Ruck >90 min.

Finally did it.  I was given a medium sized ruck pack and frame after I mentioned my desire to start rucking on the weekends to one of they gym members as a "gift."  It sure is a "gift" alright.  Rucking sucks.  I loaded up with 30# of sand and headed out for a little road march.  The plan was 2 hours and hour one went by fine, hour two on the other hand was pretty shitty.  I understand now much better why it's used in selection processes.  It was only 30# and it was terrible!

I really felt great the first hour, seriously good; then like a switch went off and all I could think about was getting this damn pack off my shoulders.  My feet are NOT conditioned for the poundage either.  Gonna be interesting to build up the ruck skill.

Why am I rucking?  Good question.  I have no idea.  I think it goes back to my post yesterday.  "Prove you're tough."  Delta selection, SAS selection, SF selection, all have a ruck test as the final test...prove you are tough.  Can you motivate yourself to do it?  Delta and SAS final test is 40 miles in 20 hours!!  SAS guys got compromised behind enemy lines and rucked 80 miles before stopping!  That is tough, those guys are tough.

Then there is the what if scenario.  What if a disaster hits Orange County?  Any disaster really, natural, domestic enemy, foreign enemy; how we I get out of the greater LA basin?  Probably on foot.  There are only 4 ways out of the basin I live in, north on the 5 through LA Forest, north on the 1/101 around the Tejon Pass, East on the 10 through the desert, or south on the 5 through SD to Mexico.  Those are choke points.  Cars will be useless with the amount of traffic we already experience, I mean 5pm is ridiculous as it is can you imagine EVERYONE trying to get out?  To pack the necessities is going to probably be around 50# or so and the distance from Costa Mesa to Palm Desert is 132 miles, not to mention the serious elevation changes over that route.  To Bakersfield to the north it's 180 miles...none of the available option are very good.  Just take a quick peek at the fault lines in Southern California to get an idea.  Regardless though, I feel that as long as I am able, I will prepare myself.