Saturday After Action

For me, Saturday is often a great time to conduct a personal after action review from the previous week.  Like many in the US, my weeks most often resemble combat operations, and I am routinely engaged in pushing aggressively forward on multiple fronts and responsible for managing disparate priorities from competing groups of stakeholders on large scale projects. 

It is near impossible to move forward in any organization, effectively and aggressively without sustaining setbacks and failures on a regular basis.  Most often our failures are not large single events, but rather a collection of smaller cumulative micro failures that can chip away at our motivation and effectiveness with such a low signature that it's almost hard to recognize.

Saturday mornings are usually a good time to grab a cup of coffee and reflect on the collection of victories and failures I racked up during M-F combat.  I always think back to the many AAR's and post op debriefs I've sat thru.  Most people would be surprised to sit thru an actual AAR conducted by an elite unit or team.  Even on major operations involving complex planning and coordination, most de-brief points highlighting failures usually fall into one of the following categories:

• perception
• discipline
• communication
• technical difficulty

Perception- It's hard to remember a mission that either myself or anyone I know has ever been on where the actual conditions on the ground did not differ in some way from what was expected during planning.  Great teams and individuals train hard and are expected to adapt.  If you are in a Corporate Combat Unit, keep in mind that perception is one of the most difficult things to manage or understand among people who are normally not cohesive and trained to a common standard.

Discipline-  This one is easy.  At some point on every mission, one of us could have done something better.  Sometimes we get lucky and no one saw our minor mistake, and we dodged Mr. Murphy, but this is one I see often among many civilian organizations.  High degrees of discipline do occur, but are often by chance or due to a few rock stars who hold the line.  Corporations can and should train staff to be disciplined and aligned around solid core principles and time tested processes.

Communication- Think about all of the communication engagements that you will be a part of M-F in any organization.  The total number is staggering.  When they don't go well, they take a toll on both parties.  Often times two people on a team or in a corporate setting will quietly harbor small doses of anger and resentment for hours or days after an unpleasant communication engagement with a co worker or boss.  Failures of communication are the main reason for many of the real set backs and near misses in modern combat operations and among Special Operations.  Communication skills have to be constantly trained on and refined, de-briefed to the smallest detail.  You have to communicate well, period.

Technical difficulties-  "Comms went down", is probably one of the most recycled phrases in military de-briefs.  It's just a fact of life, and probably won't change until SOCOM, or TRADOC buys APPLE or Samsung and puts them in charge.  Fortunately most of us in Corporate Combat units get thru our work days without experiencing technical difficulties that completely derail our operations.  But when they do occur, realize that you must fall back on solid, basic and simple techniques to communicate and keep your team moving forward. 

These are just a few easy points to consider for your Saturday morning de-brief.  To learn more check out:  ADVENTURE OPERATIONS GROUP

Also, to hear David Rutherford talk about how to turn failure into success, check out this weekends Froglogic Radio Show at:  Froglogic Failure to Success

Have a great Saturday!
B-Rad and the AOG team.
Out.

Bug Out Basics- Part 2

Part two in a series on Bug Out/Bail Out tactics from AOG teammate Josh:

Long gun and movement considerations

There seems to be quite a bit of discussion about “bugging out” and what kit to carry.  There are plenty of options out there but one question that continues to come up is how to stay “the grey man” and still carry a long gun.  I think we need to take a hard look at our situation, the circumstances we might find ourselves in, and what to do about that long gun.  Because we need to have some context to our situation we’ll try to paint in broad strokes, and add specifics as necessary.  To be honest, if we keep things realistic I think we’ll find most decisions won’t be too different no matter the circumstances.

By definition “bugging out” means we are moving.  We want to move from point A to point B.  What are our points???  Our home??  Work?  A vehicle?  A public forum?  A predetermined “safe” house or sight??  A hasty hide or building to occupy??  By definition we are trying to get somewhere of lesser advantage to a place of better advantage.  The exception would be moving to SOMEONE, like our family or friends in need, someone in trouble or disabled, etc.

Regardless of why we are leaving we have determined that we need to be somewhere else.  Inherently that means we have a purpose and to move accordingly.  I can’t think of a single reason to move and not have a destination and not be highly motivated to get there.  Even if you don’t have a specific location and only know the place you’re at is sucking, you still probably aren’t going to move like it’s a Sunday drive.  Speed becomes a factor.

For this discussion we’re going to talk about moving on foot.  If we have a vehicle then the point is almost moot.  Believe me, if I’m "alamo’ing" up or moving in a vehicle then the gear I chose and the time and distance I can cover are a different discussion.

So if we’re moving on foot we need to be VERY conscious of what we carry.  There are tons of discussions about what and how people will carry life saving equipment and comfort items.  We can talk about that too, but the one item that continues to arise is that pesky long gun.  Do we need it??  Should we take it??  How?  What if we don’t take it??  What are we going to do with it??

Answering some of these questions and coming up with some solutions might help us in the rest of our load out.  Determining what we carry and how we carry it also determines what we can accomplish.  Things like where we can go and how far we can travel are directly related to the solutions above. 

Simple math tells us we can go farther without a long gun.  If I forgo a long gun (in this case an M4 carbine) that means I don’t have a 7-10 pound rifle and 3-10 pounds of ammo (one mag weighs approximately 1 pound).  Can you move farther with 10-20 pounds less??  I think I can.

What do we consider in making that determination?  Now things get somewhat tricky.  Each person envisions different situations.  I think the biggest consideration is the geographic location we find ourselves in as well as the circumstances that have made us move.  Let’s run down a few somewhat generic situations and make some decisions from there.

PART 2

Back to the topic.  When do we need a long gun??  Do we need one if our vehicle broke down on a rural road and we’re trying to walk to help?  Probably not, but are we comfortable leaving it in the vehicle?  That also depends.  It depends on if you have it in something like a Truck Safe, and what the overall situation is like.  If we know it’s only about 10 miles back to somewhere we can get some help then it might be better to leave the rifle and haul ass to a known destination.  It’s about probabilities and in this situation, stateside, it’s probably best to leave the long gun.  Even with a longer distance (for you truly rural folks) I don't think it changes much.

 If the exact same situation happened in Iraq or Afghanistan, you can bet the long gun is coming with.  Talking to some coworkers last night we went over every situation we knew of where people had to un-ass a vehicle and most said that at the time they were worried about just getting out and grabbing ANYTHING was second on the priority list.  Several made mention of grabbing their bags but burning everything else (including belt feds) in place.  I’m not saying if any of these actions are right or wrong only that the situation dictates what we’re going to do.  

 Another situation might be some kind of natural disaster.  For this situation let’s assume we’re ahead of the power curve and a disaster is pending, but hasn’t occurred yet.  Some examples might be hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, etc.  Often times the routes from a city to a more rural area become clogged.  We might just need to make it from our home or business to another “better” location.  In this situation we will probably encounter many more people, both good and bad. 

Again, is the long gun necessary?  Maybe not yet, but I probably wouldn’t want to leave all my guns to be burned in a fire.  I’d like to think that even if I don’t need the rifle right now, it might be the only chance I have to keep possession of one.

 The next logical “threat” would be the same situations above, but, for whatever reason, we’re in the thick of it or post disaster.  Think hurricane Katrina or some of the looting I’ve seen in the Midwest post tornado.  In this situation we can expect more social unrest, historically meaning people become more desperate and predatory.  Do we need a long gun??  If I’m moving through an area full of people capable of horrible acts for their own self preservation I’m probably even more inclined to move as quickly as possible.  I don’t think provoking any actions from people in this type of situation is advisable.  What I mean by provoking is giving them any reason (in their eyes) to interact with you.  Moving as quickly and quietly as possible seems to, again, be the best answer.

 I’m going to stop there because any situations we come up with past this are probably not based on history and might seem a bit “far off” for some.  I think the examples we’ve chosen are somewhat realistic and if we discuss these events we probably can get some decent ideas for “end of the world, social breakdown, zombies, et al."

 So what are our choices??  Leave the long gun, hide the long gun, take the long gun but have it concealed, take the long gun and look like you’re ready for a fight?  Anything else?

 

More on those choices in Part 3, coming next week.

Until then, stay full tilt and focused!

B-Rad
ADVENTURE OPERATIONS GROUP

Bug Out Basics

From AOG Teammate Josh-

 

The concept of “bugging out” is not new, although there are some new twists.  The premise is whatever situation we are in, we need to be somewhere else that is better.  The reasons are many; natural disaster, disabled vehicle, terrorist attack, etc.  One constant is having a small bag that will assist you in getting from point A to point B.  The bag, sometimes called a “go bag” or “bugout bag”, should be easily accessed, easy to transport, and contain whatever items needed to augment your personal gear and be appropriate for whatever location you’re in.

A few things to consider when choosing a bag for this purpose are its overall size, how it’s going to be carried, and the general appearance of the bag.  I’ll expand on each point.  If a bag is too big it will inevitably get overloaded with things you probably want but don’t necessarily need.  This becomes contrary to being easy to access and easy to transport.  If it’s too small then obviously it might not be able to carry essential items.  Backpacks make a perfectly good platform for a go bag but it becomes very difficult to access items in the bag quickly.  A shoulder bag, fanny pack, or lumbar pack makes access much easier.  The tradeoff is more weight can be carried easier in a backpack.  The overall appearance of the bag should be complimentary to you as well as the environment you are in.  A soldier working in Baghdad will probably need a bag that appears different than a bag for a soccer mom in St. Louis.  The point is it might be best if the bag doesn’t draw undue attention while moving within your environment.

I’m not going to delve into the exact contents of the bag but where you are will generally determine what you need.  If you are in the desert the procurement and carriage of water might be high on the list.  If you find yourself in a non permissive environment maybe a few extra mags, night vision, and a satellite phone might be needed.  I would concentrate on communications, signaling, self defense, and basic needs like staying warm and hydrated.  Most importantly we are trying to get from point A to point B.  I would suggest items that help accomplish that specific goal.

2-day Cathedral Traverse, Grand Teton National Park- Part 1 "Don't Stop, Don't Fall"

"At least once a year, do something bold, that requires real effort, real risks and where the outcome is uncertain"- B-Rad

Mission: Try to hang with Brenton Reagan of Exum Mountain Guides for 2 days in the Grand Tetons.

He had thrown down the challenge to me 2 years ago at the Outdoor Retail Show in Salt Lake City. "Come out to Jackson Hole, let me show you what we do for a few days".  He had repeated the challenge this year.  I knew that Exum was one of the most respected Guide services in North America.  I knew that the Tetons contained difficult routes.  This was exactly the kind of thing I love dropping into.  I had to go.  So this year, I took him up on the offer. We would attempt a 2-day, alpine style assault on the Grand Traverse, a route that contained some of North Americas most challenging and technical alpine terrain.

I had carved out some time in early August for the trip.  It would be difficult for sure as I had a compressed schedule, with 1 day to acclimatize and 2 days to complete the route.  There would be no warm up or practice climbs, we would jump straight into it.

I arrived in Jackson Hole on Saturday August 4, 2012 in the late afternoon.  The drive from Jackson Hole Airport to Teton Village, revealed a bustling heavy summer crowd that ranged from climbers, hikers, mountain bikers and kayakers, to large groups of Harley riders, cowboys, families in RVs and everyone in between.  Jackson Hole,WY is a mecca for just about any type of outdoor recreation you can think of.

I checked into my room at Teton Village late Saturday afternoon.  Teton Village is approximately 11 miles from Jackson Hole, and sits at about 6600 feet altitude.  In the winter, Teton Village is the spot for some of the best skiing the West has to offer.  In the summer, Teton Village is transformed into a world class downhill mountain biking resort but also boasts miles of accessible hiking trails, nearby whitewater rafting, horseback riding, wildlife tours, paragliding, and sits on the border of Grand Teton National Park. 

Grand Teton National Park is home to some of the most beautiful mountains found anywhere in the world, and some of the best alpine mountaineering in North America.  Exum Mountain Guides is among the oldest and most respected Mountain Guide Services in North America.  Exum's AMGA certified guides are in a league of their own when it comes to leading clients on truly inspiring and challenging adventures. Exum has been guiding clients on the "Grand" longer and with more summit success than any other company.

Check them out here- http://www.exumguides.com/

With only a day to adjust to the altitude since arriving from VA at sea level, I decided to spend Sunday drinking water and going for a short hike on a nearby trail just to get loosened up.   

I met up with Brenton at 1:45 AM Monday morning, for the drive into the park.  After a quick stop at Exum's office, we arrived at the Lupine Meadows parking lot at about 2:30 am, and began the job of finalizing our gear.  We divided up the tent and climbing gear, cinched down our packs, turned on our headlamps, and were on the move by 3:00 AM. 

The summit of Teewinot was our first goal, but to get there required gaining approximately a mile's worth of altitude.  We hiked through the darkness initially on a small well marked trail, later encountering steep switchbacks that slowly gave way to rock fields and class IV scrambling.  I was already feeling the effects of the altitude, but kept pushing and reciting my mantra for this trip, "Don't stop, don't fall".  We set a robust pace and I was glad that I had chosen the type of training I had been practicing for the past few months.  Even so, I had to ask him to slow down just a bit a few times.  Exum's guides can move fast and light in the mountains.  Eventually, as we neared the summit and the first signs of daybreak began to appear, we dropped our packs and Brenton tied me in to a short rope, and we set out for the summit.  We tagged the summit of Teewinot at about 6:30 AM, and from there the view in all directions was spectacular.  1 down, how many to go?

Dark clouds approached from the Southeast (seen behind me in the above picture), and revealed evidence of what local forecasters had predicted as a 40% chance of showers for Monday August 6, 2012.  Soon, we were taking cover next to a rock wall, wearing all of our Gore-Tex as we waited out a 30 minute rain storm.  We contemplated turning back, but saw no lightning and soon the rain ended. We decided to push on.

The rain made the climbing slow, and a little treacherous for the next few hours as the overcast skies slowed the drying out of the extremely exposed and challenging terrain between the summit of Teewinot and Mount Owen.  "Don't stop, don't fall".  We continued our slow push to Owen.  Down climbing, rappels, exposed ridges, ice ax and snow to the Koven col.  A fall here, would not be good.  "The Summit of Mount Owen is one of the most difficult summits in the park, by it's easiest route", Brenton said as we tagged it and started our down climb.  I was feeling the effects of little sleep and a rush to 12,928 feet, "Don't stop, don't fall". 

The rain and resulting slow climbing meant that a 2 day Grand Traverse probably wasn't going to happen, combined with my short time at altitude, our progress wasn't fast enough to go for the traverse.  I was physically and mentally crushed after 13 hours of hard climbing on day 1, still moving and climbing, but probably not fast enough to make it over the Grand before dark. We decided to bivy on the West Ledges, between Mount Owen and the North Ridge of the Grand.  It was a good call, I needed to recharge.  This mission was now a 2-day Cathedral Traverse, and we still had one full day of very challenging climbing ahead of us on the Grand.

At the bivy site on the West ledges, unreal view.  We arrived with about 8 OZ of water each, and no snow melt to refill.  Brenton rapped into the Gunsight notch, chopped snow with an ice ax, and climbed back out so we would have snow to melt for water.  Much appreciated!

A night's sleep at near 12,000 feet was exactly what I needed.  I woke up feeling stronger.  Day 2 would be heading toward the summit of the Grand, via the North Ridge and Italian Cracks.  Some GU, a little cheese and salami, and snow melt water for breakfast and we were moving again.

                                          The first of 11 pitches on the way to the summit.

AOG Individual Capabilities Enhancement (I.C.E) training with Exum!

                                                                                

    "Don't stop, don't fall"  Climbing through this section required total focus and control.  Little margin for error and no place to fall.  2-man team, over 13,000 ft high on an alpine mountaineering route means relying on your training, physical condition, equipment and each other. 

Summit shot on the Grand, 2 day Cathedral Traverse.

Climbing with Exum is unlike any other experience, because they are unlike any other guide service.  They will put you in the middle of real adventure, and you will come away with new or renewed skills, and a sense of achievement that will leave you wanting more.  Brenton, one of Exum's most experienced guides, is also involved with XMS3, Exum's Military and Special Operations Mountaineering Programs.  You will not find a more advanced or relevant training program anywhere that will prepare your unit or team for the dynamic challenges of conducting tactical operations in an alpine setting.  Check out XMS3:  XMS 3- Mountain Systems Safety Survival

This was a tough 2 days.  I arrived in Jackson Hole with one day to get ready, and found myself being truly tested from the very beginning.  Capabilities stretched, skills enhanced and new friends made!

This trip is accessible and achievable by anyone willing to put in the preparation and training.  The summit of the Grand is within your reach.  Exum specializes in 1 or 2 day summit climbs.  Contact AOG to find out how I planned for this trip, or contact Exum if you are ready for the challenge!