Had another 8 mile with pack adventure with my Marines yesterday, lots of elevation change (lots), but no rain this time. Good thing too because I had waterproofed everything
BOB rode great, not too heavy, no chafing. Had all i needed and then some. Only issue ... boots.
Typically when training with my Marines I wear Marine uniform - Navy Chaplains are authorized to do so when serving with Marines. All of my tan suede issue USMC boots are nice and broken in thanks to OIF, and I've never had blisters with them. Yesterday I was taking my new RP with me, and I thought he didn't have USMC uniforms so we went with the new Navy blue-digis, and black leather boots. Big mistake, paying for it dearly then and now. Blisters are no joke, especially when you get them at mile 2 and have 6 to go.
Lesson learned? Break in your boots. If you find a brand, style and size that work, buy more than 1. Break them all in, and pack away the extra, AFTER they're broken in. The time you don't want to be breaking in new boots is when they're the only pair you have.
Side issue: water. I drank 140 oz of water in the 6 hours of the hike, and ran out 1/2 mile short of the end. Mile 6 my left quad quit, so I had to suck down 30 oz to relieve the cramp. When I finally did go to the bathroom, it was blaze orange ... not good. Had that been a necessary event, as opposed to training, or had it been longer, I would've been twitching in the fetal while doc was trying to find a vein to slap a bag in me. Lesson learned? Its good to be hydrated all the time. Drinking a 1/2 pot of coffee at 0400 to wake up for a hike is not good preparation. Are you hydrating right now?
