Ruck Geek

A blog about Rucking.

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9/11 Memorial - Light - Shanksville, PA

09-07-2019

Index

• 9/11 Memorial - Light - Shanksville, PA
  • Index
  • Training
  • Event Background
  • Packing List
    • Gear
  • Event Location
  • Cadre
  • The Event
    • Admin
    • Welcoming Party
    • Movement
    • Endex
  • Lessons Learned
  • What’s Next?

Training

I continued my training picking up a couple weeks after my Light on 06-15-2019. With the newly formed Columbus Rucking Club I started meeting once a week for a few miles with fellow Ruckers. For the most part I tried to follow GORUCK’s Light training plan here. In addition to this I participated in the GORUCK Monthly Challenge Guerilla OPs and a couple Club Callouts. I learned from my last event and invested in a 60lb sandbag and peppered it into my training.

Event Background

This event really hit home, as I can clearly remember where I was on September 11, 2001. Sitting in my 8th grade classroom starring up at that tube tv watching the news. Classes ceasing as nothing could be taught that day as history was happening in front of our eyes. I can remember the smoking tower, and then the impact of the second plane. Thinking some how it was a replay of the first plane. A 13 year old me not fully grasping the situation.

This event focused on the 40 ordinary citizens that were thrust into an extraordinary situation and became heroes that fateful day. 7 crew members and 33 passengers thwarted 4 terrorist who had hijacked United Airlines flight 93 that morning. Leaving the runway in New Jersey just 4 minutes before the impact of the first plan into the World Trade center, which possibly could have been seen from the tarmac. By choosing to take their fate into their own hands and rushing the cockpit these heroes stopped the plan from it’s original destination of Washington, DC. Likely target being the US Capital. Instead the plan went down in Shanksville, PA in the middle of a field. At 560 MPH. At a 45 degree angle. The black box was recovered 30+ feet into the ground.

Packing List

Gear

• SALOMON Men’s Xa Pro 3D Trail Runner
• Darn Tough Socks 1/4 Cut Endurance
• Gerry Men’s Venture Flat Front Stretch Cargo Short
• Under Armour Shirt
• GORUCK Tac Hat
• 2OL Rucker w/Sternum Strap & Hip Belt
  • 20lb Rucker Plate
  • 3L Bladder
  • GORUCK Nalgene (Fille with Gatorade Frost for the win!)
  • White Reflective Bands
  • 25kN Carabiner
  • Small Dry Box
  • Two Cliff Bars
  • Quitter’s Cash & ID
  • Waterproof Phone Case
  • First Aid Kit
  • Gloves

Event Location

Shanksville-Stonycreek School 1325 Stonybrook Road, Friedens, PA

Cadre

Cadre Barbrossa Cadre L DB

The Event

GORUCK is always more fun with a buddy so I convinced a co-worker to join us weirdos! We headed out the Friday night before for the 4 hour drive. Mandatory traveling Rucks picture: We got a good nights rest and breakfast before heading to the start point about 40 minutes early. We were unfamiliar with the area and didn’t want to be late. We got to meet a few others, some having completed the Tough the night before.

Admin

We gathered in the school parking lot and the admin phase kicked off: roll call, identify service members/LEO/EMT in the group, and ask about any health concerns the Cadre should know about. We learned here we were down around 15 people that no showed. 31 total in this class.

Welcoming Party

We lined up in 4 rows and spread out. Cadre Barbrossa went row by row choosing a TLs and ATLs for the day. When he got to my row, he asked everyone to guess the number in his head. I guessed lucky number 13, and boom TL. Then we started with some calisthenics in the parking lot to get the blood flowing. After about 10 minutes we headed down the hill and circled up. We did about 30 minutes of no ruck PT led by Cadre Barbrossa. This PT reminded me of the tag line of the Light Challenge, light does not equal easy. Cadre Barbrossa called out cadence for things like squats, lunges, jumping jacks, pushups, arm circles, and a several others. We got some pauses in there to make sure we were appropriately feeling the Good Livin’!

Movement

The first TL and ATL were given the time hack and a few minutes to figure out how to divide up all the coupons. It was at this point the folks from the tough overnight started doing the math, we had more weight and less people than the Tough Class the night before. We were going to pay for the 15 no-shows! My best guess of coupons were as follows:

• 2 x 120lb Sandbags
• 2 x 80lb Sandbags
• 2 x 60lb Sandbags
• 2 x 40lb Sandbags
• 2 x 5 Gallon Jerry Cans
• 2 x 60-80? Rocks in a Med Tarp
• 1 25lb Team Weight
• 1 x American Flag
• 1 x GORUCK Flag We headed out towards the Crash Site Memorial. Our pace was slow and we felt the full weight of all the coupons up the hills of Shanksville! We had 4 people on each of the rock tarps, so we only had around 10 people taking a break. Cadre L DB followed behind us in a car, as we were taking country roads. That was a nice touch, as who knows what cars would fly around corners out there. We dumped the first rock at about the half-way point and thankfully the second about three-quarters of the way. That freed up people and our pace improved. We arrived at the Crash Site Memorial and missed our time hack by about 3 minutes.

At this point the Cadre released us for an hour and a half to walk through the memorial minus rucks with phones. We were about a mile away from the Visitor’s Center, so it wasn’t exactly a leisure stroll but it was enough to take it all in. The path that wound up to the Visitor’s Center, about 1 mile. Visitor’s Center behind me in the distance. The walkway followed the path of the plane to the crash site. These walls represented the planes wings as you started down the path to where the plan crashed. The 17 ton boulder in the middle of this field represents where United 93 impacted the Earth.

After our 2 mile walk around the memorial, we met back up with everyone. We filled up on water and headed back into Shanksville to the fire station. During this time on our way back I was up as TL. I learned a little from those before me. I took a stance off to the the side of the group as we moved, keeping everyone together, and in two columns. I communicated with the ATL in the back to make sure we had everyone, and to keep us together. I then started working through rotations of coupons. At this point everyone had down the transfers and we were a pretty well oiled machine. I tried to keep our pace up for our time hack. Upon arrival to the fire station we learned we were a couple minutes under! We were working as a team finally. At the fire station we were honored to do some PT in memorial to those that perished that day, and those who responded. Between a firetruck that was there on the crash scene that day and a field of flags with steel from the World Trade Centers we started our 40 exercises (for the 40 citizens lost that day). Afterwards we got a few minutes with phones to grab some pictures.

Endex

We loaded back up for the final half mile push to the endex. I grabbed the 120lb sandbag before we headed out, I was really motivated to finish strong. I had carried it a couple times earlier in the event so I knew what I was in for. The fun part this time was the hill just before endex. I wasn’t going to hand off for the last 500 yards, so I embraced the suck and kept my eyes on Cadre L DB waiting for us. Dropping that 120 was a great way to end things. I felt good, which is where I wanted to be as next up for me is a Tough/Light weekend. Don’t get me wrong I welcomed the beer and rest!

Stats from my Garmin Vivoactive 3 tracking from my dry box in my Ruck:

Lessons Learned

• Jerry Cans Suck! I need more training with these. Best tip we learned was to carry the Cans two at a time as long as you can, then sit them on the ground for the person behind you to pick up and do the same. Ideally with several people and with evenly filled cans. May check with Cadre before attempting this, some may have a strict no ground policy. Don’t want extra PT for no reason!
• The 120lb Sandbag, if carried solo is best transferred with a person on each side lifting it off the back of the person currently carrying it, then the next person to carry quickly follows underneath for them to set it on their back. Done right, you don’t loose a step or break up the group!
• I can’t read a topography map! I figured the terrain would be slightly hilly. However my Garmin in my dry box had us at nearly 1500ft of elevation gained over the event.

What’s Next?

Next up is the Cleveland Battle of Fallujah Tough and Light on 10/26 & 10/27! This will be my first Tough and first T/L obviously. Motivated to do this having some others from the club doing the same. Should be a great measure for future aspirations of a Heavy and eventually a HTL.

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