HJL,
My name is Mark and I’m a Prepper. Sounds faintly like how you’d introduce yourself at an AA meeting, but even though I’m afflicted by the Prepping bug it’s not a disease like most of America would want you to think. Most of my family years ago were farmers and poor backwoods people. So prepping was the only way to survive the harsh winters after the short growing seasons. I fell into it easily being raised to hunt and raise a garden. When the last administration was installed in 2009 I saw what was happening. And being former military, I recognized it for what it was, after I had seen what had previously happened overseas. Even though I was well past my prime it drove me to harden my body and bring my skill sets up to par again. I began by jogging and eventually settled on bicycling as a way to renewed fitness. It took several years to finally get into shape again (which really surprised me.) At 63 years old I’m probably as fit as a man can be, at least one who is this gray and wrinkly. I also joined USPSA 4-½ years ago and began competitively practical shooting. At 63 I have just entered A class which puts me in the top 10% internationally which is no easy feat for and old fellow like me. I also noticed that even though this is a “sport” and a “game” that Navy SEALs, cops and civilian contractors were showing up to shoot too. The Army Marksmanship Unit is also heavily into this training format and attends major matches. I strongly recommend trying this “sport”.
I fully retired in June of this year and began living in a small tent in the high country here in Arizona. I do mountain biking for exercise. I found that a 29″er [mountain bike] is probably the best way to get around in the field and to move fairly heavy loads of equipment. A high quality mountain bike is most certainly a great prepping tool. The one thing I did find from my experiences so far is that we’ve been poorly trained for survival by our doctors and our government. Seems even I was unfit to survive from how I had “learned” to eat lately. The high animal fat and high protein diet I had consumed as a young man had been replaced by the faddish “new” healthy low fat diet for modern man. In an attempt “eat healthy”, I was gathering things like thistles and dandelions. I lost 25 pounds in two months, even while I was eating double servings. I have gone back to fatty foods and have stayed away from anything that is “healthy” and my weight has stabilized. I include a can of lard in my survival food now and cook with it and add a bit of it to my meals. I repeat: Be careful about what you “learn.”
Being fit enough to survive won’t happen overnight. It takes a long time to harden especially if you are older. Most “tactical” courses are money that is wasted. The way you have been trained to eat will kill you. Prepare for war. Pray for peace. God bless, – Mark X.