So there is the F3 thing and within F3 there is a rising GORUCK thing brewing throughout the regions. The GORUCK brewing makes some of the F3 pax do crazy things, pushing some of the limits physically and mentally to see what they could push through. Half of the pax were using this as training for the first ever F3 GORUCK Heavy event and others were training for upcoming GORUCK events and just to simply see if they could do it.
So the pax gathered at 2330 at the Enterprise on Sunset Blvd, ran through a disclaimer, did a water check, and said a prayer and then off they went into the gloom to log miles and smiles. Step after step the pax got closer to reaching the end goal of hitting 20-miles. Morale was high, and mumble chatter was constant throughout the entire event. Morale even stayed high when the pax started seeing a few snow flakes fall from the midnight sky. Mile after mile were getting crushed and eventually at about 8.5 miles in the pax took a break to partake in TNT’s sausage balls (TClaps for sharing your balls with us TNT!). We took off again and headed toward our turn around point and there it was, we finally hit it. It was all down hill from there right? Well with the exception of the hills we had to go back up, but we had crossed the proverbial hump and had no choice but to make it back.
So off we went again, heading back toward Lexington and back over the Lake Murray Dam (which seemed to go on forever). We finally reached the turn back onto Sunset Blvd and we knew were almost there. Four miles to go, three miles to go, two miles to go, one more mile, five more minutes…and there it was, the starting point in all it’s glory. We made it, our feet were sore, our traps were sore, bodies were tired, but we did it and we did it together.
So what is the point of loading up a Ruck with weight, leaving your house in the middle of the night, meeting up in a dark parking lot, and traveling redonkulous distances? Is there any point? Is there really anything gained? Was it really completely stupid and utterly pointless to do? YHC’s answer to that is in our eyes, these events may be stupid but they are far from utterly pointless. The experiences you gain from simply even trying these events is priceless. And then when you complete it…well that’s a whole different realm. It’s not for bragging rights, it’s not to say I’m better than you or you, it’s to say I did the harder thing….I saw a challenge and instead of turning away and running from it, I took it head on and I crushed. But…I did not crush it by myself, I stood side by side with my F3 brothers and pushed them while they pushed me to get better and be better. These are not empty words, they are simple words that carry a tremendous amount of meaning behind them. What we gained wasn’t a physical achievement (I mean sure in some aspects it was, it was physically demanding), what we gained was a stronger brotherhood, we learned more about our fellow F3 brothers, and we learned more about ourselves.
So when the next CSAUP event comes up, what are you going to do? Are you going to look at it, take the blue pill, and continue on with no change? Or are you going to take the red pill, face the challenge head on with your F3 brothers, and see where the rabbit hole takes you?
Great work gents, we started together and finished together. I am proud to call you all my brother, and it is an honor to know you.
Well said my friend! The physical aspect of it was just a distraction… It was about building the brotherhood of the gloom, friendships that can only be made under the duress and pain of tackling difficult and “impossible” things!
Thank you for making this event happen!