Ruck in the muck

February 13, 2018

WHEN: 02/11/2018
QIC: Sir Mix-a-Lot (with a lot of help from Rambler)
PAX: Beanbag, Flenderson, John Boy (and canine), Rambler, YHC

My thinking in signing up to Q Basecamp was that I like rucking and hanging with the Briar Chapel guys, so I should Q. The catch: I am not at all familiar with the local trail system. Other than the first time I Q-ed Basecamp back in January, I haven’t been on the trails. That time, Rambler was de facto Q, leading us around the perimeter of BC. It was repeato this time. There we were at 6 am in the dark, and Rambler was in the lead with my executive guidance that we head east.

The Thang: So we put on rucks and walked. Everything was wet, but the temp was fairly warm, particularly for a mid-February outing. We headed north to catch the trails and made our way over along the well-mulched trails to 15/501 and turned around. On the way back, we passed by a soon-to-be opening technical mountain biking area. Looks like they have some cool banked turns, jumps, and obstacles.Everything was damp and the rain was on and off as we meandered back to the club house.  John Boy had to leave with about 30 min left, and the rest of us did an out and back to the north, turning around a bit before Manns Chapel Road.

COT: Grateful to be out in the gloom. Let’s try to be better fathers, husbands, friends, coworkers, etc.

Afterthought: While this sentiment was genuine, afterwards I felt that it was a bit plain Jane and want to offer some additional food for thought. A podcast I listen to, the Slate Political Gabfest, always ends with “cocktail chatter”—things that on the mind or in the interest of each of the discussants. This week one of them brought up “Principles of Adult Behavior” by John Perry Barlow, a former lyricist for the Grateful Dead who passed away last week. There are 25 principles, each of which are great guidance for life and being that better male. The ones that resonated with me were # 7 (“Tolerate ambiguity”), 22 (“Foster dignity”), and 25 (“Endure”). You can find the list here: https://carstenknoch.com/2011/01/john-perry-barlows-principles-of-adult-behavior/.

Also, send good vibes to Rambler and MARTA as they are off for the Joe Warner GORUCK Heavy this weekend.