Evan Lacer
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Post Covid
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In the Finnish army the length of the brakebwas measured by 'one cigarret'. Well, propably no anymoreLong distance marches (humps) certainly do keep one in shape.
I remember quite often being exhausted, thirsty and doing my best to not be the one catching hell from a non empathetic platoon sergeant or squad leader lol.
I'm not a smoker, but I remember being amazed at how many guys lit up a smoke when we would take a break.
Makes me want to tell a war story (LOL). At basic training (1967, Ft. Dix, NJ) my company had to march out to the rifle range every day for two weeks or so, about an hour's fast march. It was done with full pack, gear and weapon -- the old M-14 was pretty heavy -- and at a militarily brisk pace. A lot of guys had trouble keeping up. But one day our baby-faced 2nd lieutenant decided to show the troops what a real soldier he was and lead the column. He carried no pack, no weapon, or even a canteen. Of course he set off on a blistering pace, but since I was not going to let the little twerp show me up I stayed right behind him as the column of exhausted troops stretched out. I'm glad I stayed with him, because at one point our crusty old first sergeant pulled up alongside in his car, surveyed the now-decimated formation and angrily yelled out the window, "Lieutenant, what the hell are you doing?" I learned something about the actual chain of command that day.
Reminds me of the following passage from Tony Herbert’s book Soldier (1973), discussing the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment during the 1960’s:At basic training (1967, Ft. Dix, NJ) my company had to march out to the rifle range every day for two weeks or so, about an hour's fast march. It was done with full pack, gear and weapon -- the old M-14 was pretty heavy -- and at a militarily brisk pace. A lot of guys had trouble keeping up. But one day our baby-faced 2nd lieutenant decided to show the troops what a real soldier he was and lead the column. He carried no pack, no weapon, or even a canteen. Of course he set off on a blistering pace, but since I was not going to let the little twerp show me up I stayed right behind him as the column of exhausted troops stretched out.
That's 5K/hour nonstop.Marching doesn't require top-level athletic condition, just regular fitness gets you far. In practical terms, you can assume that a 20-30 km (12.5-18.5 mi) with a 10-15 kg (22-33 lbs) load can be completed by a healthy person in 4-6 hours without being a sore noodle afterwards
Anyone saying this with regard to footwear and with a straight face deserves some sort of acting accolade.Marching is certainly not an equipment-sport
erm, no, they should have no seams at all, except at the very edges of your toes.The socks should ... have flat seams
With my own feet, that sounds like a recipe to ensure blistering.When socks are worn as layers, friction is soaked up by each sock to prevent the skin from blisters and chafing
This OTOH is BRILLIANT advice !!
- 4-6 beers (cans weigh less than bottles)
Absolutely!That's 5K/hour nonstop.
Sure, when I was young, I could manage 6K/hour or higher with no need for rest before some hours had passed, but the only meaningful mitigation in the above is the limitation to "4-6 hours".
Anyone saying this with regard to footwear and with a straight face deserves some sort of acting accolade.
erm, no, they should have no seams at all, except at the very edges of your toes.
With my own feet, that sounds like a recipe to ensure blistering.
As to the equipment photo, a lot of it looks good, but :
Rubbish hat
Bad synthetic raincoat
No inflatable mattress -- significant risk of exposure and loss of body heat
This OTOH is BRILLIANT advice !!
That's a near enough description of my normal pilgrim kit.We also wore cotton denim blue jeans, heavy leather lug soled boots and cotton flannel shirts and t-shirts, and no trekking poles or water bladders! Good heavens! lol
Oh my heavens. The gear geeks will tell you it's impossible to walk the Camino equipped like that, despite your walking the Camino equipped like that.That's a near enough description of my normal pilgrim kit.
Though my army boots have rubber soles ; no trekking poles but a hiking staff ; and I have a great big black pilgrim cape.
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