"Do you suppose they will choose to make war against lean, solid dogs rather than against fat and tender sheep?"
"ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς" --Spartan moms in a time before enlightened parenting I am ready to ruck! I’ve trained for weeks, obsessed minutely over man-toys Vitally Important Equipment Choices,™ and I just managed to give myself a second-degree burn with a piece of paracord that caught on fire. (Don’t ask.) But now I’m ready!... Continue Reading →
A mentor of mine says, “A piece of exercise equipment is valuable in inverse proportion to its cost.” Meaning that if you spend $5000 on a Bowflex machine, you will receive no benefit from it, but an implement you make for $1 will be almost invaluable. By that measure, this is my pot of gold... Continue Reading →
Maybe I'll just never wear pants again. That's how awesome it is to ditch hiking in 2-lb. pants and a pinchy belt for the sublime freedom of the Silly Yoga Shorts. I took advantage of cold weather today to simulate the much lower temperatures at GoRuck (55-60°F), and I learned a couple things. First, nothing... Continue Reading →
A mind is a terrible thing. If you are lucky enough not to have one, I counsel you to keep it that way. If you do acquire a mind, you may end up like me. I have gone far, far down the rabbit hole in preparing for the all-night ruck, and it has led me... Continue Reading →
Backpacking brings to life a lot of dead metaphors. When someone drives past you on a dry dirt road, you literally eat their dust, and on day two of a long hike, you really do have to tighten your belt. But “jackboots?” To me, “jackboot” is just a metonymy for fascists, as in “jackbooted thugs”... Continue Reading →
To prep for the all-night ruck, I'm going out for a couple of days again in the Marijuana Highlands to conduct Official Scientific Inquiry. Here are today's dumb experiments Highly Dignified Research Questions. 1) How little food can I get away with? When I’m ketotic, I can go a long time comfortably without eating. This is... Continue Reading →
What is archaic, rustic, cheap ... and Russian? It's a trick question! The answer is, "Whatever it may be, you know damn well that now Jason will insist on trying it!" Today it's portyanki, the traditional Russian foot wrap that some hunters still prefer with heavy boots instead of socks. In fact, the Russian army only phased... Continue Reading →
I'm outgrowing my love of cheap Communist Bloc stuff as I prepare for the looooooooong all-night ruck in Carson City. I don't want to get halfway through the event only to drop out just because the last of my skin has been rubbed off by smelly Czechoslovak canvas. So today I surrendered, embraced the capitalist... Continue Reading →
Old Soviet gear is often ugly, heavy, and uncomfortable. What can make it a winner is that it streamlines your life. You may get bored or sore, but you will get a lot done. As an example, my friend and I both love exercise, but we have totally different setups. He has a membership to... Continue Reading →
Americans are (in)famously gadgety. When faced with a problem, our preferred move is to upgrade our equipment. A friend epitomized this when he told me his Golden Rule of Home Improvement: “When you start a project, either commit to getting exactly the right tools for the job or don’t do it at all. If you... Continue Reading →