I plan on kicking things off again with APC hikes here in the Treasure Valley. I'll keep the thread title and first post updated so information is easy to find. Sundays work best for me, but I can make evenings the rest of the week work as well if you guys don't mind being out in the dark.

There was discussion of trying to cover additional topics such as ham radio and land nav afterward as well, but if there are other topics that are desired or you are knowledgeable in an area feel free to chime in so we can set something up.

I have spare packs if people need them or want to compare various setups, and I can bring weight if needed. I highly recommend a pack with a hip belt and pads that allow weight to be transferred to your hips rather than riding your shoulders the whole time.

Anyone interested, please let me know what type of schedule works best so we can maximize participation, and either post in here or send me a PM if you are planning on coming. I plan on being there on any day I schedule, rain or shine so feel free to show up to the location if you want to.

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Satuday 4/29/23 at 630PM I will be at Bardenay parking lot in Eagle off of Eagle and State St, with plans of doing a 6 mile walk following standard APC hike conditions. Step off will be no later than 6:45PM, but I can hang out afterwards for any questions, or walkthroughs that are wanted.
Parking lot Coordinates:   43.687062, -116.352555    If you are in the hotel parking lot, you are at the right place. Look for the guy standing next to a white F150 with a pack nearby. The hotel/restaurant parking lot may get crowded, but there are other lots nearby that can be used. If you have to park elsewhere, please post in here or contact me so I can make sure we wait for you.

Sunday 4/30/23 130PM will be at Eagle Island State Park for land navigation practice.

This is a fairly populated area, and I would prefer no long guns so plan on a 45lb pack if you are wanting to use it for qualification provided we get at least 3 total individuals. It is a mix of paved greenbelt and dirt trail, so plan footwear accordingly.

Weather looked like it would be overcast, and that brings possibilities of rain, so bring a pack cover and appropriate clothing if you want to stay dry if it rains.

I'm hoping the later start time will allow anyone that has other arrangements Sunday mornings to meet up afterwards.

Any questions, PM me. If you have my number text me, or are on the telegram feel free to ask there too.

Walmarts around the valley have had camping stuff, including packs, on clearance. Sadly I have cleared out a few for stuff I need for Scouts, but still some out there.

Lots of things like headlamps, boobo kits, etc.

Also, SCORE should be putting out hiking gear any day now.

I'll hit you up.

Tag

Weekends are best, time of day isn't much of a factor. Weekday evenings would be hit or miss...

I know some people were curious about Land Navigation and they said they are already familiar with map and compass and moving around, but were unsure of how to plot points and create a plan how to get from point to point. If you are a visual learner, I suggest checking these videos out because they do a good job of starting at the basics of what various terrain features look like on a map, how to orient with a compass and how to get from point A to B, and what to do if you aren't where you expect to be or can't find your point.

These aren't the only videos out there, but they do a good job. I can help out in person after hikes and eventually I would like to set something up around the area if we can get enough people involved.

I purchased some more protractors, and those are available on a first come first served basis. I have a couple compasses that can be loaned to try out and determine which style you like, but I prefer my Silva Ranger 2.0 baseplate compass over my lensatic compass purely for ease of use when going to areas with different declination values. I also bought a bag of black beads a while back to make a set of pace beads for myself, and can make pace beads for anyone that wants them. I have the .pdf of the 2005 version of the FM 3-25.26, which is map reading and land navigation plus I have a paperback version of the current FM on order as well.

To practice on your own, I would recommend Caltopo as a free online service to use topo and aerial imagery maps, that you can turn on grid squares and practice plotting points, along with using it to navigate in your local area if you have a park or open space.


Corporal's Corner Navigation series







Stokermatic - His audio can suck, so headphones or decent speakers are useful.





This guy has a long video, but different sections are noted at the times, and you can bounce around if needed.





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Radio Stuff

I can bring programming cables and a computer that I can set up Baofengs, along with TYT and Anytone radios with basic programming. I have a Gordon West book for Technician class if someone was interested in using that to study and understand radio topics more than "be on this channel, push the button when you need to talk", the only issue is that it is from the last question pool, meaning there could be questions on the test that are not in the book, or items in the book are no longer in the question pool. The theory and concepts are all the same though.

I will also generally have an HF radio and antennas with me if anyone is interested in learning how that works or capabilites of that.

I'd be up for a 6 mile walk this weekend.  I'm sort of on call but it usually isn't too bad, if I'm free I can show up.

We had a total of 3 people out yesterday for a 6 mile walk along the Eagle portion of the greenbelt completed in an hour and 52 minutes. It got a little chilly, but luckily no rain.

OP updated with new info. Currently trying to make each Sunday at 1PM work for a hike, but if there are people that can't make that time or want a different day/location please chime in so we can maximize participation. Also, if you want to show up and walk and chat but don't want to carry a pack, that is totally fine too!

Sunday 3/12/23 at 1PM I will be at Bardenay parking lot in Eagle off of Eagle and State St, with plans of doing a 6 mile walk following standard APC hike conditions. Step off will be no later than 115PM, but I can hang out afterwards for any questions, or walkthroughs that are needed.
Parking lot Coordinates:   43.687062, -116.352555  

Knots which are handy if wanting to attend the APC Warfighter Challenge can be viewed in the Youtube videos below, along with various military manuals such as FM 3-97.61 Military Mountaineering.

Good ones to know would be the family of figure 8s, square knot, bowline, clove hitch, munter hitch, and how to tie a swiss seat. I have rope and carabiners which can be loaned out to practice with. At a minimum I would suggest buying a couple steel locking carabiners if you intend on attending the WFC due to them being used in the previous years, and there is a good chance they will be needed again.

I think these guys do a good job of showing how the knots are tied, along with noting what it should look like when complete, and inspection points.




Their channel is worth checking out for the rest of their videos on tying various knots.

This is a good video on how to tie a one rope bridge, but the audio is pretty low. The Slip Figure of Eight with a round turn on the tensioning system definitely threw many of us for a loop when we went to tie this system and only had the pdf below.



One Rope Bridge online PDF

These guys do a little bit better job explaining what is happening at each point, but there are small differences to note.

Bump...

Another great hike and the weather was pretty cooperative today.

7.3 Miles in 2 hrs and 19 minutes with 2 other people.

Again, anyone wanting to come out is more than welcome to join in whether or not you carry a pack. The current plan is each Sunday at the same time, but if anyone that wants to come out and has a schedule conflict please comment in here and we can adjust as needed. The plan next week is to stretch it out to 8 miles, but a shorter distance can be done if desired.


As was discussed on the hike today, this was a pretty informational thread that has some good stuff inside. The last page has the diagrams of different lacing techniques to try out to see if it helps with any heel slipping, or too much or too little pressure in various areas.

How did the hike go?

Someone re-upped my membership, so I guess I can monitor this thread now.  

I haven't made it out with OP, but working with some other folks on hiking stuff.  This time of year is actually fantastic for testing gear and yourself.  Gear that works in 70 degrees might work differently in 30 degrees.  I recently discovered some of my packs have pockets that are a pain to access when wearing a bulky jacket.

Sunday was a great day with fantastic weather to be out walking. Again it was the same 3 of us out there,  but this time did a 8.3 mile walk in 2.5 hours.  The other 2 individuals participating are also planning on attending the Warfighter Challenge during Memorial day weekend,  so our goal is to work to at least 12 miles plus some elevation changes in there to be ready for the ruck which is usually the first stage of the event.  

If anyone is on the fence, feel free to come out. We can always adjust pace, or distance as needed. It's also a family friendly environment, so bringing your spouse or kids is fine too. My wife was out 2 weeks ago with the baby in the stroller,  and I'm sure I can convince her to show up again if others wanted to bring their families too.

Due to the other guys going to Cola Warrior West this week, I'm not scheduling a walk this weekend unless someone says that they want one.

CaliContractor and I got out for another 6 mile walk on the greenbelt, but added some extra weight in. We were pushing ~65lbs and maintaining 17:00 pace for the majority of the walk.

I mentioned before that Nampa Rod and Gun Club does a USPSA match on the 3rd Sunday of each month, so he is the webpage for their rulebook if you are interested and want to see what divisions there are and what various requirements/restrictions are for equipment.
https://uspsa.org/
https://uspsa.org/rules

If anyone is interested as well, there is a Project Appleseed event at Parma on April 22nd and 23rd. This is a 25 yard event, where centerfire or rimfire are acceptable. I have been to 2 of these now, and both times left having learned something new. The only thing I would say would be good to have besides a good attitude and willingness to learn is a traditional web sling and a zero'd rifle. You can bring whatever sling you want, but the instructors will be more easily able to help you if its the basic web sling because that is what they generally teach on. You want to be able to make it a hasty sling, as well as a cuff which can be difficult to do with some of the common "tactical" 2 point slings. If someone wants to go and needs 22 ammo, please let me know because it is a fantastic event and worth it. I would expect to use 500-750 rounds depending on what drills are run and how many AQTs you end up shooting.

Project Appleseed Parma April 22-23

More weight it is...

Honestly, I wouldn't go much more than the 50lbs plus whatever water weight you have, and would rather work on either adding distance or getting used to an increased pace.

Though pace and distance were similar to what we were already doing, it was definitely noticed by both of us that it was a good bit more physically demanding than the others.

I plan on doing another greenbelt ruck on this coming up Sunday, and then will start hitting the foothills as things dry out. We also talked about potentially doing them earlier rather than midday due to the temperature. I will also have Saturdays available again in a few weeks so we can adjust for that as well.

All of that sounds good. In for next weekend...

I'll be stopping at 55 pounds and working on pace and distance. I have been doing some serious reading about rucking and going over 55 pounds really isn't necessary.

Current work up goal is 12 miles 15 minute pace for the entire duration. Individually I feel I'm pretty close or could push to it easily. There is also some tricks I want to work on this next outing for increased pace.

Update to tomorrow, we will be starting at 9 due to no other confirmations in the thread saying they will be there other than the usual participants.

Whats the plan of the day?

My plan if I can get the rest in on it, will be to increase distance to 10 miles and try to maintain a 15 minute mile pace for the duration.

If that seems like more than you can or want to do, we can make alterations for  anyone's ability.

Nothing we do is set in stone

Step off tomorrow is at 9am

This weekend we will be doing 2 events.

First will be Saturday evening at 630PM at Bardenay for a quick hike. Expect that we will be returning right around/after Sunset so bring lights or NODs if you want.

Second, will be at Eagle Island State Park at ~1:30PM. We will be doing some land navigation practice. I will be there early to set points and plan on running through the process of plotting points, planning a route, using a compass, along with bringing a rangefinder so we can get a 100m area to perform a pace count. I have extra pace beads, and a lensatic or baseplate style compass for those that may need them. I also have maps with various layouts in case those are needed. If you want to practice generating maps and see what information you like on there, check out Caltopo.com Eagle Island and experiment. Just make sure when you go to print (found on the left hand side of the map where the square buttons are) you ensure the UTM grids are enabled and set for 1k.

I will also have a laptop and hotspot with me and can walk through generating maps via Caltopo or QGIS if someone is interested.

15 minute/mile pace is moving pretty good, especially carrying weight. I do roughly 5 miles a day with the dogs at around 18.5 minute/mile which is more sedate. You guys are moving.

These next couple weeks there won't be much going on due to final preps before heading to Montana for the APC Warfighter Challenge. I'll likely be confirming zero with a couple different rifles and loads out to 5-600Y this weekend, but won't be planning for a hike unless someone is wanting one.

Warfighter is a whole year out, so there is plenty of time to prepare if anyone else has been on the fence towards going.

I would like to try to get 2 teams from Idaho going if possible. The Montana guys had a pretty strong showing and I would like to see even more competitors next year.

The time to start practicing skills is now. Things like knots can be done while sitting down in front of the computer or TV, and do a few repetitions each night or every couple and muscle memory will develop. It's really easy to do them while you are rested and comfy while being shown step by step, but when you are exhausted, or wet and miserable you want that muscle memory.

There is plenty of time to learn and practice land nav too. Watch some videos on it, use Caltopo and print some maps of your local area and practice plotting points using the grids on your map, or do it reverse by plotting points and then determining their grid location. I want to put together another practice date either at Eagle Island again, or at Kuna Butte for some elevation change and more free space to roam.

I'm more than happy to share things I have learned from the years past that I have attended, and things that stood out to me.

We got in a 9.3 mile ruck this last weekend, mostly just because we decided to keep walking since we were feeling good with the distance. I am more than happy to back down on distance and start working people up again if that's what is needed.

Finally, it's not all just hard work at Warfighter. Those that were there got to learn how to put together and shoot a few M82s, and shoot some machine guns with free ammo.

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I was that guy that started with just over (6) mile rucks a couple/ few months ago & did the full ruck at Warfighter. Didn't finish it first, but got it done in the time allotted. Will gladly hit whatever distances on any given day, down for however it plays out.

Some land nav work would also be great. I'd assume that the Kuna Butte area would allow for a bit of driving between points (for physically setting points), which would be nice. We'll have to set some too, so that you can get some work in.

Tying knots is something we could totally do after a ruck and/or at a dedicated outing. There are plenty of them that we used.

I'm out for this coming weekend, but should be open for the following...

Ruck. Sunday morning 9AM. Bardenay in Eagle's parking lot.

We want to try to beat the heat, but I would suggest bringing a little extra water and whatever type of electrolyte mix you tolerate best.  I'll have extra if anyone that shows up doesn't have any, but would like some.  

If anyone is interested in setting up their radios and/or get a simplex net type of thing going,  let me know and I can get you started.  I do have a few loaner radios I can get out if those are needed.  Ideally I would like to get something set up that doesn't need external infrastructure (house power or repeaters) as another means of communication.

Between everyone that has shown up for rucks since we started them here, we should have pretty good coverage of the valley even with just simplex, except maybe Kuna because of the hill in the way, but that is something we would have to actually try out and see where gaps are and where relay stations might be needed.

Anyone interested in meeting up to do the Mission 43 9/11 5k on Monday, September 11th?

9/11 Miles of Remembrance Run

Ruck (walk) or run/jog?...

From the link:

I was thinking ruck. It's just a 5k so it would be easy enough to have a faster pace than usual compared to the last ones we have done that are 9 miles which would be 15k. My wife has expressed interest in going as well, in case you guys wanted to bring yours along.

Yes Sir, understood, which is why I posed the question. Wasn't sure which of those Extrabonez was proposing...



...assumed it was ruck (walk) and was confirmed above. Good thing, I ain't in running shape/condition

Ah gotcha.

My whole family and some guys from my unit and their families did it a few years ago when it was in Eagle.  It was a fun event and had a hell of a turn out.  Sadly with it being in Boise at 5 pm no way I could make it in time.

I'm in for a ruck. Got no idea where to specifically go or park, but those are minor-ish details. Cali may be in too, will talk to him tomorrow so he can confirm/deny his status...

If anyone is interested in a winter operations course, please chime in here. The previous one they held was a great experience with a ton of info and practical evolutions. Last time snowshoes were provided and the small amount of money charged went to use of the property, lodging and food.

If anyone is interested in any of the courses APC is offering, I highly suggest you jump on it because many of them would cost hundreds of dollars for an equivalent course run through commercial offerings.

There is talk of getting some more Land Nav practice in here soon locally as well, so if anyone wants to join in, please let me know. I can provide resources for studying along with protractors or compasses if needed.

Now is a great time to start getting some winter hardiness training going on.  

2024 Challenge has been announced. If there are people reading this that are interested, let me know and I will get you up to speed. There is a bit of individual effort that needs to be put forth to learn some skills though. I can assure you, learning to tie a swiss seat for the first time before you hop on a rope bridge with a 20-30' drop is not what you want to do. I can provide resources and materials, but learning and practicing will be up to you.

2024 Warfighter Challenge

More map and compass info and practice. I would like to do more land nav/map and compass work this year prior to WFC due to it being a significant portion of the event and having useful applications outside of the event as well.

That's unfortunate.  I haven't heard anything about it, and it might be worth pinging Ben to see if it's still a go. The last one was pretty informative and I was hoping to attend another so hopefully there is something in the works.

Appleseed events are great for learning positional shooting and using a sling for more than just carrying a rifle, and they have events shot at 25M using 22lr. You can bring centerfire rifles, but the round count is usually 500+ rounds over the course of the 2 days depending on how many AQTs you end up shooting. The Parma event dates have been posted, and are IMO definitely worth the money. If anyone is interested in attending one of the events, I would be more than happy to give you info on things to bring, or where to get stuff to practice.

Idaho Appleseed Events

The Idaho Appleseed events are run by some fantastic folks!

https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Registration-is-now-open-Join-us-for-the-2024-Warfighter-Challenge/5-2683112/


Is this the thread you were looking for ?

Nothing noted for contacts in North Id. I E-mailed, no response back though.


edit to add, This is the last info I saw,

Invitations will go out to NROTC, ROTC, and reserve component commands January 1st.

Thanks for this Extrabonez, I hope to make the Parma event in April.

With the weather beginning to turn, I would like to start getting back out for rucks and range days. Anything in particular people would like to see scheduled?

Sunday ruck days? Saturday would work too. Weekdays are generally a no-go here.

Always open to shooting too...



...and practicing that A-Frame some how would be cool. Will need longer rope though

Ben, is there any chance of getting sufficient lengths of rope so as to be able to practice tying/assembling that A-frame? Old, retired ropes would be great for things like this...