I just got home from Annual Training about 9 pm last night. So glad to be home! Now comes the next part, packing up everything to get it moved this weekend. Thankfully I got to be home a day earlier than was originally projected, so I have more time than I thought I would.
Overall, Annual Training was pretty good. It was frustrating in some regards, but humbling in some good ways. And then...the rain came. Sunday we were out conducting a patrol, and a thunderstorm moved into the area. Keep in mind, we were in Grayling, Michigan, where it's not usually very warm. So a thunderstorm moved in, and spotted our patrol. Lightning was hitting all around us, and you could tell the storm was directly overhead. So, we moved into some low ground, dropped all of our gear and did our best not to get hit by lightning. Before we could put our gear down, the heavens opened up and drenched us. I was soaked to the skin before I could even consider putting on wet weather gear. After that, I just sat on my rucksack and contemplated all of the life choices that had brought me to that moment. That evening, the temperature dropped from 80 degrees to 50 degrees. I froze my butt off all night, unable to get into my sleeping bag because at this point the opposing forces were testing our perimeter. So I froze. I didn't warm up until about 9 the next morning, when the big attack came and I could actually get out of my fighting position and move around. Ugh. Oh well, at least it's over. Glad to be home, and my dog and girlfriend are glad to have me back.