February 24 - 25, 2001 FTX
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Saturday morning, our crew was running late, and lucky us, we got the joy of travelling through the beginning of the weather that was to come. Wet snow came down for about two hours, which turned to rain mixed with freezing rain.
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Needless to say, we arrived at Camp Stasa late. We found the road back to camp frozen, but driveable. There, we met Macomb County militia persons ready to go, so we unloaded our gear and headed out for our 2-mile hike. It was an interesting two miles having to traverse mud pits, pools of water, and sheets of ice, in addition to the water works still coming down in the form of freezing rain.
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Once back, we figured this was a good time to test-drive the equipment and abilities of the new Level 1,2, & 3 Field Training Program tri-folds. Mike, being the in-shape militia poster dude that he is, went out and did another three miles with a full gear load, to qualify for Level 2. The time requirement for the 3-mile hike in Level 2 is 1 hour 15 minutes; Mike handily did the hike in less than an hour. (We've decided he needs to pick up a bad habit, like eating a lot, or smoking, or drinking, or something…)
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One of the guys was working on sighting-in his new SKS. Meanwhile, Mike used his AR-15 .223 and easily landed 8 out of 10 on a 7" target (the Level 2 shooting requirement). He had a real nice shot group where he had 9 within a 5" grouping with the 10th shot being only an inch off. So, he qualified his Level 2 shooting.
The kids at this point, had ventured off to the winter fire-ring to get a campfire started, but instead, found an ice rink; under a layer of snow, there was a small "lake" of ice. They proceeded to shovel the snow off to reveal their next adventure… They had a lot of fun sliding across the ice. They got me involved in this, which ended in a wrecked knee and hip in the "who can slide the farthest" contest…ahem. But, we had fun sliding around and whipping between saplings. At some point, everyone tried their hand at militia figure skating.
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While all of that was going on, another member arrived with a truckload of pallets that he donated, as well as bearing gifts of flares and extra cameras. (The flares come into play later…) He wanted to do some shooting with his "house gun", that being a 16 gauge shotgun, to see what kind of protection it provided. He shot a string of slugs, then finished off his target assailant with one 00 Buck shot. Needless to say, I won't be breaking in his house!
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With freezing rain coming down the whole time, the wind started to pick up and began gusting pretty hard, which made shooting quite challenging. After a short dinner break, we helped Frank get the pallets unloaded from his truck; they'll be put to good use repairing shooting tables, target stands, and whatnot. Thank you, Frank! As it was getting dark, a couple of people had to leave due to commitments in the morning, assuring us they'll be back next time.
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As dark set in, the range was set up for some night shooting in a variety of light conditions (this is where the flares come in…). First, some of the road flares were lined up down the length of range, then some bowling pins were set up for targets. At 100 yards, several strings were shot, Mike having the best results and knocked down two of the pins.
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Next, the parachute flares (graciously donated by Lee) went up to see the results under that type of light condition. But a combination of shooting the flare at too vertical an angle in addition to the parachute not opening caused the flare to drop like a rock. So, another parachute flare was launched (again graciously donated by Lee) in hopes of better results. This one behaved normally, with the exception of it getting stuck in a tree on its way down. Shooting was attempted without success. The parachute flares don't last very long. We'll have to practice this one again next time.
When doing night shooting under adverse light conditions, there are a few things to be aware of. Your night vision is now non-existent and you have to acquire your target and fire your weapon. The biggest thing that can help is having night sights on your rifle; it enabled you to spot your target, and stay on target while firing, producing better results. I have a tritium sight on my rifle, and it makes a considerable difference in low light, at night, and in adverse light conditions. I highly recommend getting some type of night sights, especially for your house gun.
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The freezing rain was mostly rain now, and it was coming down in, well, buckets. Nick and Mike geared up and did some night navigation patrols. It is amazing how different things look at night than during the day. They made two patrols around the perimeter of the property. Traveling on foot at night is something everyone should practice. With the rain, no moonlight, and a lot of ice and snow on the ground, your depth perception is off, and you really have to pay attention. They made it back in about an hour, and we all settled down for the night.
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The rain was till coming down in buckets, and continued its torrential downpour the entire night. We got up several times to check on the "little Den" the kids were sleeping in, as we were staying quite dry in the Griffin's Den (a GP small military tent). Come morning, the entire landscape had changed. All of the snow was gone, and the "small lake" the kids played on yesterday was now a big lake, complete with sheets of ice an inch under the surface of water. Gills would have come in handy, as I had to fiord a stream to get to the outhouse…
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It was bright and sunny and promised to be a decent day. For about an hour, then the wind picked up. It felt like hurricane weather. By the time it was time to head out, we were all more than ready. Everyone made it out okay, except us…The road was now a combination of mud, slush, and ice. We got stuck on a sheet of ice on the first leg. We radioed Frank, and he came out with the tractor and pulled us off the ice, and we made it back to the barn. Because the high winds blew the power lines down, Frank's power was out; he then asked Nick to help get his generator hooked up.
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They got everything hooked up and working fine, and headed back to our abode tired and satisfied with another good training. Those who missed it, missed out.
