WARNING : Brain is rather scattered right now due to the intense heat, some things may not make much sense.
I've noticed a lot of people who plan on bugging out make it out to seem like a hiking trip. I'm here to tell you, that it's far from it. I (stupidly, but ingeniously) decided to go for a quick 3 mile hike. (Which actually turned out to be a 6 mile hike, since I had to walk back. Kids sure don't think ahead, huh?) I got the inspiration to do this out of the blue after watching THIS video. I wanted to assess my fitness levels, to see if I could hack Bugging Out.
I made adequate preparations for the trip. I packed a 24 oz bottle with very chilled water, made sure I had a good meal consisting of carbs and protein 30 minutes prior, good, comfortable hiking shoes, light clothing, etc. I wanted to simulate a Bug Out situation and packed two 15 lb weights in my pack. (30 lbs is a good 72 Hour Get Home bag, imo.) Since I live in the country, there's various backroads with canals along the sides. I did my hiking there, very rough and uneven terrain. (I'm a bit of masochist, I like to push myself beyond my comfort zone.) Having to had walk four miles before in a semi-SHTF situation (I was in 7th grade in Austin, and some dumbass bus driver dropped me off at the wrong stop. I was very unfamiliar with the area and since the roads/sidewalks dip then go up, I was very unprepared at the time) and making it alive (thankfully), I figured I could do three miles (really 6, 'cause I had to walk back) no problem. The first three miles weren't so bad, I was enjoying it really. Seeing ducks, whitetail, cows and various other farm animals and wild life in their natural habitat. I stopped at a little bridge (2 mile mark), drank about 4 Ozs of water then continued down. It was at the 3 mile mark that the fatigue starting setting in... I was only .5 miles away from the end of the canal.
I noticed my backpack seemed heavier, so I took it off and set it down on the canal walkway, which was grassy and had some flowers. I took a 20 second break, drank 2 Ozs of water then went on my way. One my way back to the lil' bridge, I was taking a 10 second break every .5 mile... I figured I'd take a five minute break when I got to the bridge.
Once I got to the bridge, I took a nice, 'long' break. I started drinking the rest of my water until there was only 1/4th left. I figured I would need it, considering the heat was at its peak right now. Once I packed up and got to the 3.5 mile mark... My skin felt like it was literally on fire. I grabbed the water bottle out of my pack and drenched my arms and head with what little water I had left. It felt good... and I was re-energized. I marched onward (naively, one might say). The clouds started coming back and I was relieve... until the 4.5 mile mark. I was walking dangerously close to the edge of the canal and the steep dip that was only a few feet from me... I started thinking about getting one weights out of my pack and tossing it down there. (Which, thinking back now; would've been a wise move). I decided to man it up and keep on going... though I was going at a snails pace now, I was going around .1 MPH, at this point. When I got off of the canal... I was very relieved. I finally could walk on something that was more comfortable. I took a one minute break, the 30lbs now felt like 90lbs. I was only .7 miles away from home, though. I figured I could make it...
Boy was I wrong. When I got to the .5 mark, I immediately took shelter underneath the big ol' tree, threw my pack on the ground and sat on it. The shade helped, but it didn't stop the heatwave, neither could the wind. I wasn't thinking logically now, my body went into survival mode. I felt some weird sensation in the lower part of my stomach. I rested for five minutes, cleaned out my boots and socks and got up. I tried to lift the pack up, but realized I would probably pass out or die of a heat stroke or something if I continued at the pace I was going. I (stupidly, but again, ingeniously) threw out one of the 15lb weights and started walking as fast as I could (Even though I was going now at .2-3 MPH, it was still an improvement over .05-1 MPH).
The heat wave just got worse and the sun rays got brighter, it felt like I was in hell. My own personal hell. When I got to the .25 mile mark, I immediately took shade in one of the few small trees around and dumped the other 15lb weight. I NEEDED to make it back fast, or else I might not make it home. I shielded my face by putting the pack over my head and was now more nimble and able to walk faster. When I was only 15 yards away from my house, I started sprinting as fast as I could. I needed to get into the cold house. And I did.
Now, imagine all that happening while people are shooting at you, you have other people to worry about, you have to worry about hunting, finding shelter, supplies, etc. If I had to get in a gun fight with other people, when I was at the 5.5 mile mark... I highly doubt I would've made it. I know a lot of people who have gear in their BOBS and such that weigh more than 30lbs... I hope they can actually haul it around for a good distance. I'd hate for them to realize they can't do it, when it matters the most.
I plan on trying to do it again, but with much more water the next time around.
