Hawk Mountain Ranger School

[cylercj554]

I want some ideas from Rangers who have went to Hawk before. What should I do to prepare physically and mentally for the best school in all of CAP?

[Thrashed]

"best school in all of CAP"?

I've been there and I'm not going back.

Don't get hung up on the word "ranger", it doesn't mean anything in CAP. It's just a word.

[cylercj554]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

[RogueLeader]

You came to the wrong place for this topic.

We don't have any fondness for "rangers".

[PA Guy]

^^^^^^^

Oh come on. the cadet asked a reasonable question and offered an opinion. He wasn't telling us how awesome he is etc. IMO COS is the "best school in all of CAP" 

[Thrashed]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

Well, you should go. Give it your best. Try to take something home with you. Good luck.
Try to talk to others who have gone. Go to their website and you'll see what you need to bring. You will also see what PT they do. You can work on those standards at home.

I also call it "tick" mountain. Bring lots of spray for ticks and maybe a tick removal tool.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

Like PJOC and the tan beret?

[Extremepredjudice]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

Like PJOC and the tan beret?

Seriously? 

[SarDragon]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

Like PJOC and the tan beret?

Lighten up, Francis.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Well, it means something to me. I have wanted to go there for many years.

Like PJOC and the tan beret?

Lighten up, Francis.

I'm responding the same way he is posting. Almost identical posts in both, with the "something is off here" vibe.

To cylercj554:

If you want to go to an activity, then go. If you care about the bling that may or may not come with it, it is up to you. But just realize that the focus of any CAP activity is not the bling, the title, or the perceived elite status of any activity.

You mentioned that Hawk Mountain is the best school, and were challenged on it. When someone correctly deduced that the "ranger" title was at least a partial reason for your eagerness, you confirmed it. The same goes for the PJOC topic you started.

Personal opinions aside, both activities are excellent when it comes to cadet leadership training. The same can be said about a lot of activities, but places like HMRS, NESA, PJOC, NBB, HGA (no more) and others attract a lot of attention because of the bad apples that come out of them. What makes them bad? Thinking they are better than others for having attended [fill in the blank] activity, while others have not. For others, they get focused on the bling like cords, patches, tabs, ascots, berets, etc. DON'T BE ONE OF THOSE CADETS.

Go to any activity you can afford, and ENJOY it. Don't, as suggested, hang up on what is the "best" activity, or what kind of bling you get to bring back home. Just focus on the experience, the new friendships, and how you can turn your experience into a force for improving your local unit.

[DJN245]

Hey, I'm going to try to actually answer your question here. First of all how to prepare yourself physically; for pt, just train yourself as you would for any other event or activity, with a wide range of exercises, and running, specifically in your boots because that is how we run on the mountain, although if you are going into a basic squadron, I would expect to only run about a half mile each time you run(about every other day). The true way to prepare yourself physically for the mountain is to hike, with your ruck and in your boots. Look at the website for a packing list (www.pawg.cap.gov/hawk_mountain) if you want to know the stuff to put in the ruck while you train.

How to prepare yourself mentally; Study your Ground Team Member's Task guide up to the GTM level you wish to walk away with. Also if you are looking to earn a specific ranger grade by the end of the school, look at the testing sheets (also on that website) and possibly google anything you are unfamiliar with. Then when you get to to the school, let your staff know you are willing to test, and participate in all the testing sessions they make available to you, what ranger grade you get, and how many signoffs you get for your GTM level is entirely based on how much effort you put in at the school.

As a final note, please do not come to the school, or go away from it, with a "holier than thou" attitude, or the "Im a ranger, I can do anything better than NESA" attitude. Don't get me wrong, its a big accomplishment, and very cool if you get through the school, please just don't give us a bad reputation of creating know-it-alls and cadets with inflated egos, just do your best to teach your home squadron what you learn at hawk and set a good example for your other cadets.

Have fun at Hawk, I'll see you there.

[cap235629]

Running in boots?

Well there is a healthy past time. 

[DJN245]

Running in boots?

Well there is a healthy past time. 

Well, the run is always done prior to, or just after the Obstacle Course. It is safest to run said OC with boots on. Anyone should be able to see why it is done this way then. Besides, its a 1/2 mile run, and at a slow pace at that, not a marathon.  Please, lets not make this an argument.

[Sapper168]

DJN245, don't feed the trolls man, don't feed the trolls.  I applied for my first  national activity this year and chose Hawk over NESA.  Every one asks me why when NESA is closer and I can get my GTL there .  While that is true my main reason is the activity tempo and facility of Hawk.  I am looking forward to the basic outdoor atmosphere versus Powerpoint in classrooms and barracks.   Now when I go for Aircrew training it will be NESA all the way. 

[Eclipse]

Running in boots?

Well there is a healthy past time. 

Well, the run is always done prior to, or just after the Obstacle Course. It is safest to run said OC with boots on. Anyone should be able to see why it is done this way then. Besides, its a 1/2 mile run, and at a slow pace at that, not a marathon.  Please, lets not make this an argument.

Do you have any idea how many 78's are submitted every year because of members running in boots?

[sarmed1]

How many?  Are they during actual "PT" or just because they were running?

How many from running in sneakers?

mk

[Devil Doc]

Ranger School Vs NESA, ehh, dont like camping unless getting paid for it, lol. Plus, when your getting old like me, the whole running in boots things, get kinda old quick

[DJN245]

Ranger School Vs NESA, ehh, dont like camping unless getting paid for it, lol. Plus, when your getting old like me, the whole running in boots things, get kinda old quick

Incorrect sir. This is not a HMRS vs. NESA thread! A Cadet asked how he should prepare for a NCSA, and his question has been answered appropriately, unless he has anymore questions, this thread should end here.

[Stonewall]

Ranger School Vs NESA, ehh, dont like camping unless getting paid for it, lol. Plus, when your getting old like me, the whole running in boots things, get kinda old quick

Is there a job that pays you to camp?

I've got shower shoes older than you 

As for running in boots, even the JFK Special Warfare Center stopped running PT in boots in the 90s because it wasn't worth all the injuries.  If you can run in running shoes, you can run in boots, albeit for no longer than necessary.  The only reason to run in boots voluntarily is to prepare your body to run in boots regularly.  But no one should be running in boots regularly.  It's one thing to be in the field and have to randomly run a few hundred yards while wearing boots and/or gear, but it's not something you need to specifically practice for.

It's like bear crawls or crab walks, sure you can practice them, but really, if you're just in decent shape you should be able to do them.  No real need to train your body to do something it may do once or twice.

[GroundHawg]

Hey, I'm going to try to actually answer your question here. First of all how to prepare yourself physically; for pt, just train yourself as you would for any other event or activity, with a wide range of exercises, and running, specifically in your boots because that is how we run on the mountain, although if you are going into a basic squadron, I would expect to only run about a half mile each time you run(about every other day). The true way to prepare yourself physically for the mountain is to hike, with your ruck and in your boots. Look at the website for a packing list (www.pawg.cap.gov/hawk_mountain) if you want to know the stuff to put in the ruck while you train.

How to prepare yourself mentally; Study your Ground Team Member's Task guide up to the GTM level you wish to walk away with. Also if you are looking to earn a specific ranger grade by the end of the school, look at the testing sheets (also on that website) and possibly google anything you are unfamiliar with. Then when you get to to the school, let your staff know you are willing to test, and participate in all the testing sessions they make available to you, what ranger grade you get, and how many signoffs you get for your GTM level is entirely based on how much effort you put in at the school.

As a final note, please do not come to the school, or go away from it, with a "holier than thou" attitude, or the "Im a ranger, I can do anything better than NESA" attitude. Don't get me wrong, its a big accomplishment, and very cool if you get through the school, please just don't give us a bad reputation of creating know-it-alls and cadets with inflated egos, just do your best to teach your home squadron what you learn at hawk and set a good example for your other cadets.

Have fun at Hawk, I'll see you there.

+1

Great reply with zero snarkiness.