I hope 2021 is off to a great start for all of you.

You may have seen Ben posting in GD about APC and have questions about what it is all about.
APC is a non profit apolitical organization teaching skills in a wide variety of fields including Marksmanship, Emergency Response, and Orienteering.

It is largely self driven and focuses on physical fitness and leadership development.

Many folks such as myself are brand new to the organization, and are looking for groups to help develop these skills and build comradery.  

We need more folks with both expertise and time and energy to succeed.  

@Lomshek has started compiling a list of emails for folks to re-coordinate in the event of another ARF shutdown.  A Kansas Chapter APC would be an EXCELLENT means of keeping in touch with people you don’t want to miss.

I’ve linked the website for APC, our email for Kansas and the Kansas section of the APC forum below.

If you have questions please feel free to email below or reach out to me via IM.

APC Website
https://www.americanpioneercorps.org/

Kansas AR15.com APC Section
https://www.ar15.com/forums/hometown/Kansas/69-651105/


Email:

[email protected]

Sounds interesting.  I'll be out-of-state over those dates, but following this thread to see what's up.

This is relevant to my interests.  How many members do you currently have?  Is there any vetting?

We have several folks especially in the northeast area who have taken part and myself.  This serves more as a consolidation so we can coordinate more effectively.

As of this time I am not aware of any vetting.

Being I'm in KC area, I keep an eye on the MOHTF for updates as well... Keep that in mind.

Added January 30th Event

I might be in if I can make work work out.  Because I run Project Appleseed in KS and put on other events I already lose a lot of Saturdays but if the weather sucks maybe business will be slow anyway.

If I can make it work I'll be there.  Not sure I'm ready for 45 pounds but I'll see what I can do.  Are you bringing a scale?  

I'll bring a scale and weights.  

Glad to see this starting

Good point!

The wife and I just finished a 3.3 mile flat road test hike.  I had a 36 pound pack and she had a 28 pound pack.

We did an hour on the bikes before this.  

Here’s my Strava stats.
Attached File


The wife is planning on coming too.  She was a Philmont Scout Ranch Ranger in college leading 2 week excursions in the New Mexico mountains.

ETA - Temperature for our hike was 45 and cloudy with a little fog.  
I was fine just wearing a single layer Under Armor thermal long sleeve shirt and jeans.  I started with a sweatshirt and stripped that off.

If we had stopped moving I’d have gotten chilled pretty fast and would have needed an extra layer.

My Lowa GoreTex uninsulated boots were plenty warm and totally dry in spite of stepping into the wet grass a lot when cars came by.

Reposting Notcalifornialegal's date and time update here for anyone who might have missed the edit in the OP.




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Reposting Notcalifornialegal's date and time update here for anyone who might have missed the edit in the OP.



If a 6 mile hike with 45 pound pack* is more than you're ready for you have a few options to still take part.

Option 1 - Carry a 35 pound pack* and do at least 3 miles in one hour to complete the Provisional requirement.  Anyone doing this can start out with the group and turn back at the 1.5 mile mark.  (Unsure if we will have enough witnesses for this pending Ben's answer to my question below)

Option 2 - Carry nothing but water or whatever weight you're comfortable with and do the 3 or 6 mile distance to get the exercise and serve as a witness for those doing a qualifying hike.

Option 3 - If you aren't ready for the trail just meet us at the trailhead when we finish up and go out to eat with the hikers to put faces to screen names.  If you do this I'd suggest getting to the trailhead between 3:30 & 3:45 PM.  Assuming we begin hiking a little before 2 PM we will be done a bit before 4 PM (2 hour time limit for the 6 mile hike to count).  If you do this you can IM me for my cell number to make sure we make contact.
I'll definitely be up for dinner after the hike at one of the restaurants in town.  There are Mexican, Italian and others to choose from.

*APC requirements state that packs must be at least 45 pounds for a 3rd class qualifying hike or 35 pounds for the Provisional qualifying hike when not carrying a rifle (or subtract 10 pounds if carrying a rifle).  With the current political climate my personal plan is to leave the rifle at home.
Keep in mind the minimum pack weight does not count water you may drink during the hike.  The pack must meet the weight requirement at the finish.

Anyone interested can download a workout app like Strava or MapMyWalk to track their distance and speed on a phone if you don't have a dedicated GPS device.

@Ben A couple questions if you don't mind.
In case one or two participants opt for the shorter Provisional distance and start out with the main group but turn back for a 3 mile total hike would showing the completed workout on the app to the 6 milers afterwards be sufficient to verify the distance was completed within the 1 hour time limit or do they need at least 2 witnesses to do the entire distance with them (vs the 6 milers seeing the 3 milers turn back at 1.5 miles then verifying time with the app)?

If a person is using a plate carrier or chest rig does that weight count towards the pack weight requirement?

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Reposting Notcalifornialegal's date and time update here for anyone who might have missed the edit in the OP.




@thehellbringer
@waynelte  .

I’ll be there.

I may come, depending on my availability.

I’m more interested in networking so as a courtesy to others if I come it won’t be to haul 45 lbs lol. I’ll be opting to simply bring enough water to keep up.

Either way is totally fine!  Be glad to meet you.

I’m 15 minutes away from Independence. I’ll try to make it.

3 hour drive.....hmmmm.

I'm driving over 4 from central MO

Found out I have to quarantine regardless if I stay overnight or not so I will be walking the trail the Saturday before.  

If that days works better for anyone let me know and y'all can come suffer in the rain with me.  

Thank you.  The buddy system for safety was my biggest concern about one or two hikers turning back alone.  Four minimum together in the back country is what I remember the rule being.

Bring a fan to dry your boots and gear overnight!

Im going to plan to be there. Church ends at 12:30, so i should be able to be there on time if all things go to plan, but its going to be tight. I also have Crohns disease, so im a bit at its mercy as im not currently in remission. 45 pounds and 5 miles is no issue for me however.

Question/clarification on gear-

Should i bring my long gun? Currently im down to an AR pistol for my main PDW. Are there length/weight requirements for your "rifle"? If acceptable i will probably opt to leave my "rifle" at home and opt for pack weight instead. Im new to the area, and have not been on this hike yet, so my comfort level would probably be higher if i left it at home until i understand the trail system and area better. edit: answered above

Should i bring my plate carrier and plates? Do those count towards the 45 pound weight requirement? i have two lvl IV plates and i think they are about 12.5 pounds each. Edit: Answered above

I have a quality pack, but no weights or method to weigh pack weight. Last year while living in Idaho, my normal pack weight for 16+ mile over night fishing hikes was about 28 pounds dry. These were high altitude gain hikes and technical trails. Is it better to pack with my backpacking gear, then add weight as needed, or just pack water+weight for the 45 pounds? Seems like weight/water would be the easier option, but dont know if its expected to have backpacking gear in your pack, or just weight.

Anyone have extra weights i can borrow to get me to the 45 pound requirement?

I have a youtube channel. Would there be any issues with me doing some filming of the event with my go pro to do a video on my channel with?

Thanks in advance for any clarification to my questions above!

I think ill bring my ebike for a ride after, as it looks like Kansas state parks allow ebikes on bike trails. I have been wanting to head up there and see the park. Anyone else interested in a bike ride after the hike?

I just weigh myself with and without a pack on and do the math to determine pack weight.  No special scale needed.

I don't have a pack packed so am just dumping weights wrapped in a blanket into my pack.  If you're already packed I'd leave it be and just add weight as needed as long as it doesn't damage the pack contents.

Otherwise a bag of sand might be the way to go.  I'll be using most of my weights but will bring some spares.




I'm fine with it but you're going to have to wait until everyone who's there OK's it to know for sure unless you want to blur faces.  I suppose if you were careful to not show faces and film from the back it would be OK.

I figure that between the meet and greet, getting info, weighing everyone and getting prepped we won't be stepping off until about 2 so hopefully time will work out.

If you're running late give me a call.  I think I gave you my phone number already.

Wish I could make it fellas but work is going to get in my way.

Hope to be able to get out to the next event!

I might be in.  Trying to talk the family into going.  
Since this is a state park, isn't there the daily park fee if you don't have a pass?

An afternoon hike . That's right up my ally! I won't be able to make it though. We've been packed at the bar every weekend the past few weeks. No complaints though. We need it! I do appreciate the invite however.

I'll call and check tomorrow and update it in the OP.

I found this review on the trail page Notcalifornialegal linked to in the OP.  Looks like we need to bring $5 for each vehicle or have a state park vehicle pass.



A number of reviews mention it being muddy.  I imagine we can do a quick change in plans on site and stick to the road shoulders if we need to instead of the trail.

Mud happens. Its best to train in the worst conditions possible. I and another member from MO are coming Saturday to camp if anyone wants to join us

I definitely get the whole hard training thing after life as an infantryman.  A gentler intro than heavy mud on rocky trails might be advisable with a bunch of us unsure about our abilities (if it's really bad) and not 20 years old anymore.  That decision doesn't have to be made until we're on site so no point sweating it either way right now.