The Rocky Mountain Iron Man: A Portrait in Warrior Walking by Mark Hatmaker

So, let’s talk a little about an Old School Bad-Ass Hoss of a Warrior Walker.

Let’s introduce Bruce Neal, who was a game warden in Montana for decades.

Mr. Neal preferred to conduct his duties on foot, and by on foot, he meant it literally—He was often barefoot on his patrols.

Some fellow wardens described the soles of his feet as “thickened and hardened like an animal’s hoof.”

Neal, being noted for the distances he travelled and the pace he set was offered a wager in 1915, Mr. Neal was 29 years of age at the time.

The Wager?

To see how much distance he could cover from sunup to sundown.

He chose an out-and-back trip and keep in mind, this is Montana, this not level terrain—hence the name “The Rocky Mountain Iron Man.”

Neal won the bet by setting off barefoot for a 34-mile trek in one direction.

34-miles, barefoot. Bad-Ass enough for you?

Wait—At the end of the 34-miles out, he trod back those 34 miles for a total of 68 miles that day.

How’s that for Bad-Ass?

Oh, I forgot to mention, on the return trip he donned a pack of approximately 140 pounds.

How’s that make your current Cross-Fit score feel?

Real live terrain, boss load and not only zero “engineered” running shoes—no shoes at all.

Neal’s stride was measured at an average of 70” with most of that being in the posterior glide—exactly as we detail in our Unleaded: Warrior Walking, the Only Cardio You Need for Combination Fighting, Physical Culture and Attacking the Outdoors.

Another wager, at a later date, was to see how much terrain he could cover over the course of a single night—again barefooted.

He won the bet with a total of 71 miles over rough terrain in 11 hours of dusk-to-dusk travel.

He admitted to using a combination of his Warrior Walking stride with occasional dog-trots [sarr’i nemit’o] to accomplish this feat.

Bad-Ass Bona Fides are established but…

Wait, there’s more.

In 1954, during a Montana blizzard, Mr. Neal was 68 years old; enduring harsh winds and walking in deep snow covered 80 miles in 36 hours.

He did wear boots and socks for this trip.

Getting’ soft, huh?

Bruce Neal, The Rocky Mountain Iron Man is just one of the Hosses we have used as resources for our Warrior Walking material.

See here for more details.

Unleaded: Warrior Walking, the Only Cardio You Need for Combination Fighting, Physical Culture and Attacking the Outdoors

Mull these further resources, Warriors!

The Black Box Warehouse

The Rough ‘n’ Tumble Raconteur Podcast

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