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Preparation

One of the great things about the GRIT program is that it requires very little in the way of special skills or equipment. I wanted to create a program that was both powerful and accessible to many. With that said, there are some key pieces of gear that you’ll need, a base level of fitness you must come prepared with, and some important rules that must be respected.

Required Gear

You’ll need some basic gear for hiking and rucking. Because we only do one backpacking mission, you might consider just renting a pack, tent, and sleeping system for the trip (if you don’t have that gear already, or don’t intend to use it after the mission). The other things you’ll need include:

  • Appropriate layers for weather. Depending on when your program begins and ends, this may mean having appropriate clothing and layers for spring and summer, summer and fall, fall and winter, or winter and spring. It is up to you to make sure you’ve got appropriate layers for the temperatures you’ll encounter on missions and during workouts.
  • Pack: You will need a pack that is sturdy enough to carry weight in for rucks. Your rucksack can double as your backpack for missions that do not require weight, if you wish. 
  • First aid kit. On missions, you must always carry a small, basic first aid kit.
  • Headlamp with spare batteries. For night missions, consider carrying a backup headlamp as well.
  • Water filter. A small filter (like the Katadyn Befree)
  • Bottles or Bladder. At least 2 liters of water-carrying capacity.
  • Nutrition. Suggestions for minimum calorie to bring with you will be provided for missions (for men and women).
  • Emergency bivy. Just in case.

Minimum Fitness Requirement

All GRIT participants must come prepared with a minimal fitness level to ensure they possess the base fitness needed to begin the program. If you’re not quite at this base, Jess can provide training guidance to get you there — reach out to her!

To be eligible for the program, all GRIT participants must:

  1. Be able to ruck 5 miles with the required weight (minimum 20 lbs for women, 30 lbs for men). On a flat even surface (like a sidewalk), you want to shoot for a 20 minute mile or better.
  2. Be able to maintain an average hiking pace of at least 2mph on a moderate to difficult trail, for at least 5 miles (without weight)
 
Though not required, it’s also good to have baseline fitness with basic bodyweight exercises, such as air squats, lunges, sit-ups, and push-ups (modified if necessary). If it’s been a while since you’ve engaged in some good, old-fashioned calisthenics, it’s time to get busy. If you’re already a gym rat or CrossFit junkie, worry not, Jess is always happy to scale workouts UP for you 🙂 

Mission Rules

The rules are simple. There are four of them.
 
  1. Leave nobody behind. You start as a team and finish as a team. If you’re the strongest, step up and help the weaker members of your group. This is not a competition. Everyone is in this together. If you’re looking for a competition, there are PLENTY of races put on by other organizations for anything you could possibly desire. Competition is great, but it’s not the objective of Operation GRIT. The only real competition is with yourself, anyway.
  2. Don’t be an a-hole. I shouldn’t have to explain this one. The culture of GRIT is positive. There is no “tough love” that involves shouting expletives or insulting team members. Participants are expected to encourage and motivate one another, but this isn’t special forces training. I don’t believe in humiliating or dogging people… at all. It’s just an asshole move. Plus, research indicates positive language is far, far more effective at getting results. If you’re looking for someone to belittle you or if you want to be able to shout middle school insults at your team members, GRIT isn’t for you.
  3. Be on time. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with rule #2, but it’s important enough to be a rule of its own. Be on time. Don’t keep your team waiting because you couldn’t get your act together. Yes, life happens, and grace is granted for that. But constantly holding others up because you can’t read a clock won’t be tolerated.
  4. Give your all. Always remember why you’re here. You came to push yourself and to create a better you. You’re going to be uncomfortable at times and you need to be okay with that. In fact,  you need to be okay giving your all even when you’re not comfortable. This program is called Operation GRIT, not snuggly-blankets-and-tv-time.

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