Risk Management Magazine

Colorado is known for its beautiful mountains and scenery. The state probably has more miles of hiking trails than it does roads. If you live there and want to call yourself a seasoned hiker, there are a few treks you must make.

One April, my sister talked me into running an insane 24-hour relay race called the Ragnar. Twelve of us decided to take on this challenge — a 192-mile trek through the scenic Wasatch Mountains, just east of Salt Lake City. With so many in our group, I only had to run three legs of the race. But don’t be fooled into thinking it was a piece of cake. Over the course of two days and one night, participants are awake, cheering each other on, wearing wacky costumes, listening to live bands and partying along the route. Good times.

It was a warm Sunday in Iraq, and I was at a combat outpost in the far west as the officer in charge of a detachment of construction engineers. They were working like bees to upgrade the living conditions at a particularly austere base. We were ahead of schedule on all our projects, so I decided to give the troops a well-deserved half-day off. Time for a barbecue!