The Inaugural GORUCK Expedition 6 & 12

"Get out of the hood, and into the woods..." - Cadre Cleve

When the term "survival" is used most of us think of extreme situations - The Revenant, Bear Grylls eating grubs and using a snakeskin to store liquid, Les Stroud's Survivorman series.. I was a bit disappointed GORUCK didn't add Navigator events to their calendar this year (it involved using a compass, surviving in the wilderness for up to 24 hours). But a new series called Expedition appeared and I jumped at the chance to sign up.

From what I understood, Expedition 6 (6 hours) and 12 were going to cover basics of surviving several hours, or maybe a night in the wilderness if lost. The packing list does include interesting items like iodine tablets (for purifying water) and a non-serrated folding knife. No weighted rucks which meant very different from our typical GORUCK event.

Our Cadre are two ex-Recon Marines, Cleve and Mickey, and they are thrilled to be in New Hampshire and teaching us. Everyone's a little nervous because we've all had one (or both) as event Cadre before, but as the day goes on, everyone relaxes. We are noobs here to learn.

Continuing along the lines of the new AAR style, here's what I learned during GORUCK Expedition 6 and 12:

- 6 hours feels like, and is, a very short time frame for learning and applying survival basics...and it's still very tiring. Those of us signed up for the 12 had no idea how we'd get through the night.
- being in the woods (in this case, a scout camp) calls for serious bug repellent. It does happen to be tick season..
- ticks are ugly motherf*ckers.
- you can legitimately say, "NOT TODAY SATAN, NOT TODAY" when flicking a tick off of your pants.
- in order to be comfortable finding your way out of the woods, you have to voluntarily get lost in the woods, over and over again.
- you don't feel so bad emerging from the woods a good 20 minutes' walk from the rendez-vous point when you see another team has done the same.
- the same woods look very different at night. Wait, what's that sound?
- a hand-drawn map (not to scale) that appears to be a photocopy of a photocopy is not reliable at all.

- the bigger the ferrocerium (firestarter) rod, the better. Your fingers will thank you (easier to grip)
- getting a fire started without matches or a lighter is not as easy as the outdoor survival people make it look on TV.
- the jubilation seen in Castaway (or in SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric) is real when you finally get a fire going.
- when you're wet and cold after spending 5 minutes in a lake, you can get a fire going quickly. Mindset is key.
- overheard during the 5 minute lake session: "Is it safe to say I'm too Mexican for this?"

Last thing to do for Expedition 12 at 6am: get wet!

- I realized a knife is something I shouldn't cheap out on, as the one I had dulled quickly after a few passes with the firestarter rod and some swipes at a tree branch. Solid construction, high-carbon, and a bigger blade goes a long way.
- ...so does a contractor bag
- a running windbreaker is not a substitute for Gore-Tex.
- that being said, a dumb move is putting on said windbreaker even though it's raining, and then finding the wet soaking through after standing in the rain for less than 20 minutes.
- an even dumber move is the Gore-Tex jacket is still in the trunk nearby.
- a lucky-ass move is getting to change jackets during a short break in the action.
- Cadre Cleve: "Merino wool and Gore-Tex go a long way" (aka LISTEN TO CADRE CLEVE)
- a Salomon hoodie, even though it's damp, keeps the wearer warm. Gearheads, take note.

- what happens when the rain finally stops? Out come the mosquitoes.
- raingear and long pants are enough of mosquito deterrents, so what's left for them to attack: your face. Maybe we shouldn't have wished for the rain to stop?
- the packing list included gloves, but shouldn't be limited to 1 pair. Once gloves get wet, they stay wet forever.
- watching Cadre stoke and get a smoldering fire going while it's raining is extremely entertaining. I don't think we really followed what Cadre Mickey was talking about.

Trying to dry off (and stay awake) after the overnight around the fire

- "If you can't tie knots, tie lots!" Easy to wind paracord any which way in setting up a stick dummy, but hell when it comes to cutting through the mess to disassemble it.
- you can put together a makeshift stretcher using two sturdy branches and cotton t-shirts...but the last thing anyone wants to hear is a loud SNAP when trying to carry someone (me!) on said stretcher.

Other little things learned between the 6 and the 12 (we had 3 hours):
- cold pizza is the best food. Period.
- a way to keep warm: make a cup of tea. (I had the luxury of an electric kettle where I was staying, so I filled my Stanley thermos with hot water, left it in the trunk and it was still piping hot many hours later)
- Cheez-Its are becoming my Kryptonite

These being the very first Expedition events, I know Cadre welcomed any kind of feedback and will use it to build and teach better courses in the future. I can't wait for the next one.