Letter Re: Practice Night Hiking to Get Ready to Bug Out to Your Retreat

The following describes my recent “dry run” at bugging out on foot.

I’ve been thinking that someday soon I will be in need of backpacking over to my group’s retreat. So I created a plan to make a dry run. I grabbed my basic day pack (a Camelbak hydration pack with the minimum goodies in it.) My load included, three liters of water, simple folding knife, space blanket, fire starter, single pen of bug stuff, a few Cliff bars, and speed loaders for my Ruger .357 Magnum. I also had spare batteries for my head lamp, and a bottle of polar pure water treatment –that I’ve just purchased. I also had my cell phone and a 120 pound Labrador Retriever keeping me company for this trip. I did this at night for two reasons, one because it’s been hot here in the day –northeastern United States in summer, and two because I’ve been switched to night shift at work and needed to get used to being awake later.

I decided that this was a test to see that I make the night hike, to a trail head six miles away, then from there I would work out getting on the main road and hike the road back down to my town six miles away.

I left at 9 p.m. at night. I gave my friends my itinerary for my trip. I leashed up the dog and away I went. I didn’t print or bring a map with me because I had done a 10 mile hike on these trails in the light of day last fall and had a pretty good idea as to about where I was going. (that being said everything does look different at night!)

The first thing I noticed is it was a full moon, I didn’t really need my head lamp on unless I was in dark tree cover. Aside from the head lamp I carried a small $3 laser/light from Wal-Mart. So if I really needed to see rocks I just pressed a button for a few seconds.

I made no attempt to be covert or do anything tactical. I was just thinking of speed, and safety. Moving at a good pace was easy on the old railroad to trail conversion. The dog didn’t mind at all as I stopped and gave him a water stream from my hydra pack at intervals when he seemed to be panting more than normal. It started out as a hot July evening, so both of us were warm at the start.

I made the first six miles of trail with few issues, Most of the hard part going on this trail was rough going in to dark tree cover hidden from the moon light. I used my head lamp when I needed to do things like water the dog but for the most part I kept the head lamp off conserving batteries. I heard a few coyotes on this part of the woodsy trail. The only animal I was worried about was skunks. I could handle most things but getting sprayed was not one of them. This is the main reason I would at intervals light up my area looking for eyes and trashing my own night vision. At times I couldn’t see the trail it was under shadows from the trees. In the heavy areas of wash out and larger rocks I used my head lamp, figuring I’d rather see the rocks then break an ankle. It was safer than moving like a guerrilla and having the scars to later prove it.

The trail crossed a back road and continued on, I decided to try and move to my left and locate my main road south –I had been traveling north and kept on the trail (and confirmed north movement with my compass on my watch when I thought things like forks in the trail might take me the wrong direction).

My first mistake was turning left to link up to a highway that I was unsure about. I walked about a mile down a development road, and then hit about four cul-de-sacs before hearing a car in the distance and going past the trail and back to the right, then on to the main road. I saw a road sign that said six miles south to home. The turkey hill was still open, and I was starving, but I decided eat what I was carrying. I slowly ate down a cliff bar. Hiking just six miles was enough to make me really hungry.

Now it was after midnight and the area was more urban so the dog and I walked the sidewalks on our southbound trip towards home.

I had worn a button up shirt over my tee shirt and since we both started out hot I was surprised at how much the night wind cooled things down. I rolled down my sleeves and buttoned up I was sweating at first and this cold with caused me to chill a little.

It was about this point in time I started really to pay attention to the cars, and noises around me. If for no other reason that I was in a more urban area, carrying a small pack, my Ruger GP100 in a Kydex holster on my side. The shirt tail hid the Ruger from view, and the dog walking on my left kept my right hand free just in case. At 12:30 at night in this sleepy town on a Tuesday night. I didn’t see anyone out – and I was ok with that. Here is also where I started noticing that age old question boxers or briefs? And having chosen badly my legs were starting to chafe badly. On another positive note the way back was almost all downhill so both the dog and I walked along the highway without much trouble. I did use the little laser/led light as a flasher each time I heard a car. I didn’t want to be run down by any of the drunks out there being as we were walking along the guard rail on the road side.

At about the two miles from home mark, I stopped at a closed gas station/Laundromat and sat for a while on a bench. I rubbed my legs, and the dogs- gave him more water at this point and he wanted very much to lay down and sleep on the ground. I think at this point he probably hated my guts for making this trip! I ate my last cliff bar and shared it with the pooch. I was raw, my legs hurt a little bit, low on water but not out.

I pressed on – it was now about 2:00 a.m. and the local bars in town had closed, so I was extra alert when a van riding on the double yellow lines almost wiped out a phone pole. It was a close call for DUI in progress but the dog and I were defensive and keeping out of the way of all cars and trucks we were safely away from this crazy drunk person.

Back home and time to feed the dog and take a shower- about five hours of walking to do almost 13 miles, due to being turned around in the suburbs up north…

Items that I would have loved to have and will likely take next time:

1. Hiking poles- some places on the trail were rocky and in the dark had I lost footing and got hurt I’d have been in trouble, poles would have helped on the rough patches.

2. Baby wipes – I didn’t bring enough toilet paper. That is a big fail in my book.

3. I’d have got more, high calorie food bars, some trail mix or other high cal food- it’s amazing how hungry you get moving fast and are even a little chilled from the cold night air.

4. Foot powder/extra socks. I didn’t stop and wait for swelling, but I also didn’t have blisters at all either.

5. Vaseline – my legs rubbing my inner thighs really hurt at about 10 miles. I used bag balm on the brush burn part when I got home, and it was only sore a day- this is something that should be mentioned to everyone who thinks they are in good shape as I’d been doing 4+ miles a day for a long time and never had issues like this –this was a complete surprise and the level of pain at the end made hiking almost unbearable .

6. Fleece jacket or wind breaker. Okay, it’s summer time, but what if the cold night air dropped below 50? I did get sweaty. I got soaked and then in the cold night air froze. Hypothermia is a killer even if it’s in the 70-80s out – a little rain and then cold could have been really bad.

7. Wool watch cap – I could have used one.

Things that really worked for me- and that I would bring again for the next adventure trip/ self readiness test.

Good cross training shoes/boots- broken in. I should have changed socks, but even skipping it- my wool socks in cross trainers didn’t cause me to blister up. No matter how hard it is to find good wool socks – it is better than cotton and worth every penny.

The carry more than one light and a few spare batteries – cheap piece of mind carrying a $3 junk LED light on a snap link on the belt loop.

Head lamp-

The items in my pack that I didn’t use like a knife, fire starter- would have been used if I stopped, but also had limited room and no canteen cup or similar items to cook in. – but again this was a pack out test basically to see if I could physically cover the distance of going from my place to a retreat (nine miles away)- and I did over that compensating for not carrying a heavy backpack with more gear, a [more capable] weapon and I did it alone (if you don’t count the dog.). I made no plans on camping, looking for wild plants in the dark, or really cooking on the trail. I figure if I’m bugging out in real life it’s probably not going to be too safe to stop and eat or relax on the trail.

Something else to think about is my buddy Arf. I kept him leashed the whole trip. or his safety, he’s had run ins with skunks and porcupines. I wish I had carried more food for him, and I was constantly keeping an eye out on the main road and in the urban areas for glass on the sidewalks. You’d be amazed at how much glass is around in the urban areas from broken beer bottles. It is everywhere and the last thing I wanted to do was carry the dog the rest of the way home. I couldn’t imagine fleeing after a major disaster without getting him some type of dog booties or paw protection. I really wonder how the MPs, SERE, and K9 units deal with a dog’s paw issues after a disaster. I wouldn’t consider him lucky as I am very alert about what my friend is walking on and keeping him leashed helped me control his stepping on very unhealthy pieces of broken bottles.

Anyhow it was a good learning experience, one that if you have never hiked any long distance and you need to consider foot travel to get to your retreat. You’d better get out and attempt it before you need to do it in real life because until you do it you will be left with the question of can you do it?

Can you make the trip if it is 8, 10. or 25 miles?

(Any 11B will be able to answer this question but that’s not why I’m saying to do it here.) I am saying to do it here to prove to yourself that you can and will accomplish your goal before you are forced t o try in real life when the stakes are higher than giving up and going home. – Fitzy in NEPA