"Do hard things. Hard things are rites of passage, hard things ground you, hard things heal you." —Jessica A.

The Project Avalanche was a 3-day training evolution and assessment of current skills in the “Austere Environment” series of training produced by Lodestone Training and Consulting. This course was run at the Ben Franklin Range, an 1,100 acre plot of land with thick vegetation, significant elevation changes, lots of natural resources, and no cellular reception.

“Hey Uncle Chris! I think Jimmy hurt his wrist!”

We were on vacation at the beach; my family, my sister’s family and my parents all packed into a rental house a short walk from the Atlantic. It was the first time my three youngest had seen the ocean, and I was applying sunscreen on the back patio when the injury was announced.

I've been wanting to write this article for a few weeks now, without knowing how to start, so I'm just going to do it. We find ourselves standing at the edge of a Cliff, looking off into the future and seeing many potential hazards. We do not want to fall down this Cliff, so we make preparations to be ready for the things to come. We make plans, we store goods and equipment, and we train. We know there are many dangers ahead. In this article, I want to address one of those dangers.

During the Season 4 Episode 21 of the Lodestone Training and Consulting podcast we mentioned that we had just signed up for our General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) licenses. I know I teach that there is no test required for the GMRS license, but I now think the test is navigating the FCC website.

Recently, I was speaking with a friend about the AR15 and optic heights. We were discussing the proliferation of high-rise optics and their pros and cons. Specifically, we were discussing if you should even bother adding back up iron sights (BUIS) with a high-mounted optic, given the difficulties presented.

There’s a plethora of ways to mount a carbine – there’s horizontal mounts, vertical mounts, flipping-backwards-throwing-a-shovel mounts, you name it. They’re a smart way to store your carbine, and some of them even offer a locking capability if you need it. That’s great.

Shotguns, on the other hand, are a different matter. Google ‘shotgun wall mounts’. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

I can’t wait for the Second Annual Pennsylvania Light Fighter Challenge! With it being held at the incredible Ben Franklin Range, it will be bigger and better than last year. It is designed to give you an opportunity to learn a little about yourself as you navigate a 10-plus mile course.

Here are a couple of reviews from students who attended our Austere Environment Survival Series: Wilderness Skills class. Students tested out their 72-Hour Emergency Kits/Bug-Out Bags, and learned skills including shelter-building, fire-starting, water purification, and more.

Bud wrote:

“Top notch instruction. I took the class with my 12-year-old son, we both had a blast and learned a lot…

As you know, the world just seems like it’s getting crazier and crazier. We felt compelled to write this article to encourage you to start to grow some of your own food or if you already do, to increase your production.

I’m sitting on a plane, flying out to Las Vegas to run a week-long Patrol Rifle class for an agency. They asked us to set up a Patrol Rifle program for them. We are going to be traveling all over the country to teach their agents the basics of Patrol Rifle. Once that’s accomplished, we will be holding advanced training for their in-house instructors. In a sense, we will be teaching ourselves out of a job.

I’ve been sitting here and contemplating how far I’ve come as an instructor.

I have been running Low-Light classes now for almost 10 years, and I have been operating in low-light Professionally almost 10 years more. But honestly, I started as a kid playing capture the flag and other such activities. I learned a lot playing in the woods and cornfields at night.

Sometimes we gain wisdom from learning from the mistakes of others. This is an opportunity for you to gain wisdom from someone who has mistreated his feet. To mistreat one’s feet is a great mistake.

This article comes from a conversation with my 16-year-old. The other day, she had an event that, for weeks, email reminders had gone out, telling everyone to be on time. Because I grew up in the 82nd Airborne, I need to be places ten minutes before the event starts. It is better to be ten minutes early than one minute late.

In the Land Navigation Seminar, I go over maps and talk about where you can get different types. But why we need maps? I am an 18F, and a nerd, which means I collect maps. I love them and one day I will wallpaper an office with them. We are not here to talk about home décor, however, we are going to talk about some of the useful maps that you can add to your collection.

I had a Team SGT that would say “when you point a finger at someone you have three pointing back at you”. This saying has stayed with me and it is often very true. As I prepare to write this article those three fingers are poking me right in the eye. We all can use self-reflection.

There are three things that will keep you alive in a combat situation, in order of precedence they are: 1. The guy next to you. 2. Your training. 3. Your Weapons (includes other equipment).

What condition should your pistol be in as you carry concealed? That question is asked often in classes. A lot of our students are surprised and a little uncomfortable when we reply, ‘chambered.’

On August 2nd, we posted Season 3 Episode 5 of the LTAC Podcast, “Preparing Like an ODA”. If you haven’t listened to it, I suggest you do. In it, we talk about one of the best ways to prepare for emergencies. It’s not about how many or what type of guns should one have. Or how many beans should you store. It was about how a special forces team prepares for a mission and tackles problems.

Most of us have had the experience of meeting a person who is just miserable to deal with, because they are arrogant. Whether it is work or recreation, this person has all the right answers and cannot be wrong.