Brian’s Note: Harvey is a friend of mine who I trained with a bit leading up to HCL 001. It should be noted that the GORUCK Heavy he completed in HCL 001 was the FIRST GORUCK event he has ever attempted. Harvey did set any self-imposed limitations on himself and I believe that’s one of the reasons he signed up for and completed HCL 001.
Name: Harvey Doty (1OF12 DIRTY DOZEN)
AAR: GORUCK HCL 001 Seattle, WA
Why?
Cadre Bert and others have asked, “What made you sign up for this?” Specifically, I was asked this at the tail-end of our three-hour shark tank smoke session conducted during the challenge portion of the Goruck HCL while we were instructed to be shorter than Bert. I estimate that it had been approximately 35 hours into “THIS.”
I did say something that sounded pretty stupid upon reflection but, I will say this: The only thing that seems to make sense to me now is that I showed up on instinct. That moment had been calling out to me. I was standing there surrounded by my team, Cadre, in the pouring rain, sleep deprived, muscles shaking, and totally at peace. That moment there was no time, no reps, no anticipation, no expectation, no hurt, no worries, just alertness, awareness, cooling rain on my face, and my breath, and my existence.
I hadn’t done a Goruck event before so I had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time and it is still hard to pin point any specific deciding factor, but I had little clues such as, “Embrace the Suck”, “DFQ”, “Suffer in Silence”, seeing “…it probably isn’t for everyone…”, some vague AARs, even more vague ideas from TRVLSQD about what the HCL would be. For me these were just hints at what the Cadre would lead the individual and the team through and to.
I will give my initial response here, “It seemed like a good deal.” Yeah, that was my response to the Cadre. Turns out it was a good deal. It was a great deal more than I could previously have expected from the team, the Cadre, and on a more personal level from myself.
Unofficial AAR
Thank you to my family, my team, and the Cadre. The event was more than I could have hoped for. I want to give a special note of gratitude to Joey Parente, a new brother. Joey flew in and I had his plate, he had to repack his bag the morning of the event to incorporate the plate into his load out. My son pointed out each item in Joey’s kit and asked, “WHAT’S THAT”, more like wassat. Joey smiled and had a kind response for each question the kiddo had. At that point I knew this was a solid guy. In all the stress of the moment getting ready he had all the patience in the world for my kid and my dog all up in his face, it seemed to foreshadow a willingness to deal with anything put in his path. We were as smooth as could be expected during the transitions, I don’t even remember thinking about quitting, certainly there was no talk of it, just about what needed to be done to get ready for the next part of the event.
Official AAR
- During the sit up test you should pull up your pants and wear a long base layer. I had plumber butt and ended up scooping up about a half cup of needles, dirt, and gravel into my crack. I spent the first few miles of the 12 mile ruck digging in my butt. This was the only time I was not sure about continuing on. I did not have things squared away. My backpack looked different than everyone else’s. I didn’t have any patches. The Cadre were intense. I finally got my situation squared away, got my mind right, and fell into a pace that took me from the back of the group to the lead group by the time we were a couple miles out.
- Peanut butter and honey sandwiches are hard to eat under the log.
- I learned to pee while walking. I didn’t pee my pants till we were in the fountain.
- The Cadre are intense. Use it for motivation.
- Ruck more. Don’t worry about it when your wife rolls her eyes when you dump a liter of water into each of your boots before you go to the grocery store.
- Serve your team; it will get you out of your head. ONE TEAM ONE FIGHT.
- The pain is physical; let your will be strengthened.
- Prepare your mind, spirit, and body as best you know how.
I got a new nickname that I’m proud of; they call me “the Wolf.”
Future HCL Events
Did reading this make you want to sign up for an HCL? Check out the following HCL events happening soon:
- Albany, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Jacksonville, FL (HCLS)
- Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX
- Des Moines, IA
- New York, NY
- Boulder/Denver, CO
- GORUCK Operation Clear Field Events! - May 17, 2017
- “Ruck Your Dog” Virtual Event - March 10, 2017
- GORUCK Constellation Events Announced - March 9, 2017
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