Before you read this site, I want to go over some very important safety information. In this guide, I mention things that could potentially be dangerous. These things are my hike progression, Endurance course practice, Obstacle Course practice, and water consumption. There is a very real risk of heat stroke and grave injury that you can sustain in training, and I want anyone going through this training to be aware of the risks, and things you can do to mitigate the chances of this happening.
Heat stroke is a serious emergency. When your body cannot regulate its temperature and your temperature goes too high, you can sustain serious organ damage, including your BRAIN DAMAGE, and you can seriously DIE of heat stroke. The symptoms of heat stroke are usually "hot, dry skin", altered mental status, and "profound" weakness. However, people can still be sweaty if they have heat stroke. Altered mental status and weakness are serious symptoms. Don't get to this point...don't let your friends get to this point.
To prevent heat stroke, don't push yourself beyond reason. Marines push themselves all the time, I'm talking like...beyond reason. HYDRATE! But also...you must replace what you lose. When you sweat, you lose water, but you also lose electrolytes. Electrolytes aren't just what Coca-Cola uses to sell gatorade. Your heart relies on three electrolytes to function: calcium, potassium, and sodium. Sodium is key here. This is why park rangers tell hikers to eat salty snacks along with drinking water. If you don't have enough sodium, how will your heart function?
To treat heat stroke:
If you have an extra friend, tell them to call 911 or get help immediately.
Remove the affected individual from the hot environment. This means pulling them into the shade, loosening their clothing, and maybe even undressing them (withing reason - down to underwear). If they are wearing a flak, 86 that shit IMMEDIATELY.
QUICKLY douse the affected Individual with water (avoiding their airway). This is the opposite treatment of a "cold emergency." In cold emergencies, you need to warm them slowly. In heat emergencies, you must cool them down AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE!
If the affected individual is unconscious or not "with it," place them in the recovery position. What is this? If you've ever taken a CPR course, life guarding course, alcohol awareness course, you'll remember that the recovery position will prevent aspiration of vomit or other fluids. Place the individual on their side. If the affected individual is also physically (musculoskeletal) injured, try to move them as little as possible, but protecting their airway is key.
You'll learn these techniques in the Combat Life-Saving Course at TBS, but I was a 911 paramedic for four years, as well as a swim instructor for four years. I know a decent amount about what to do In emergencies, but I have only been in a few scenarios where I've dealt with "heat-casing." The TBS corpsmen...that's another story. They know their shit.
Hike progression:
Okay I sucked at hiking at OCS. I fell out of the 6 mile, but got a 100% on the 4 mile and 9 mile, but both were horrible. In between OCS and TBS, I fixed myself. I was issued CIF gear and hiked on my own, and didn't struggle with any of the hikes at TBS except the 15 mile, but I did not fall out. I finished alright, but it was one of the worst experiences of my life. A mental game. In a later page, I suggest a hike progression and mention that I hiked on my own. I am not encouraging you to hike on your own, but since I know that some of you will, I want you all to be as safe as possible.
Two risks when hiking are heat casing and breaking something. Like an ankle or hip. Hiking alone can make both of these issues very serious. I did my hike progression in the winter, so the risk of heat casing was less, but I still risked breaking something.
Important advice:
If you can, bring a friend.
Even more important, BRING YOUR PHONE. Hike in areas with decent service. At TBS, Application Trail had okay service for me, but there was a dead zone at the bottom of Cardiac Hill and the surrounding quarter mile on each side. I had T-Mobile so maybe you rich people with Verizon won't have the same Issue.
The most important- BRING WATER. Bring enough water. At least a camelback and two canteens. If you don't drink this water, the weight will make you stronger.
Hike when there are people out.
I hiked with my CIF gear, but if you aren't allowed to, don't. Or don't get caught. If you can use Home Depot sand for weight, you'll be able to dump it out if it gets too much.
My progression is really not my own creation, it was given to me by athletic trainers. It is meant to build up your muscles and endurance, not to wear yourself out to exhaustion. In my page, I mention pushing your tempo so that you are prepared for TBS. If the hike is unbearable, drop down the weight and work your way up. The hikes at TBS were mostly an annoyance. Except for the 15 mile, I never felt like I was going to collapse.
The hike progression is to give you a solid foundation for 6 miles with a 70 lb pack. This is definitely a great foundation to build upon once you go to TBS. You'll have plenty of opportunities in the field to buff up your buns and thighs for the hikes.
Endurance Course practice:
The E-course sucks, but I actually liked it at TBS. In this page, you'll learn that I incorporated some strategy that helped me shave off minutes, but it also helped that I practiced it on my own. However, I never really run the e-course by myself before TBS. My ex and I "hiked it", meaning we walked along the course with camelbacks and some music. I didn't do any of the obstacles during these walk-throughs, but just being familiar with the course helped me. In Mike Company, the holding company, I ran it twice. We ran only with camelbacks, we didn't do the obstacles, and we ran in two groups. Another time, an Lt walked with a couple of us as well. Most importantly, the times I ran it with Mike Company, it was a coordinated event with Corpsmen and staff.
The first time I ran it with the full weight was at TBS. We did it twice. I shaved eight minutes off just because we had been walking with assault packs for months, and I knew the course. I do NOT suggest running it with weight on your own, or even running by yourself at all. It's so wooded and uneven, the risk of injury outweighs any potential physical fitness gain.
Obstacle Course practice:
I played around on the obstacle course with my ex before TBS picked up. The general rule is that you can practice the O-course without a corpsman as long as your staff has given you the demo, and you go with at least two other people. One to stay with the injured person, the other to get help. A lot of people get injured on the rope climb because they get exhausted and fall. I sucked at the rope at OCS and got sort of okay at the end. At TBS, it helped to practice going half way up until I felt super confident, and then practice all the way up. This way, I still practiced the rope, but the chances of me falling from the top were much less.
Water consumption:
In the 15 mile hike section, I mention that I did not need to refill my canteens at all during the breaks, that I sipped on my camelback during the hike and drank from my canteen during the breaks. THIS WAS ME. This could be you too, but by all means, if you need to fill up and drink from your canteens during the hikes, do so. I just wanted to sit down during the breaks and I was always afraid of getting left behind, but by all means, if you need water, get water!!
Much of this information can be found later in this page, but this information here is super important and I thought it wouldn't hurt to put it right up front as well.