But during this quiet time, I haven't just been sitting on my butt. The opposite, in fact, in part because a not-so-little bird told me (and the rest of our general membership) that there's going to be a fitness test for those wanting to be on the technical team. That fitness test is the same as the official Wildland Fire Test: three miles in 45 minutes with a 45-pound pack. If we don't pass the first time, we'll be able to take it again (and again?) until we do.
It's not the weight that intimidates me—been there, done that, plenty of times on the Appalachian Trail and elsewhere. And it's not the time limit. I can walk pretty fast if I want to. (Apparently, we won't be allowed to jog.) But the weight and the time limit combined... that's the kicker.
While doing a little hunting around online, I came across this: Work Capacity Testing for Wildland Firefighters: Ensuring Wildland Fire Safety by the U.S. Forest Service. In the document, it states that there are three test levels:
- Walk Test: a 1-mile hike in 16 minutes
- Field Test: 2-mile hike with 25-pound pack in 30 min.
- Pack Test: 3-mile hike with 45-pound pack in 45 min.
So, I certainly have my work cut out for me. I plan to keep up the training, once a week with increasingly heavier packs, until test time on May 9. Between those workouts, regular hiking, Jazzercise three to five times per week, and an occasional snowshoe or hike at altitude on the peaks, I'll hopefully pass the test on the first try.
And even though a slightly smaller bird told me we won't be using the arduous test, I figure this training can't hurt. There are some mighty fast folks on that tech team, who I'll be wanting to keep up with... or at least keep in sight up ahead.
