Chestnut Ridge - Erie County, New York
Military trekking
“Soldiers in the Infantry tend to walk a lot.” I remember hearing someone say that in the small recruiting office in Freeport, New York, where I volunteered for military service. “Bring it” I naively thought, as I already was very interested in the responsibilities the Infantry held on the field of battle and thought this was the right place for me.
While at Fort Benning’s Sand Hill, I found myself surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals that volunteered for the same military operational specialty as me. It was here that we learned the term Infantry means “foot solder”, which is derived from the Latin word “infante”. The shoe fit, so to speak, for foot soldiers we were, walking everywhere, with just about everything we needed on our backs.
The statement about the Infantry walking a lot echoed in my mind throughout this chapter of my life. The first few walks, called forced marches, we undertook while in West Central Georgia were both challenging and exhilarating.
The last walk we did as part of our training at Sand Hill was an overnight trek. This all-night march lasted about eight or so hours and moved at a consistent pace of about three miles per hour. I remember that we took turns carrying the various weaponry that a typical Infantry platoon uses as their tools of the trade, mostly comprised of M-16s, with a few belt-fed M-249s and M-60s peppered into the mix.
It was during this march that a military chaplain walked from the rear of the company towards the front in a traversing manner and walked beside every single trainee to ask them how they were doing and, after a short, but meaningful conversation, handed each soldier an individually-wrapped Starlight Peppermint. This was a small, but meaningful gift that went a long way in recharging our batteries and maintaining the group’s pace.
As I looked around at all the soldiers visible in this parallel and staggered formation, it reinforced my resolve to continue the mission, or Charlie Mike, as we used to say. The walk culminated with our earning of the cross rifles insignia and the blue chord, the wearable hallmarks of the Infantry.
With the heat and humidity of summer at Fort Benning soon behind us, we made our way to our regular duty stations. I soon found myself walking, along with several of my close companions from Fort Benning through the boreal forests of central Alaska.
As arctic warriors of Alaska’s northern expanses, we utilized military-issued snowshoes to ensure we could hike in all seasons/conditions and were provided ample time and guidance to become relatively proficient in their use.
The moment I came to appreciate the value of snowshoes for winter travel was when I tried to take them off in the heart of a black spruce forest during the middle of the winter. My feet slid right into the snow and I was up to my waist in cold powder. I’d take wearing this arctic accessory over postholing through tall snow any day of the week.
Another piece of important winter-time gear was the ahkio sled. This invaluable tool was used to transport our ten-person canvas tent and Yukon stove. The word “ahkio” is of Finnish origin and means “toboggan”, or “open, canoe-shaped sled”. Without this sled in our arsenal to help transport our gear, the cold temps, sometimes reaching 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, would be uninhabitable.
A Snowshoe-wearing Ahkio Team - Fort Greeley, Alaska
In order to move the ahkio sled, ruck sack-wearing soldiers would be attached to the sled using harnesses and they would pull the sled in tandem, much like the canines that help their masters complete in the Iditarod and Yukon Quest dog sled races in this part of the world each year. It may sound like a challenge to transport, but man was it fun being part of the small group of soldiers pulling the ahkio.
While our hiking jaunts in service were intimately tied to our missions, they also provided a secondary benefit, serving as healthy exercise outlets.
Snowshoe Hike with Akhio Sled in tow - Fort Greeley, Alaska
What science has to say about hiking and snowshoeing
According to the Cleveland Clinic 2022, the health benefits of hiking are numerous, and include reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering blood pressure, staving off diabetes, reducing depression and anxiety, burning body fat, building strong muscles and bones, as well as improving sleep, arthritis symptoms, and balance. These findings are supported by other health and fitness organizations, including the American Hiking Society (2003) and Harvard Medical School (2016).
Snowshoeing is another quality, low-impact exercise that can round out outdoor activity during the winter in northern environs. In addition to the list of health benefits outlined above for hiking, snowshoeing offers the added benefit of increased energy expenditure, meaning that you can burn more calories doing this low-impact activity compared to walking, or even running. An article published by Connelly 2002 studied the energy expenditure of snowshoeing in Vermont and reported that engaging in this activity at a rate just below three miles per hour yields the same energy expenditure as jogging at more than twice that pace.
There are also additional benefits to outdoor treks in natural settings. Mitten et al. 2016 published a study in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine that describes hiking as a cost-effective activity that encourages people to be mobile while spending time in nature. An article by Eliassen 2024 in the Harvard School of Public Health outlines that spending time in nature is linked to better sleep, lower blood pressure, mental restoration and a reduction in chronic disease risk. These benefits, naturally extend to snowshoeing in these types of settings.
Engaging in hiking and snowshoeing directly combats the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, which can be damaging to one’s health or even fatal. According to the Center for Disease Control 2022, nearly 1 in 4 adults in the US are not getting regular physical activity, and are considered to be living a sedentary lifestyle. This threshold is defined as engaging in less than 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise. It is no surprise that this lifestyle is linked to many chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, to name a few.
It is markedly challenging for a good portion of the US population, including a high percentage of Veterans that live each day with ailments such as chronic pain and arthritis to initiate a low-impact exercise regimen. But science tells us that the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle is all the more reason to get active. Once inside the bubble of low impact activity, it is easier to stay within it.
It is recommended that a consult with your doctor occur before initiating any exercise regimen, especially if any pre-existing health conditions exist, or if long periods of inactivity have occurred.
Eternal Flame Waterfall - Erie County, New York
Post-military excursions
My days of donning a ruck sack and participating in all-night treks are over, and have been for some time. That said, I still find the time to go for recreational hikes and snowshoe jaunts in my home region of Western New York, no matter the season or reason. Like just about anywhere in the US, there are some great natural places nearby to get out and appreciate.
I prefer to hike and snowshoe in groups, be it with my family, friends or folks that I just met. The opportunities for light or meaningful conversation, as well as imbibing the sights, sounds and smells of nature are plentiful.
Every now and then while on these walking expeditions, I’ll take a look around at my jaunting companions and think of those old times while in the woodland camouflage of the battle dress uniform. I smile as it reinforces my resolve to carry on, or Charlie Oscar.
If there is one thing in this world I am certain of, is it that I’ll always feel better after a jaunt.
