F:AT Perpetual Hiking and Backpacking

MattLoter wrote:

Chaz wrote: GoRucks aren't anything about racing, and everything about pushing your own physical and mental limits (mostly mental) and learning to work as a team in difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. You will get pushed hard physically, but the point isn't to break you. Instead, you have to learn to find your own strengths, use them to help the group, and ask for help when you need to. If you haven't, think about trying a Light first. Those are 6-8 hours, usually cheaper, and just as hard as the full challenges. If you like that, then do the full 12 hour challenge.

For obstacle courses, what disappointed you specifically about Mudder? I actually find Mudders pretty poor these days myself, and vastly prefer Spartan races. Same idea as Mudder, but the obstacles and courses are much more difficult. The 14-mile Beast in Killington this year was the hardest 7.5 hours I can remember spending in a long time.

That level of challenge and teamwork is what I'm interested in. Good to hear from someone direct that the way they sell it actually lives up to the hype.

I had to bail on the Killington Beast, but I do hear it was reasonably hard. My issue with the Mudders (and most other longer courses) is that the challenge is almost entirely based on how much it sucks to run up and down a mountain. It's not easy to do it fast, but it's fucking boring and something I'm totally uninterested in. As a dude who has been teaching climbing (and running gyms) and also teaches fighting, the obstacles are pretty laughable for me. Like the big walls and stuff, I just walked up, jumped up and pulled myself over. I wanted stuff that would be tough and fun and interesting. Nothing in a Mudder ever has been other than helping other people, which I really dug.

Definitely try out the Spartans then. Their courses tend to feature mountains in this area, but they make an effort to put you on really technical trails instead of constant slogs up ski slopes like Mudder. They also like to put obstacles in places that enhance the difficulty (rope climb at the top of an 1800' vertical climb). When I did the Beast, I ran on Sunday, when temps were really low. The water in the pond was reportedly in the low 50s, and swimming in it was some of the warmest I was all day. It also featured a 60# sand bag carry up a black diamond trail for a 1/4 mile up and back.

GoRucks definitely live up to the hype. They will seriously kick your ass, and teach you to work effectively with other people while it's happening.

Good looking out then. Since I had to bail on that one Spartan I don't think I'm on the comp list anymore so I dunno when I'll feel like it's a worthwhile spend of money for me but maybe someday.

I'm def one of those dudes who rocks lots of non-tech gear in anything but really demanding situations. I have a really random mix of great stuff along with cheap crap/non-technical regular wear. But even the nice stuff, I usually don't bother with unless I'm worried about getting myself into something dangerous. I do most of my outdoor action in jeans and tee shirts/hoodies. If it gets chilly I have a few really nice jackets. I have prodeal with most outdoor companies and still can't stomach the cost of most things other than really specific gear that I use a lot like getting quality ropes or a new harness I'll use when route setting.

We left at 6AM to go to Guadalupe Mountains this morning and got back at 9PM (3 hour drive from Lubbock). We hiked the McKittrick Canyon trail, and it is amazing.

www.nps.gov/gumo/planyourvisit/mckittrick.htm

It's surreal---you start in the parking lot in the middle of the bare ass Chihuahuan desert. Yucca, agave, cactus, rock. Today there were howling maybe 50-60mph winds. Then you hike back a few miles (easy, easy trail) into the canyon and it is like you've entered another world, there's a small stream running through a huge wash. It's a complete oasis---large ponderosa pines, deciduous maples and ash, juniper... the wind is still strong but you're sheltered. There's a stone cabin the original owner built and it is easy to see why he did so at this location. It's got a serious hidden world/Shangri-la element. Anyway, we continued up the top of the ridge and notch, which was a hard hike (~2000 feet elevation gain in just a couple miles). But the view was worth it. We look forward to coming back again with our backpacking gear and getting into the backcountry for a couple nights.

Definitely the most beautiful place I have ever visited in Texas.

Here 's Neil Peart's account of his hike up Telescope Peak a couple of weeks back.