Stomping Through Woods on a Snowy Morning

Last weekend was a fun but tiring one on my cadet corps' annual trekking FTX (Field Training Exercise);  a full weekend of trail hiking and geocaching, plus snow shoeing as a bonus (we haven't been out on snow shoes in quite a few years). Cold and snowy, but the threatened freezing rain held off until I was half way home, so no mud marching. Which isn't fun, which is why we now schedule the FTX for earlier in the year, when it's colder.

There's me on the right, rocking the old skool OD green parka. After the picture I took the snow shoes the officer cadet is sporting out for a spin through the woods and got myself well off the map into parts of the area I'd never been too. Oddly enough it all looked the same (trees and snow), which is probably how I missed my turning buried in the snow.

I know, insert jokes about LTs and maps here.

I claimed it was a deep insertion LRRP.

But I did catch some cadets also about to go off map onto roads not taken and undiscovered countries, and got them turned about, because I was hungry and wanted to get back for a lunch of tasty MREs. I think I might have had the ravioli with meat sauce, which isn't that bad for something preserved in a bag for several years and reheated in hot water.

But the cadets all had fun and Chris and I didn't have to really lose our cool with anyone all weekend, which was quite pleasing.

On the Friday the new rules by Sam Mustafa, Blucher, launched and had sold out by the time I woke up from midnight shift, so before heading off with the cadets I had to make a quick reorder and pay the first invoice before I'd even gotten the boxes.

So add all that to some overtime last week and I haven't done any painting at all. I glued some stowage on the Husky recovery vehicle though.

The Mad Padre and I had hoped to wedge in a game this Sunday between Valentine's Day and the Family Day holiday, but he's neck deep in his thesis so I haven't heard from him. Perhaps a snowy Sunday afternoon painting is in order this weekend.