Category: Rucking & Training

A Challenge in Sir Walter Raleigh’s Namesake, North Carolina

“Let us dispatch,” said Sir Walter Raleigh to his executioner, “…I would not have my enemies think I quaked from fear.” An explorer by birth, and by trade, and sponsor of the Lost Colony, which later became the great states North Carolina and Virginia, Raleigh lived a life of rebellions, massacres, colonization, secret marriage, imprisonment, sieges, slaughters, and knighthood. Treason against the British Crown, though, cost him his head in 1618. For this, no doubt, in addition to his success as an explorer, North Carolina named its capitol after him in 1792. Classes 017 and 018, also avant-garde for their time, took the guided tour of his town, complete with all the best sites. Some on the beaten path, some off. Java made his Challenge debut, certain to be oft repeated this summer, and Central Prison never saw such good livin’ till now.

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GORUCK parties at Tough Mudder, Austin, Texas

Tough Mudder was a ten-mile party, something fun to do with friends while drinking beer. We stayed up all night at the Ruckoff, and our Texan friends will tell you how lucky we were to get to spend some quality time with them. We don't disagree, so thank you Texas, and thank you to every Texan we met. You made our weekend. Keep waving your flags high and we’ll see you again soon.

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A GORUCK Challenge Surrounding the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

The Navy owns the water. That was our theory anyway, and 90 midshipmen at the Naval Academy didn’t prove us wrong. The colder the better, apparently, as several went so far as to challenge sub-zero wind chill temperatures with shorts on, pants not necessary. That makes for some good livin’ for such a hearty crew. They took all that we gave them: telephone poles for miles, back and forths over the oh shit bridge, 200 meters of bounding bear crawls…and continual uncertainty. By the end, each of the classes, 011, 012, 013, and 014 relished the shared experiences that outsiders could not quite comprehend. And because Beaux (Challenge Cadre) couldn’t let them have all the fun, he checked out the waters himself and reported back with big smiles that the Navy could keep their cold as hell waters all to themselves. And so as we left Annapolis, now friends with some of America’s best young leaders, shared smiles and shared shivers revealed our pride in proving our original theory right.

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A Texas-Sized Challenge in Austin

Texans are a great people (ask them, they’ll tell you) with big smiles and a nice, easy swagger. Since smiles come easy to us, too, we’re always happy to get what we give, and to make such friends. Each class, 008, 009 and 010 took on a life of its own, inside jokes abound: pace, tin man, the quest for the holy anti-venom, tenderfoot, ron jeremy, kryptonite, and the girlfriend beater who should feel lucky to have survived his encounter with Force Recon cadre and Austin PD in the middle of the Challenge. Our hope is that he’s still in jail. You had to be there, as is always the case. It was most definitely good livin’ (as we are fond of describing the beauty of shared challenges), and we’re certain to be back to Austin soon if not just to hang with Texans and their Texas-sized smiles.

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