Rucking Mondays: Red Squirrel to Douglas Fir

NOTE: This ruck is harder than our typical ruck routes.

You can participate in Rucking Mondays without having completed a qualifying hike. Our goal is to host these every other Monday.

Rucking is going on a hike while carrying supplies in a backpack. The difference between backpacking and rucking? You are carrying the back only for training purposes and not to get to a desired camp destination. See benefits here: https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/30-days-of-rucking/

And so to train for backpacking, we decided to start Rucking Mondays. You MUST carry a backpacking backpack or ruck pack to attend these training sessions. These are intended to be training sessions and not leisurely walks.

PLEASE NOTE: Headlamps are required. Depending on the weather, spikes may be recommended.

New to backpacking? If you have never backpacked and are working your way up to backpacking, I recommend starting with 10 pounds and working your way up each week by adding 5 pounds until you reach your goal weight - this can be anywhere from 25 pounds to 50 depending on your goals.

Longtime backpacker? Start where you are comfortable based on what you've done most recently. Then add weight as we go throughout the year.

Route: 4 Miles // 1,847ft elevation gain https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/red-squirrel-trail-to-douglas-fir-trail