Distinctly Montana Magazine

73 w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m ed and wet," Urick says, recounting one recent trek. "But that's where the magic happens. They realize they can 'suffer well' and that this experience was exactly what they needed." "There is a fear component in the brutality of nature," he adds. "You can't have courage if you don't have fear—if you don't have an obstacle to overcome. And you can't feel accomplished without overcoming that obstacle." VLTATs are generally comprised of five team leaders and ten participants who cover around twenty or thirty miles within ap- proximately four days. The programs are designed to promote healing through camaraderie, physical activity, adventure, and tough-minded healing. "This isn't Kumbaya shit," Urick says. "If you want to feel better, you have to take your life back. You have to learn to turn off the rage and guilt through foundational wellness: breathwork, cold water immersion, and intense physical exercise." Humor is also key. "One of the most powerful things that occurs on our trips is laughter," Urick says. "There's a common language, and they can feel comfortable because this group understands them. For them to be able to be out there laughing and letting go is some- thing they haven't gotten to do in a long time." THE PIG EGG: CARRYING THE FALLEN Perhaps the most iconic element of the MVP trips is the Pig Egg. In the scout sniper community, a Professionally Instructed Gunman (Pig) must earn their way to becoming a Hunter of Gunmen (Hog). During training, Pigs are tasked with carry- ing a 30- to 50-pound Pig Egg—usually a sandbag—to prove their grit and weed out the weak. Only the strongest Pigs will become Hogs. Drawing from the storied tradition, Moss transformed the gru- eling training ritual into a sacred centerpiece of each mission. But instead of a simple sandbag, MVP's Pig Egg is a 75-pound walking memorial filled with 7,054 dog tags, each representing a service member killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Participants are each tasked with carrying a portion of the larger Pig Egg with them as they trek through the Montana backcoun- try, the names, ages, and hometowns engraved on those tags serving as a visceral reminder that while the burden of memory is heavy, it is a load no veteran has to carry alone. "When you try to carry that Pig Egg by yourself, it's brutal. It's heavy—just like the emotions that come back with you from Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other theater," Urick explains. "But when you share that load with the team, when you open up and talk, the weight lightens. It's a reminder that you are still alive, and there are 7,000 men and women who would love to be where you are." PLUMMETS DOWN INTO THE FOREST, NOT BROKEN—YOU ARE JUST LEARNING TO SUFFER WELL. Veteran participant Ben Vandyke eats lunch on the front of the raft during VLTAT 25-1 on Montana's Smith River.

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