mile 4 I was slowing down to a 20-minute mile pace.

Solo rucking is different from group rucking.  No banter or chit-chat or conversation, just moving along looking at the greenery and keeping moving. Quite calming, actually.

Certainly a bit more introspective, and it lacks the internalized peer pressure that makes you not back off your pace in a group.  You don't want to slow down the group or be one to give up during a task. It also lacks the outside encouragement that others in the group give including regular check-ins to see that people are ok.

Surprisingly, I'm not the slowest and most out of shape person in the rucking group, which is nice.

 I ended up doing 4.7 miles in 1.33 hours and an overall average pace of 19.55. Not a bad beginning.

It did help clear my head a bit, and I got to be inn a calm space and see some wildlife, too.

If you're getting all wound up about the terrible news and events of the past week, put the phone down, step away from the ugliness of social media, get outside, and get yourself refocused. 

The ugliness will sadly all still be there when you get back, but you deserve a break from it.

Michigan Becoming More Bear-able

The Detroit News:  More black bears seen in Lower Michigan. Here's how to avoid them, DNR says

Black bears are expanding their territory in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and as they roam about, state officials say the best way for residents and bears to both stay safe is to ensure they can't find a reliable snack in their human neighbor's backyard. 

Indeed, do not feed the bears.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources gives some advice for what to do if you encounter a Bear, but a key effective tool is not mentioned for some reason:

If someone does encounter a black bear, the DNR said, they should not play dead (that will only work on a grizzly) and they should not run away (that can trigger the animal's chase response).

Instead, stand your ground, back away only when the bear stops its approach and make yourself look bigger by raising your arms and jacket, and/or standing on a rock or stump, state officials suggested. One can also yell at the bear loudly and always provide a clear, unobstructed escape route for the bear.

If the bear makes contact with you, fight back, the DNR advises, by hitting, kicking and using anything available like a knife, sticks, rocks, binoculars or a backpack.

 I'd recommend using something that is a lot more effective than a knife, sticks, rock, binoculars or a backpack if you're being attacked by a bear. Funny how they don't list the far more effective tool as an option.  

A Walk In The Woods

Yesterday we decided to get out of the house and get some walking in.

We headed to Kensington Metropark and took their longest trail in the woods.

It was another hot day, so the parts of the trail in the woods were welcome relief from the open field areas of the trail.

Interestingly, the chipmunks of Kensington have no fear of humans and no shame. They will literally bump into your feet while your walking on the trail on just stand there looking at you as you almost step on them when they sit on the trail, or look offended as they run under your feet and yopu have to avoid stomping on them. Since Kensington Metropark does not allow dogs on the trails, the chipmunks give zero Fs to all.

We also saw deer as we walked though the woods and then came upon two particularly large birds blocking the trail.

It was a little iffy getting by them on that bridge. One looked like he was going to try and peck at one of us with that beak.

The one in the background proceeded to make a voracious peck at that chipmunk sitting there to the right as we walked by. He went flying off the bridge as a result.

Thankfully no one got pecked and we got past the birds with all parties none the worse for wear.

It was a nice long walk, then we hit the beach for a swim and went home. A nice time in the outdoors.